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The City

Aix-en-Provence is the second most influential city in the region of Provence, dominated only by the industrial might of Marseille.

Aix is famous for its magnificent beauty and its history in the world of renaissance art. These are themes that continue to run through the city in modern day Aix, however the city also has a much more cosmopolitan feel offering a diverse range of attractions for everybody to enjoy.

Activity in the town centres around Cours Mirabeau, a wide tree-lined boulevard which runs through the middle of town. The street is at the heart of the principal shopping area in Aix and is an ideal location to enjoy a cooling aperitif in one of its many cafés and watch the world go by.

University

The University of Aix-Marseille is a major international university with over 30,000 students, the majority of which are foreigners coming to study the beautiful language in perhaps one of the most picturesque cities in the world (round of applause if they manage to get any work done!!).

As with many French universities the university of Aix-Marseille has been split up into 3 different strands.

Aix-Marseille I – concentrates on human sciences, arts and languages. This is arguably the biggest of the three and is situated to the west of the city. The address is:

Université de Provence
29, avenue Robert-Schuman
13621 Aix-en-Provence cedex 1
33 (0)4 42 95 30 30

Aix-Marseille II - otherwise known as the Université Mediterranée (the Mediterranean university) is primarily a business school, offering degrees in economics and management.

Food and Drink

Local Specialties; Aix is at the centre of a hunting region so many of the local dishes are game based, pheasant and the like. I’m not sure whether these can be classed truly as local specialties but they are definitely very tasty!!

The most well-known specialty is a type of biscuit, made up of almond paste and fruit syrup called a calisson. The perfect accompaniment to a shot of espresso!

Eating Out;Whilst you are out in France we definitely suggest that you make the most of the cheap food and drink. You will be able to find set menus (usually 3 courses) ranging from between 15-25€ depending on where you go, so there is absolutely no excuse not to try out all the local specialties.

Aix is absolutely jam packed full of restaurants and because of the climate most have fantastic terraces where you can enjoy you meal ‘al fresco’. The major concentration of restaurants is near the Hotel de Ville around Place Cardeurs. Other favourite spots to eat out are rue Van Loo (one of the cheapest areas) that boasts a huge variety of international cuisine. Cours Mirabeau also plays host to some of the cities more tempting restaurants.

Out on the town:

Thanks to the enormous student population and its cultural diversity Aix is a very lively student town. The warm weather and beautiful people is a cocktail for a party atmosphere. Rue de la Verrerie is a popular area for going out with new pubs and clubs emerging all the time. There are an array of bars in the area serving up different atmospheres and genres of music. Have an explore and see what takes your fancy!

The boring stuff

When you first arrive in Aix there are a number of things that we suggest you get out the way.

Housing Benefit; As a student in France you will be eligible for housing benefit. It is a monthly payment offered by the state to help students be able to afford to pay their rent. In order to receive this benefit you must apply for it at the Caisses d’Allocations Familiales or CAF as it is better known. You can apply for housing benefit either on-line or at the CAF itself.

There are numerous offices in the region so you should have a look at the CAF website to see which one is the nearest to you.

We do recommend that you try to complete the necessary paperwork on the internet as the waiting time at the CAF is notoriously long. If you have any problems filling out the forms don’t hesitate to ask us for a hand!

Gas and Electricity; EDF are the main suppliers of gas and electricity in France. Once we have secured your accommodation we will contact EDF/GDF to inform them that you are the new tenant. You will get your bills from these guys which we suggest you pay as soon as they arrive. Failure to pay may mean disconnection at a charge of 30€. If you have any problems with the supply of gas or electricity get in contact with the supplier and notify the landlord. The number for les Bouches du Rhone (your region) is: 0 810 800 097

Bank Account; When you arrive we recommend that you open a bank account asap. Having a French bank account will allow you to pay bills and manage your money more easily. There are a number of Banks to choose from all offering slightly different packages. We can however recommend La Banque Postale. This is a subsidiary of the post office ’La Poste’. The advantage of having a bank account with ’La Poste’ is that you will be able to access your money and carry out transactions from practically anywhere in France, unlike other banks who often require that you return to the holding branch to carry out any transfers or transactions.

Transferring Money; Thanks to our english banking service you are able to pay your rent into an English bank account so you will not be charged for transferring money or be stung by exchange rates. In order to fully benefit from this fact we suggest that you use travelers cheques to transfer money between accounts. Travelers cheques are secure and there is no charge for cashing them. It is an ideal way to move money between your English and French account without losing money.

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