7 great places for solo travelers in Europe - Lonely Planet
7 great places for solo travelers in Europe · 1. Sicily, Italy · 2. Naxos, Greece · 3. Aix-en-Provence, France · 4. Palma de Mallorca, Spain · 5.
Montagne Ste-Victoire
Navigating the notoriously feisty metropolis of Marseille in France’s hot south solo is not for everyone. Meandering the graceful boulevards of its cleaner, safer, slower-paced little sister, a 45-minute bus or train ride away, most definitely is. Open your foray in chichi Aix-en-Provence with a café crème and croissant beneath emerald-leafed plane trees at Le Forbin, footsteps from fountain-stitched main avenue Cours Mirabeau. Time slows at the town’sMusée Granet in Quartier Mazarin, packed with pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and local lad Paul Cézanne who painted nearby <anchor>Montagne Ste-Victoire</anchor> numerous times (following in his footsteps by e-bike is an inspirational day trip, either solo or with a group tour).
Montagne Ste-Victoire | Attractions - Lonely Planet
Montagne Ste-Victoire \| Attractions - Lonely Planet

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![Montagne Sainte-Victoire.](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-08/iStock-942158620.jpg?w=1920&h=640&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cedges&auto=format&q=75)

© bbsferrari/Getty Images/iStockphoto

# Montagne Ste-Victoire

1. [France](/france),
2. [Europe](/europe)

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East of Aix rises Cézanne’s favourite haunt, the magnificent silvery ridge of Montagne Ste-Victoire, its dry slopes carpeted in _garrigue_ (scented scrub), bristling with pines, crossed by stone-walled paths and concealing sites such as the 17th-century Sainte-Victoire Priory. The burnt-orange soil supports Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence vineyards, and hiking, mountain-biking and other activities can be arranged through the Aix tourist centre. Many hike the 1011m-mountain's north side, but the south side, though steeper, is quite beautiful.

If you take the D17 along the south side, pick up info on hiking and biking at the [Maison de Ste-Victoire](/pois/1227732) in St-Antonin-sur-Bayon. The mountain is closed in July and August due to the threat of forest fire (though roads remain open). Driving the loop around Ste-Victoire is gorgeous, or catch bus 110 from La Rotonde in Aix to Payloubier/St-Antonin-sur-Bayon.

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[https://​www​.grandsitesaintevictoire​.com​/](https://www.grandsitesaintevictoire.com)

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