PLAYGROUNDS
We could take our kids to the greatest fun parks or places with the most stunning views, but in the end they are already so happy when on a playground! Happy you to find some nice playgrounds in and around Aix-en-Provence on this page. Because we live on the campagne of Aix we have to drive over there. Therefore we extend our stay there with a picnic or a 'gouter' (the cute French word for snack time). We are lucky to experience the French picnic culture. Because of that a lot of playgrounds have benches or picnic tables, otherwise you could just throw a cute blanket on the grass. It so nice to see a lot of birthday parties being thrown around playgrounds, just ideal! I have to admit that not all of the playgrounds in and around Aix-en-Provence are interesting. Still there are some cute ones to find, even though sometimes it involves some driving. Get inspired for your playground adventure, maybe including a picnic to make up for your travel time ;-). Here are some cute ones.
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L’Art Glacier, Ansouis
As you might have read in my other blogs my kids and I are fond of ice cream. I have a magnificent place to share with you. My sweet French teacher Lucie told me about l’Art Glacier and their amazing terrace. Now, your kids will even love you more when you take them here haha. Delicious ice cream with a view. L’Art Glacier is a treasure, to be found near the pretty village Ansouis. Almost immediately after we got the hint we visited l’Art Glacier and were stunned with the delicious coupes of ice cream. Almost as stunning was the view. Ooooh, that view! From one of the desired tables…
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La Ciotat
La Grande Plage at La Ciotat could be a beach you would want to avoid during weekends and holidays. It can be very crowded over there. But when you have the luxury to visit La Ciotat on a quiet moment, it is a nice Mediterranean kid-friendly spot (especially because of other another factor, see below…). La Ciotat its beaches are a combination of rocks and sand and the beautiful seawater keeps being shallow for lots of meters. The beach itself is very narrow though, that’s why it can be packed with sun lovers. A factor that it is very comfortable is that the beach has several restaurants where you can…
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Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
The Provence is so full of beautiful places, no way you will get bored around here. Take the gorgeous little town Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, situated about an hour drive of Aix-en-Provence. Right in the heart of the Alpilles mountains. Over here you experience the typical Provence feeling, though it is also very “mondaine” with its beauties of boutiques and art shops. Apparently Saint-Rémy is very popular among the famous French, a place to see and be seen. Well, as we are just a plain family, we didn’t have to worry about that haha! We did find that Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is also a great place for a kid friendly provençal day trip. Oh that…
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Lac de Peyrolles
As a proud resident of the Provence, I really love the sun and the massive amount of sunny days. However, the summers in the Provence can be very hot. My kids love the sun as well, but sometimes we can’t take the heat anymore. Yes, we are spoiled brats, I know. I have the perfect cooling get-away for you, including playgrounds and a swimming lake. And near Aix-en-Provence. Lac de Peyrolles is a great kid-friendly place to spend your entire day. Only from July to August you pay a fee to park your car, besides these months this even is a free escape! And what do you get? An azur…
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Sports park Venelles
One of the pretty communities of Aix-en-Provence is Venelles. Just outside of the village there is a huge park with all kinds of sports facilities, Parc de Sports Maurice Daugé. The park is located in a forest environment, on top of a hill. I could really recommend to visit this kid-friendly sports park. One of the interesting places here is the swimming pool, Le centre aquatique Sainte-Victoire. It is a large and modern swimming pool, which is already great to go to with kids. But the best thing is outside: a water splashing playground. Can’t wait until summer! Well, and for it to open without any restrictions. To keep things…
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Playground Aix-en-Provence
Parc de la Torse Looking for a playground in Aix-en-Provence, just outside the centre? Parc de la Torse is beautiful green parc in Eastern Aix with two small gated playgrounds. One more for the little ones, the other more for kids till around 8 years old. There are long paths to cycle and scooter on, the park is very suitable for playing ball or enjoying picnics (and apéros ;-). Parc Jourdan Quite close to the famous Cours Mirabeau in the heart of Aix-en-Provence you find this pretty city park. The park has a gated playground with some nice play objects, like a plane for example. You can definitely bring a…
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Playground Eguilles
The charming uphill town Eguilles has a fun playground, next to the ‘Ecole Élementaire Publique du Cros’. If you are already around and your kid wants to move, you could have a good stop here. The playground is not perse big, but diverse enough. The playground has for instance a climbing pyramid for those who want to train their climbing skills. For the smaller kids there is a wooden train and some seesaw objects. There is also a wooden castle with a slide that, my kids their favorite, has a fire pole. Fireman Sam can shake it… Sporty and older kids can have a go in the soccer court and…
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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…
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Lourmarin
If you would like to visit a charming Luberon village, it can’t get more charming than Lourmarin. It is very touristy and can get very crowded in summertime, but it is all very stylish and worth the visit. Lourmarin is also a very nice place to visit with children. Here I tell you all about the spot to visit in Lourmarin with kids, all in walking distance and with fun variety that makes it both interesting for you as well as your kid. Fun playground with a view On the Boulevard du Rayol, you can satisfy your kids for sure with this nice playground, right in the middle of Lourmarin.…
