When you get to Aix take a walk to the Office of Tourism in the main Place by Rotunda. They have a selection of escorted excursions by coach some of which leave from central Aix and others that pick up at your hotel.You can go to eg Luberon Villages;Cassis (we took that one);Gorge Verdon;Avignon/Pont du Gard; lots of Cezanne historical sites. They are not cheap and as we had a hire car we did our own thing as well but I was glad we took the coach to Cassis which is horrible for parking.I took a Calanques Boat trip from Cassis.

I don't mind going in a group because you know you won't miss anything out. Nothing wrong with public transport (it is much cheaper than the excursions) although the main rail station (not TGV) is closed for now.

One tip to help you get your Aix bearings immediately. There is a regular road train tour of Aix that leaves from outside Bar Cezanne on Cours Mirabeau. I wish we had taken it on our first day and not the third day of our week.

Finally the local bus services are excellent and cheap. At the Tourist Office I mentioned the bus company have a desk where you can pick up bus route maps and discounted books of advance puchase tickets which you stamp when you board the bus.

I thought that Aix was really geared up for tourists.I hope you both enjoy it.

Aix is really well connected; you can get to most local places from there. If you have a look at www.infociao.com it tells you about a lot of local bus services. Do make sure you have the journey back planned though as services tend to be two or three a day rather than per hour!

In Aix itself, don't miss the Cezanne studio, the four dolphins fountain, the passagiata on the cours Mirabeau, the cathedral, all the other fountains. I think you can get a bus to Arles quite easily. If you take the bus to Toulon you can get another bus or train to Hyeres, which is lovely, or you can take the bus to la Ciotat and then another bus to Cassis.