DAY TRIPS
What a luxury to have the day ahead of you. Why not take your time to explore on of the many beautiful spots that Aix-en-Provence and its surroundings offer? On this page I suggest some of the most fun and pretty day trips with kids around Aix-en-Provence. If you are willing to hop into your car, it will drive you to many breathtaking places. Although I live here for quite some time, I keep exploring new amazing sites. Well, okay, lockdowns prevented some sightseeing too, but that just makes me want to go out as much as I can. Helpful for my website, sometimes annoying for my kids. There are beautiful sites like lavender fields, former ocre mines or wine domaines to discover. And what about area's like the calanques or charming villages in the nearby Luberon? If you are up for day trips with kids around Aix-en-Provence, check some of the kid-friendly activities tested by my kids.
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Écomusée de la forêt
Yes, the museums are open again! Just outside of Aix you find a kid-friendly forest museum. It is the Écomusée de la forêt in Gardanne and it even has an outdoor playground! Talking about a cool place… The Écomusée is a small but sweet museum about the flora and fauna in the region of Aix-en-Provence. The exhibitions are really adapted to children, there are some cute interactive games and areas. Oh and, (my kids love their screen time anywhere) there is a short film. Besides learning about the plants and animals, my kids especially got appealed by the section about forest fires. The sound of sirens made my son very…
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Dinosaur’Istres
Here is one great activity for the whole family! This kid-friendly dinosaur park in Istres is big fun for your kid, is super educational (including for this mum) and is even for free. And open despite sanitary restrictions. Go go go! Dinosaur’Istres is a park on a hill where you can walk a trail from 3km, here you come across all kinds of real size dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptors. Remember that kitchen scene in the Jurassic Park movie? Iiiihks, well I definitely did remember while seeing some of those species. With every species comes an explanation, though in French. The trail was just perfect for my 4…
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Hiking around the Sainte-Victoire
All around Aix-en-Provence you can see the mountain named Sainte-Victoire. It’s top with a huge cross on it, is an icon for every Aixoise or Aixois. I have come to love this spot so much, that it really feels like coming home when I see it. Popular as it is in the Provence, there are many walks possible, from several places to start. If you would like a few hints of kid-friendly hikes around the Sainte-Victoire, feel free to read this post. It depends on your kids condition (and mood!) how long you’re able to hike. Going to the top is quite a big hike, I consider my kids (6…
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Château La Coste, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade
OK, you would like to admire some beautiful landscapes, see art and taste a lovely rosé? However, your kid wants to run around and move? I have the perfect go-to for you! It is the marvelous place called Château La Coste. Château La Coste is a kid-friendly wine domaine just a few kilometers from Aix-en-Provence. Château La Coste is a huge vineyard with amazing land art objects, specially made for the domaine by artists all over the world. To have a walk on the landscape, you buy a ticket at the modern reception building. From there you are free to go and walk by as much art as you (and…
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Colorado Provençal, Rustrel
OK, it is quite a ride from Aix-en-Provence towards this place (+/- 1 hour), but it is worth the effort. Rustrel, a village in the beautiful Luberon, houses Colorado Provençal. It’s a former ocre mine and creates a beautiful landscape that is just perfect for a kid-friendly hike. Formed millions of years ago, this colorful place was turned into a mine in 1871. The ocre was used as a pigment and therefore transported all over the world. The mine stopped its activity in the nineties and later became this touristic site. We had never seen a soil of ocre before, the colors that cover the landscape are picturesque. Let alone…
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Forêt des cèdres, Bonnieux
Let me take you to la Forêt des Cèdres, a beautiful kid-friendly forest in the Luberon. The Luberon is a gorgeous green mountain range near Aix-en-Provence and houses several of the most charming villages of France. After having had food truck bio crêpes for lunch and delicious ice cream as a dessert in Apt, you would say that the day couldn’t get better. The road towards the forest was already breathtaking, oooh, the views… If you have the chance, I’d recommend to take a stroll through Bonnieux as well. But, I was talking about the forest. There are 4 routes you could take, all are well marked. We took the…
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Playground Martigues
In Martigues you find Parc de Figuerolles: a huge park with all kinds of facilities. There are lots of activities possible in this kid-friendly park. For example you could visit the wide playground that houses several play objects to climb on, like a climbing pyramid. It is a well maintained community park, with good paths and even a toilet. When done with playing, you could go for a hike around the park and there is even a kid-friendly mountainbike trail. Apparently there is a beautiful beach with seashells right next to it. In the park itself you could have a bite at one of the many picknick tables. There is…
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Playground Vitrolles
Between Aix-en-Provence and the airport Marignane lies Vitrolles. The village is especially known for its yellow and blue Swedish shop. Who knew that it would offer a great playground too (and I don’t mean Småland)? Thanks to a good hint we visited Parc du Griffon and I am happy to share this huge playground with natural elements. What an amazing kid-friendly park! My kids were sold when they encountered the huge wooden griffin that embraces two large slides. These were by far the largest we experienced in a free public playground. It was touching to see a big smile on literally every kid’s face that came down, again and again…
