Travel Money Diaries: 3 Days in Aix-en-Provence for €55 a day
Where: Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, Baux-de-Provence; France
When: Mid May, 2018
The Basics
Data Plan: €20 for a month on Vodafone
Insurance: €56 using AXA Schengen Travel Insurance
90-Day Tourist Schengen Visa: €58.59
Bus from Nice to Aix-en-Provence: €14.90 with Flixbus. I bought this two months in advance. - €17.27
Overnight Bus from Aix-en-Provence to Paris (my next destination): €29 and booked three months in advance. - €29
Accommodation: €26 a night at a 2-bed dormitory room in Goclands (best hostel experience I’ve had so far) for three nights. I booked this with a cashback website called ShopBack and Booking.com three months in advance to save even more money and got €4.81 of cashback. They also had options to sleep in tents outside for a fraction of the price and I heard that it’s surprisingly pretty comfy. - €73.16
Day One
9.30 PM - The bus left Nice at least half an hour late and we arrived in Aix-en-Provence pretty late. We were supposed to reach at 7.45 PM, and I just found out that the bus stop was at the side of the highway to Marseilles, and an uphill one-hour walk away. I tried walking with all my stuff but it was so quiet outside and I don’t want to risk it. After trying to walk for 20 minutes, I decided to take an Uber, which was so expensive. I really had no choice. - €23.11
10.20 PM - The website says check-ins are only at 9 PM and I know that some hostels are annoyingly unforgiving, so I was scared that this place wouldn’t let me check in. I already Googled backup hostels to book if I end up being homeless for the night - this is what the emergency money is for. The hostel was a cozy little house, and I was greeted warmly and yes, I could check in! Everyone was speaking French and I don’t know how, but I understood everything everyone was saying. Which is odd. The host helped me check-in and gave me fresh clean towels to shower. If you’ve stayed in hostels, towels are prized commodity. A Canadian girl and a French guy was at the kitchen, and we conversed for 10 minutes and we were already friends. The guy who was cooking offered me dinner and I gladly accepted.
11.20 PM - So apparently, we’re going to the beach tomorrow! I threw away my planned itinerary. The dinner was amazing too. The Canadian girl’s my roommate and we both put on sheet masks together. The room was comfortable and we called it a night.
Daily Total: €23.11
Day Two
9 AM - Well rested, we all packed our bags and took a road trip to Marseille! Côte Bleue to be exact. We rolled the windows down and played Earth Wind and Fire, Missy Elliott, Dr. Dre, Spanish songs, all the way until we reached our destination. Along the way we stopped at an small organic (in Europe it’s ‘Bio’) supermarket. They had great stuff and even labelled how many kilometers away from the supermarket the farm is at. I got a paper bag full of delicious cherries, which were pricey. - €9.60
12 PM - We found a little corner and made it ours. We lay down and talk about our lives and culture. I’m still surprised that I understood 70% of what they’re saying. We packed leftovers from yesterday and had that for lunch, along with the fresh fruits we bought in the supermarket.
5 PM - It was such a beautiful moment and we all got emotional. We were three strangers-turned-friends from different continents and races, yet we share so many similarities and connected instantly. I think that our time in the beach was my favorite moment of my travels. It was simple and a good reminder to slow down. We made our way to another spot to have gelato to celebrate, and I got scoops of raspberry and coconut. - €5
7 PM - When we got back I had my instant noodles because I wanted my friends to try them. The others who stayed more permanently in the hostel was cooking steak and eggplants stuffed with cheese and bacon. It became a dinner with all of us and they served it with a simple salad. It was delicious, and again, I still can’t believe the level of kindness. They’re not just giving you a bag of chips for free, it’s an entire meal with steak.
12 PM - The French guy, an American guy who's half French, and I took a road trip to Marseilles to see a church and see the city from above. I was sleepy but it's pretty.
Daily Total: €14.60
Day Three
11 AM - The French guy wanted to show me a cool commune and where the fields of flowers. So I joined him on a road trip! My French was better than his English, so it pushed me to use the language (Spoiler alert: we survived!). We first got to Baux-de-Provence which is near Marseilles and explored. I got him (€5) and myself gelatos (€4) - €9
1 PM - Bad news. When we went back to the car, it was unlocked and a thief stole my friend’s tablet, my external charger, and the cash from my wallet. I freaked out for a bit, but here’s how I know the lessons I’ve learned during my travels have paid off: I quickly thought of next steps and realized that it could’ve been worse. The thieves were ‘kind enough’ to leave all my ID and bank card in my wallet.
2 PM - We decided to go to the police station to report the case and realized that there were another group who experienced the same thing. It’s surprising because that area only had local tourists, it was broad daylight, and there were no shady folks waiting around. I was paranoid in Rome and at the place I thought would be safest, I got robbed! It was like one of those hypothetical scenarios you learn in a language class: Reporting a Crime at The Police Station. I was drained but I tried my best to explain what happened to the officer.
4.30 PM - The mood changed, we were mentally drained, and we didn’t end up going to the flower fields. But I will not waste my day! I decided to rest at the cozy hostel and let the cat nap on my lap and wait for the rain to stop.
8 PM - I waited for my Canadian friend (who went to the calanque and had a swell time, and I regret not joining her instead) and we walked to the downtown and she showed me Aix at night. We found a Vietnamese restaurant and I got a pho (€11). I usually try as much as possible to eat local food but I was too hungry at this point. We then walked downtown and could imagine ourselves living in this city for good. It’s small and charming but still had all the facilities of a big city. We got ourselves provencal wines and talked about our lives (€6) - €17
Daily Total: €26
Day Four
9 AM - It’s funny that I haven’t actually explored that much of Aix while I’m here. So I walked the town to see Bibliothèque Méjanes since it had oversized book sculptures. I also went to all the classic places: Cours Mirabeau, Rue Gaston de Saporta, Place Forum des Cardeurs, Place Verdun, Place des Quatre Dauphins… and more. I wish I lived here.
11.30 AM - I came to L’Occitane. On one of my walks back to the hostel, there was a road lined with neroli trees and it scents the air when the wind moves the trees. I wanted to bottle that scent up and I found one that smelt exactly like it: Neroli & Orchide. I think it’s in all stores so get a whiff of them if you want to know how it Aix-en-Provence smells like. I bought a miniature sized one. - €9
11.45 AM - I got myself a salad (€6.30) to eat in a bit. I also got myself a lasagna and a sandwich at Monoprix (€11.65). I had the sandwich by a fountain. - €17.95
12 PM - A German girl who just arrived joined to walk to Atelier Cézanne (€3.50) and the area where he painted the famous Mont Sainte-Victoire. We joined the French guided tour but I wasn’t able to keep up with the speed of the guide. I also learned that the German girl is a sociologist focused in labour studies! More cool professions. - €3.50
3 PM - I came back to the hostel to rest and have the lasagna and the leftover steak and eggplant and chilled with everyone. There’s a big community spirit here, everyone’s always leaving food at the table for everyone to share. It felt like staying in a college flat. I wish I could stay longer.
6 PM - After leaving a thank you note and saying goodbye to my new friends, a Malaysian friend kindly drove me back to the bus stop. Imagine if I had to take that one hour walk or a €23 Uber ride again! I thanked him for his help.
Daily Total: €30.45
Budgeting Takeaway: Road Trip!
The buses in Aix-en-Provence aren’t very frequent. I don’t think I even saw one passing by when I was there. The best thing to do in Aix is to rent a car and go around to the many parts of Provence: Arles, Avignon, Luberon, among others. It’s really not worth your money to go pay for half-day or full-day excursions for tourists. At hostels, be friendly with everyone there because there would be at least one person with a rental car who would be able to explore the area with you.