Aix-en-Provence is known as the city of water. When settled in the first century BC, the Romans found natural springs, which provided the population with both hot and cold water. They called the city Acqua Sextaie and today there is a commercial spa called Thermes Sextius on the site of one of the original thermal baths.

Throughout the old centre and the chic Quartier Mazarin, there are more than 30 fountains embellished with ornate details from the Renaissance. (An interesting way to see the city is a walking tour of the fountains.) The Fontaine Moussue, on Cours Mirabeau is noteworthy as it is a thermal fountain covered in moss and has been standing there since the Romans.

Famous for being the home of Cézanne, one can take a tour of the sites relating to Cézanne including the Atélier Cézanne where he worked for the last four years of his life. Aix-en-Provence is also blessed with some exceptional galleries including the Musée Granet with a room dedicated to Cézanne and the Centre Caumont which puts on high profile temporary exhibitions in a beautiful restored palace from the 18th century.

Aix also has the best shopping in the region with a variety off fashion boutiques and . The market is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on Cours Mirabeau and there is a flower market on the same days at the Place de l’Hotel-de-ville.

My favorite spot for restoration is beautiful shady garden of Le Pigonnet.

A cultured and creative city, Aix-en-Provence has always attracted artists and intellectuals. Some of the famous creative people that lived here: Ernest Hemingway, Emile Zola, Albert Camus and Nina Simone.

The capitol city of the Vaucluse, Avignon was also an important city. In the 14th century when it was the seat of the Catholics popes. Today it houses two UNESCO world heritage sites, and is an important centre for the performing arts with Europe’s most important drama festival in July.

The vast Gothic Palais des papes is a must see for visitors. A UNESCO world heritage site, it was the residence of seven Popes from 1309 to 1377 and is a testimony to the wealth and power of Christendom during the Middle Ages.

Art lovers will enjoy a number of small but impressive museums, including the Musée de Petit Palais, where the episcopal bishops once lived, now another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to Italian masterpieces ranging from the 13th to the 15th century.

The Musee Calvet, has a varied and rich collection housed in a beautiful 18th century mansion.

The Collection Lambert, features an outstanding permanent collection of modern art by contemporary artists, housed in two city mansions, built side by side - the Caumont House and the Montfaucon House.

For restoration, you can choose from some excellent restaurants offering high French cuisine: Christian Etienne, Fou de Fafa, Hiely Lucullus. I like to follow a morning of art museum with either Vernet 83, a brasserie with a lovely terrace across from Musee Calvet or La Violette, the restaurant next to the Collection Lambert.

The city hosts a wide variety of festivals and events throughout the year, from the popular International Jazz Festival and the Epicurean Festival in summer to a traditional Christmas market in December.

Shoppers must head to the chic and bourgeois quarter of the Rue Joseph Vernet, for designer clothing and luxury goods and at the heart of Avignon, stop at one of the cafés on the Place de l'Horloge and enjoy watching the world go by under the shady plane trees.

Marseille is the second largest city in France, with a history dating back to the ancient Greeks. As European City of Culture in 2013, Marseille was given a facelift which ignited a general gentrification of the urban centre which had become quite seedy. Today the city’s architecture and colourful streets are sparkling. Unique speciality shopping and many points of interest are well worth a visit in addition to the beaches, the old port and Chateau d’If, made famous by Alexandre Dumas.

Chateau Borely, an 18th century chateau in the 8th arroundissement

Musée Cantini, modern art housed in a late 17th century palace in the centre. A who’s-who of 20th century artists: Raoul Dufy, Matisse, Max Ernst, Picasso, Giacometti, 19 rue Grignan +33 (0) 4 91547775

MUCEM, The Museum of European and Mediterranean Culture is the impressive new architectural marvel, on the waterfront next to Fort St Jean. 7 Promenade Robert Laffont, 13002 +33 484 351 313

The shopping around rue Paradis is excellent as independent boutiques mingle with luxury stores, cafes/bars and heritage shops.

For utterly unique shopping experiences:

Maison Empereur, selling the best of French housewares, linens and hardware since 1827 in a multi-storey store on rue des Récollettes

Pere Blaize, herboristerie. Dedicated to la phytotherapie since 1815. Stocked with teas, elixirs and medicinal plants. rue Meolan.

Maison de la Boule in the Panier district, with a lovely courtyard and all the essentials. 4 place des 13 Cantons, 13002 +33 4 88 44 39 44

For restoration, enjoy pastis on one of the many terraces facing the old port and discover la vraie bouillabaisse, in one of many, many iconic restaurants. When I am in Marseille I head for Restaurant Michel a five-star heritage restaurant with sea view in the 7th arrondissement. Two excellent alternatives are nearby in the Vallon des Auffes, a traditional fishing haven. Epuisette is built out over the sea, for exceptional views and gastronomic cuisine. Chez Fonfon looks over charming pretty harbour

Villeneuve-lès-Avignon has a rich heritage and its own personality. It is well worth crossing the Rhône to discover: the imposing 14th century battlements and remarkable gardens of the hilltop Fort St.-André; the Chartreuse de Villeneuve lès Avignon with its peaceful cloisters and art centre, and the Musée Pierre-de-Luxembourg with its remarkable religious art., not to mention the Saturday antique fair which is one of the best in the region.

Located on the right bank of the Rhône in the Gard, close to Avignon (lès means "close to" in Old French), Villeneuve was .a vacation place for the cardinals when Avignon was a papal city, and today it remains an exclusive place to live much as it was in the time of the Popes.

At the peak of the Avignon papacy, unlike Avignon and the Comtat-Venaissin, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon was under the authority of the king of France who built the fortress and the and in 1292 Phillippe le Bel built a tower to control access to the Pont d'Avignon.

In 1356, Pope Innocent VI founded the Val de Bénédiction charterhouse, the largest Carthusian monastery, featuring a church, three cloisters and forty cells for the monks. The Chartreuse housed many treasures in works of art, furniture and a library of rare books. Most of these treasures were scattered, lost or destroyed during the Revolution. Some of them were saved and can be found in the Pierre de Luxembourg Museum and much effort was made to restore the monastery. The mausoleum of Pope Innocent VI miraculously survived the vicissitudes of history. In the chapel, some frescoes by Matteo Giovanetti, who also decorated the Palace of the Popes, have also been preserved.

A visit to the Pierre de Luxembourg Museum is the ideal complement to a visit to the Carthusian monastery. The works of art that survived the revolutionary turmoil and the ruin of the monastery are preserved in this former cardinal's livery, transformed in the 17th century into a private mansion.