The favorite city of the French themselves, Aix-en-Provence is a culturally rich and elegant "village" in the heart of Provence. The city is also big enough to be cosmopolitan and active day and night. Yet, unlike Paris, Aix allows you to feel comfortable and at ease in a very short time. With things to do and people to meet from the very first day, AUCP students find that the city encourages the freedom of movement necessary to the creation of a personalized experience abroad. With a highly educated population of 134,000 and over 30,000 French university students, Aix offers countless opportunities for rich cultural contacts and lasting friendships.

The Heart of Provence

Aix-en-Provence is the heart of one of the most charmed regions in all of France… Provence. Combining medieval hilltop villages and lovely port towns, rugged mountains and the deep blue of the Mediterranean, the area is steeped in history and blessed by natural beauty.

Provence has always been known as a center of fine, gracious living. In the last century, the region and its sharp light drew such artists as Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso. Cézanne was born in Aix-en-Provence and worked there all his life; Picasso is buried just to the east, in the shadow of the breathtaking Montagne Sainte-Victoire which overlooks the town.

Founded by the Romans, Aix combines stately historical beauty and a lively, modern spirit. The climate is temperate and the days long. People live outdoors when possible and, on the first warm days of spring, café tables magically fill the squares and pedestrian streets. This is French life as you imagine it.

Aix-en-Provence has an active cultural life highlighted by its world-renowned summer music and opera festival. There are numerous cafés, restaurants, and cinema art houses, and Aix’s lovely tree-lined promenade, le Cours Mirabeau, is famous throughout Europe for its stately beauty and lively nightlife.

Thirty minutes by train from France’s beautiful, bustling second city, Marseille, Aix is linked by the TGV fast train to Paris and midway on the main route joining Barcelona and Northern Italy. The Marseille-Provence airport, France’s most active airport outside Paris, offers easy international access to Aix and the region.

La Maison des Palmiers
Home of the AUCP

Built in the mid-1800's, formerly home to a member of the French Parliament and leader of WWII resistance efforts in Provence, the grand house is located just meters from the historically classified center of Aix. The house and its stately grounds offer convenience, comfort, and charm in an historic Provençal setting.

The American Center
Continuing Education for the French Community

AUCP students are fortunate to share classroom and other space with French learners of English. Known to the French public as the American Center, the AUCP has served the Aix and Marseille French community since 1984 with a full range of language courses, cultural activities, counseling, and university placement services. Each year over one thousand French-speakers of all ages take language courses or participate in Center activities.

Active in the field of cultural exchange, the American Center collaborates with other international organizations such as Experiment in International Living (France), Elderhostel, and American university continuing education and travel programs. Joint projects include government-sponsored au pair placement, U.S. homestays, and U.S. university study for the French public as well as the organization of educational tours and language instruction for American study groups. The American Center is also the French national headquarters of HomeLink International, the world’s largest international home exchange network.