Page 410 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

educated architect Rudi brities the buzz and glitz
Ricciotti. are in Cannes year-round.
From the Vieux Port, The imposing Palais
hike up to the fantastic des Festivals et des
history-woven quarter Congrès (1 bd de la Croisette;
of Le Panier, dubbed guided tour adult/child €4/
south side and, across the Marseille’s Montmartre free) is the centre of the
water, Fort St-Jean, found- as much for its sloping glamour. Climb the red
ed in the 13th century by streets as its artsy ambi- carpet, walk down the
the Knights Hospitaller ence. It’s a mishmash of auditorium, tread the
of St John of Jerusa- lanes hiding artisan shops, stage and learn about
lem. A vertigo-inducing ateliers (workshops) and cinema’s most prestigious
footbridge links the latter terraced houses strung event on a 1½-hour guid-
with the stunning Musée with drying washing. ed tour run by the tourist
des Civilisations de office (%04 91 13 89 00;
l’Europe et de la Méditer- 54 p274 www.marseille-tourisme.com;
ranée, (MuCEM; www.mucem. The Drive » To get from 11 La Canebière; h9am-7pm
org; 7 Promenade Robert Laffont; Marseille to Cannes, take the Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun).
adult/family/child €9.50/14/ northbound A52 and join the
free; h10am-8pm Wed-Mon A8 toll road just east of Aix-en- 54 p264
Jul & Aug, 11am-7pm Wed-Mon Provence. It’s 181km and takes The Drive » Weave along
Sep, Oct, May & Jun, 11am-6pm just under two hours. the D6007 to Nice, taking in
Wed-Mon Nov-Apr) the icon of cliffs, turquoise waters and the
ATLANTIC COAST 38 ATLANTIC TO MED
modern Marseille. Its vast yachties’ town of Antibes. It’s
anthropological collec- 9 Cannes 31km and, on a good day, takes
tion is housed in a bold, The eponymous film 45 minutes.
contemporary building festival only lasts for two
known as J4, designed by weeks in May, but thanks
Algerian-born, Marseille- to regular visits from cele- a Nice
You don’t need to be a
painter or artist to appre-
ciate the extraordinary
light in Nice. Matisse,
DETOUR: Chagall et al spent years
AIX-EN-PROVENCE lapping up the city’s
Start: 7 Arles startling luminosity and
radiance, and for most
Aix-en-Provence is to Provence what the Left Bank visitors to Nice, it is
is to Paris: an enclave of bourgeois-bohemian chic. this magical light that
Art, culture and architecture abound here. A stroller’s seduces. The city has a
paradise, the highlight is the mostly pedestrian old number of world-class
city, Vieil Aix. South of cours Mirabeau, Quartier sights, but the star at-
Mazarin was laid out in the 17th century, and is home traction is probably the
to some of Aix’s finest buildings. Central Place des seafront Promenade des
Quatre Dauphins, with its fish-spouting fountain Anglais. Atmospheric,
(1667), is particularly enchanting. Further south still beautiful and photogenic,
is the peaceful Parc Jourdan, where locals gather
beneath plane trees to play pétanque. it’s a wonderful place to
From Arles it’s a 77km (one-hour) drive down the stroll (p304) or watch the
A54 toll road to Aix-en-Provence. To rejoin the main world go by, so make sure
route take the A51 and A7 for 32km (30 minutes) to you leave yourself plenty
Marseille. of time to soak it all in.
54 p264, p409
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