A riddle trail through Aix, from Cézanne's museum to King René's grapes
The Aix-en-Provence scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is around you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. About 2 hours covers the whole game, yet the walking itself comes to only some 43 minutes over 3.6 km, because the 10 stops are squares, fountains and churches packed close together, and when you set off is entirely your call.
Highlights include the dolphin fountain of the Mazarin quarter, the plane-shaded Cours Mirabeau with its warm mossy fountain, the Fontaine de la Rotonde, the elegant Place d'Albertas, Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur and King René with his grapes. Aix is a city of fountains and squares close together, so the walk constantly opens onto a new one.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 43 min · 3.6 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What you uncover between the Mazarin quarter and Saint-Sauveur
Dolphins, a pine cone and a fountain that runs warm
Every riddle hangs on something you can see from the pavement: four dolphins spouting around an obelisk, the pine cone on its tip, the moss-covered fountain in the middle of the Cours Mirabeau that still flows with warm spring water. Aix keeps its answers in stone and water.
Knights, wool carders and a burning bush
Each solved riddle opens a chapter of Aix: the priory of the Knights of Malta that now houses the Musée Granet, the wool carders who gave Place des Cardeurs its name, and the triptych of the Burning Bush painted for King René in the 1470s. With the audio narration on, the stories reach you while your eyes stay on the carvings.
Under the plane trees
Google Maps leads you through about 43 minutes of walking, 3.6 km in all, from the straight streets of the Mazarin quarter along the shady Cours Mirabeau and into the twisting lanes of the old town. One square opens onto the next, so the distance hardly registers.
A terrace stop on the Cours
Nothing in the game is timed, so take a seat at a café terrace on the Cours Mirabeau or Place des Cardeurs and play on afterwards. If the afternoon slips away, the remaining fountains can wait for another day in Aix.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who Aix's fountain riddles will suit
Day-trippers from Marseille
Aix lies close enough to Marseille for an easy day out, and in about 2 hours the game strings together its best-known squares, fountains and the cathedral. There is still time for the Musée Granet or a long Provençal lunch afterwards.
Families who count dolphins
Four dolphins to count, a king holding grapes, three statues on one fountain and another fountain wrapped in moss keep children searching. A parent or teacher stays with every children's team from the first dolphin to the last fountain.
Groups who like a terrace at the end
Several teams of up to 5, every player with a phone of their own, set out from the Musée Granet in turn and gather again beside King René where the Cours Mirabeau ends. Colleagues, classes and friends then compare answers under the plane trees.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: Mazarin quarter, Cours Mirabeau, Place d'Albertas, Saint-Sauveur and King René
10 stops · about 43 min walking · start: Musée Granet · finish: Fontaine du Roi René
The hunt starts at the Musée Granet in the Mazarin quarter and passes Place des Quatre-Dauphins and the Hôtel de Caumont before reaching the Cours Mirabeau and the Fontaine de la Rotonde. In the old town you continue to Place d'Albertas, Place des Cardeurs, Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur and the Église de la Madeleine, and finish at the Fontaine du Roi René. Would you rather begin on the Cours Mirabeau or beside the cathedral? The app lets you pick another first stop and rearranges the rest, and since every riddle uses only what the fountains and façades show to the street, the museums and mansions on the way never ask you for an entry ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Musée GranetStart
The museum occupies the 17th-century former priory of the Knights of Malta in the Mazarin quarter, beside the Gothic church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte. It is named after the painter François-Marius Granet, who left his collection to the city, and it holds several paintings by Paul Cézanne, who was born in Aix.
Read the full story →
2Place des Quatre-Dauphins
This small square in the Mazarin quarter takes its name from the fountain of 1667 by Jean-Claude Rambot, where four dolphins spout water around an obelisk crowned by a pine cone. The quarter around it was laid out in the 17th century on a regular grid of streets lined with elegant private mansions.
3Hôtel de Caumont
This aristocratic mansion was built in the first half of the 18th century and is one of the finest examples of its kind in Aix. Since 2015 it has housed the Caumont Centre d'Art, and behind the building lies a formal French garden.
4Cours Mirabeau
Laid out in the mid-17th century along the line of the old ramparts, this broad avenue shaded by plane trees separates the old town from the Mazarin quarter. Mansions with carved doorways and wrought-iron balconies line its south side, and in the middle a moss-covered fountain still flows with warm water from the town's springs.
5Fontaine de la Rotonde
Built in 1860 at the western end of the Cours Mirabeau, this large fountain stands in the middle of a busy roundabout. Three statues crown it, representing Justice, Agriculture and the Fine Arts, with Justice looking down the Cours Mirabeau.
6Place d'Albertas
Jean-Baptiste d'Albertas had this small square laid out in 1745 opposite his family mansion, to give it a worthy setting. Its uniform façades with pilasters recall the royal squares of Paris, and the fountain in the middle was only added in 1912.
Read the full story →
7Place des Cardeurs
One of the largest squares in the old town, close to the town hall, Place des Cardeurs is named after the wool carders who once worked in this area. Today its colourful façades are lined with restaurant terraces, and a modern fountain stands in the square.
8Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur
Built over many centuries on the site of the Roman forum, Saint-Sauveur combines Romanesque, Gothic and later styles under one roof. Its early Christian baptistery reuses ancient Roman columns, and the cathedral owns Nicolas Froment's triptych of the Burning Bush, painted in the 1470s for King René. Look closely at the carved Gothic portal of the west façade.
9Église de la Madeleine
This church on Place des Prêcheurs was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century on the site of the church of the Dominican friars, the Preachers who gave the square its name. Its neoclassical façade was only added in the 19th century, and the church owns the central panel of the 15th-century Annunciation of Aix.
10Fontaine du Roi RenéFinish
At the eastern end of the Cours Mirabeau stands King René, Count of Provence in the 15th century, in a statue by David d'Angers placed on the fountain in 1823. In his hand he holds a bunch of muscat grapes, recalling the tradition that he brought this grape variety to Provence.
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Anonymous (verified owner) –
This activity allowed us to explore the best attractions of this beautiful village in a fun and entertaining way ! Highly recommended for all !
Anonym (verified owner) –
Super!
Anonymous (verified owner) –
It was a very fun activity! Recommended!