What's on in Aix-en-Provence (Provence), France through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in France, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: The mistral (1 Dec – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Winter (February) holidays in France, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: The mistral (1 Dec – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Winter (February) holidays in France, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: The mistral (1 Dec – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring holidays in France, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: The mistral (1 Dec – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring holidays in France, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Lavender on the Valensole plateau

  20 Jun – 25 Jul · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The fields an hour north of town come out in the last days of June and are cut through July. Go early: the coaches reach Valensole by ten and the roadside pull-ins fill.

Peak crowds — Festival d'Aix, Summer holidays in France

• Hazard

  Heatwave weeks

  1 Jul – 25 Aug · usuallyExtreme heat

  Most summers bring stretches where the town moves indoors until six and the fountains are the only shade worth having. Meteo-France runs the warnings department by department. Source ↗

• Festival

  Festival d'Aix

  2–21 JulMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Three weeks of opera in the open courtyard of the Archeveche and at the Grand Theatre. The audience books in the spring, and the restaurant tables at eight go with it. Source ↗

Still on: Lavender on the Valensole plateau (20 Jun – 25 Jul (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in France, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Vendanges in the Coteaux d'Aix

  25 Aug – 10 Oct · usuallyHarvest

  Picking runs from the end of August into early October across the hills either side of the town. Estates that take visitors often shut the tasting room while the crop is in, so ring ahead.

Still on: Heatwave weeks (1 Jul – 25 Aug (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Vendanges in the Coteaux d'Aix (25 Aug – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — All Saints (autumn) holidays in France, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Vendanges in the Coteaux d'Aix (25 Aug – 10 Oct (usually))

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Christmas market and santon fair

• Festival

  Christmas market and santon fair

  13 Nov – 31 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  About fifty chalets down the Cours Mirabeau from the middle of November, with the santon makers alongside selling nativity figures by the tray. The fair shuts on 25 December, the market runs to the 31st. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Christmas market and santon fair, Christmas holidays in France

• Season

  The mistral

  1 Dec – 30 Apr · usuallyWind seasonRisk

  The valley wind comes down for two or three days at a time, hardest between December and April. It scours the sky clear and empties every terrace on the Cours Mirabeau while it lasts. Source ↗

Still on: Christmas market and santon fair (13 Nov – 31 Dec (usually))