/ Aix-en-Provence is so lovely that various French surveys have chosen it the most desirable city in which to live, due to the ambience of this special place. The modest population of just 150,000 residents gives it a small-town charm, yet Aix is big enough to provide all the necessities and comforts of urban living. Nearly 30 percent are university students, lending an air of youthful energy, culture and enthusiasm, plus you’ll always find budget places to eat when there are so many young people around.
The pedestrian zone is an idyllic urban landscape of pretty, low-rise buildings three and four centuries old, criss-crossed by a maze of tranquil pedestrian lanes lined with shops and cafes. This automobile-free zone is only about one half-mile across, so you can see most of it in a few hours, but it feels larger because the lanes are narrow and winding in a pleasant tangle.
You might sometimes find yourself going in circles, a bit lost, but that is part of the charm of exploring a place for the first time. Don’t be dismayed if you are walking along a lane for the second or third time, in an opposite direction – you will always notice new things to see. It’s a fact that we only absorb or notice a small fraction of the sights and stimuli around us, so a second and third visit down the same attractive lane can be quite entertaining.