Aubagne
Aubagne is a small town between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.
The town is surrounded by hills and rocky crags, including the Garlaban right behind the town, and the Chaine de la Sainte Baume range to the east.
Pleasant if unexciting, having escaped from the tourist industry that has affected much of southern Provence, Aubagne does have some attractions - but they are not especially easy to find!
The big claim to fame of the town is that it was the birthplace of Marcel Pagnol - "I was born in the town of Aubagne under a Garlaban covered with goats, at the time of the last goatherds", he wrote in La Gloire de Mon Pere. Unfortunately Marcel Pagnol doesn't have quite the attraction of Van Gogh or Monet, so the town hasn't built fame and fortune from the association - although you will see several mentions of Pagnol around the town.
The house where Pagnol was born is in the centre of Aubagne, at 16, Cours Barthelemy (a few doors along from the tourist office), and has now been furnished as it was in 1895 so that visitors can better appreciate it as it was at the time of his birth, and at Le Petit Monde de Marcel Pagnol (Esplanade de Gaulle) features an exhibition based around miniature models of characters from the Pagnol stories.
The other places of interest you will see as you travel around include the dominant clock tower (dating from 1900); the church of Saint Sauveur (at the top of the town, next to a viewpoint across the surrounding hills); the bread oven on Rue Torte, and a church with an unusual triangular bell tower.
The 'Pagnol connection' is also used to promote several walks through the hills above the town where Pagnol lived, wrote and worked - the Aubagne tourist office can give you details of routes and timings (for these best it is necessary to visit outside July-August, when the paths are closed). Another way to appreciate the scenery around the Garlaban is to visit 'La Font de Mai', a substantial old farming property in 100 hectares of countryside dedicated to the traditional agricultural activities of the town and region, and featuring also a trail through the vines and countryside above Aubagne.
Visit Aubagne (Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone) travel, gites and hotels
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The Aubagne hotels listed feature descriptions, guest reviews, ratings, location maps, online booking etc. as well as the 'best-price' guarantee. The search for hotels in Aubagne is provided by booking.com. General holiday / vacation options- See Provence gites for Aubagne holiday rentals - Holiday villages in Provence Holidays nearbyLooking for something close by? See a wide choice of hotels, holiday villages and holiday rentals at: Aubagne Car HireVisit Aubagne Car Hire for cheap car hire optons and available car collection points VisitSee Visit Aubagne for places to visit near Aubagne including: a detailed map, villages in bloom and most beautiful villages DiscussAsk questions or leave a comment about Aubagne in our Provence forum Airports near AubagneAvignon airport at 100 km Marseille airport at 42 km Nimes airport at 137 km Toulon airport at 67 km Aubagne property for saleSee Provence property for sale
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Places to visit near Aubagne, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Aubagne.
Some places to visit within 30 km: 
29 km: Aix-en-Provence (Provencal town) 26 km: Bandol (French Riviera port town) 21 km: Calanques at Marseille (Dramatic rocky coastline) 9 km: Cassis (harbour town) 21 km: Marseille (Riviera city) 20 km: Saint Cyr sur Mer (coast resort and town) 32 km: Sanary-sur-Mer (French Riviera resort)
See also Aubagne (version Francais)
