People come for a coffee and stay for the light. Beneath its double rows of plane trees, the Cours Mirabeau is the great open-air drawing room of Aix-en-Provence.
To the north, the mansions of the old town; to the south, those of the Mazarin quarter. In between, four fountains, café terraces and almost four centuries of history.
How the Cours Mirabeau came to be
In the mid-17th century, Aix was still hemmed in by its ramparts. To the south, where the café terraces now stand, there was nothing but a wall, a ditch and a sentry walk. In 1649, the town decided to do away with them and create a promenade where noble families could drive in their carriages and, above all, be seen.
The four fountains
From west to east, from the Rotonde to the statue of King René.
La RotondeThe largest fountain in Aix opens the Cours to the west.
Les Neuf-CanonsA watering trough for flocks on the transhumance.
La MoussueWater at 18 °C, and a fountain turned into a mound of moss.
Le Roi RenéThe “good king” and his bunch of muscat grapes.Les 2G, the drawing room of Aix since 1792
To every Aixois, it is simply “les 2G”. For more than two centuries, the Deux Garçons brasserie was the city's drawing room: people came for a coffee and stayed to see and be seen.
The Hôtel de Gantès
A prosecutor of the Parlement builds his mansion on the brand-new Cours.
The nobles' club
The ground floor becomes a royalist club, closed down by the Revolution in 1790.
Café Julien
A café open to all moves in. This is the date on the sign.
Two waiters
Guidoni and Guérini, two waiters, buy the business and give it its name.
Three rooms decorated in the Consulate style, with mirrors, gilded mouldings and chandeliers, listed as historic monuments. Waiters in uniform, a pastis on the terrace beneath the plane trees: nothing had changed for generations.
Cézanne would meet Zola here for hours before dinner. A century later, painters, writers, singers and actors passing through Aix made it their haunt.
Fire on the Cours
In the early hours, a fire ravages the brasserie, which had been closed for a few weeks. 65 firefighters are called out; no one is hurt, but the historic rooms are destroyed. “It brought me to tears,” the mayor confides.
Restored exactly as it was
Every beam has been dated and the original green rediscovered. Château La Coste is set to take over the premises, with a brasserie, a restaurant and six bedrooms. No reopening date has yet been set.
EmiRise tip: for a coffee in the sun, choose the terraces on the north side of the Cours: they face due south.
The Cézannes' hat shop
In 1825, Louis-Auguste Cézanne, the painter's father, opens a hat shop at no. 55 on the Cours. Before becoming a banker, he sells hats a stone's throw from the Deux Garçons, where his son would later come to put the world to rights with Zola. The half-faded sign can still be seen on the façade.
Our homes on the Cours Mirabeau
On the top floor of a historic building on the Cours Mirabeau, Le Belvédère Mirabeau is a 35 m² apartment designed for two guests.
On the second floor of a building on the Cours Mirabeau, Le Petit Marseillais is a 38 m² apartment entirely renovated by an interior architect.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Cours Mirabeau?
It is 440 metres long and 42 metres wide.
Why is it called the Cours Mirabeau?
In honour of Mirabeau, deputy for Aix at the Estates-General of 1789. The name dates from 1876; before that, people simply called it “the Cours”.
How many fountains are there on the Cours Mirabeau?
Four: the Rotonde, the Neuf-Canons, the Fontaine Moussue and the Roi René fountain.
What are les 2G in Aix-en-Provence?
“Les 2G” is the nickname of the Les Deux Garçons brasserie, at 53 cours Mirabeau. A café since 1792 and named in 1840 after two waiters, it welcomed Cézanne, Zola, Picasso, Cocteau and Piaf.
Are les 2G open?
No. The brasserie was ravaged by fire on 30 November 2019. It is being restored exactly as it was and is due to reopen with Château La Coste, but no date has yet been announced.
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