Hotel de Caumont (Caumont Hotel), Aix-en-Provence

Hotel de Caumont (Caumont Hotel), Aix-en-Provence (must see)

The Caumont Hotel may sound like a boutique stay with extra fluff pillows, but it's actually one of Aix鈥檚 finest 18th-century mansions鈥攏ow operating as an art centre. Designed in 1715 by Robert de Cotte and Georges Vallon for the Marquess of Cabannes, the residence comes complete with an imposing entrance flanked by an Atlas sculpture courtesy of Rambot and Toro鈥攜es, real sculptors, not a circus duo.

Over the centuries, the place rotated through various hands, eventually landing with the city of Aix in 1964. It moonlighted as a post office until 1970, and then hosted the Darius Milhaud Conservatory鈥攑roof that this house has always had good acoustics and a social calendar. The original owners of this Mazarin Quarter gem weren鈥檛 shy about entertaining either; they even had rooms dedicated just to music and mingling.

Inside, it鈥檚 all aristocratic finesse 鈥攃urvy decorations, playful ceiling angels, and the frame of a harpsichord by Jean-Henri Naderman, because no proper 18th-century evening skipped the string section. The bedrooms feature cozy nooks, private corners, and wall monkeys that look like they wandered in from someone鈥檚 exotic daydream.

Outside, there鈥檚 an impressive courtyard, over 1,000 square meters of sculpted gardens, and an indoor fountain doing its best impression of refined understatement. Temporary exhibitions fill the elegant halls, along with a gift shop and a pocket-sized theatre鈥攂ecause this mansion really does have it all.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 黑料吃瓜网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Hotel de Caumont (Caumont Hotel)
Sight Location: Aix-en-Provence, France (See walking tours in Aix-en-Provence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Aix-en-Provence Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence, France

Create Your Own Walk in Aix-en-Provence

Creating your own self-guided walk in Aix-en-Provence is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

In the Footsteps of Paul C茅zanne

Paul C茅zanne, often called the 鈥渇ather of modern art鈥� for bridging 19th-century post-impressionism and the birth of early modernism, caused a bit of a stir early in his career. While staying with Doctor Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise, he painted his take on Manet鈥檚 Olympia鈥攂ut with a twist. Instead of just a reclining nude, C茅zanne inserted himself into the scene, back turned, like a shy... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Aix-en-Provence Introduction Walking Tour

Aix-en-Provence may not have coastal views, but it compensates in style with its Roman bathwater and city logistics. Founded in 123 BC by Roman consul Gaius Sextius Calvinus, this southern French settlement鈥攐riginally named Aquae Sextiae, which means 鈥淲aters of Sextius鈥濃€攚as built around its thermal springs and the promise of a good soak. Centuries later, the name was streamlined to... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles

Aix-en-Provence Fountains and Squares Tour

Aix-end-Provence is known for its fountains. With more than 1,000 fountains, a tourist could spend weeks walking around the city without glimpsing them all. The fountains began appearing under the Roman empire when the Romans discovered Aix's natural thermal water source. They referred to the area as Aquae Sextiae or the Waters of Sextius.

The fountains appear throughout the city and are... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles

黑料吃瓜网