aixcentric

New to Aix?  Visitors to entertain? Here’s some info on Richard Seaward who is hosting guided tours, full of insight and humour, around centre ville.

He says, ‘I have lived and worked in the UK, USA, Asia and we are now settled in Aix.  On a year-long trip around the world, we took a lot of walking tours, the best way to get to know a city. We enjoyed small groups where the guide knew the history, but also the stories, the characters not just the dates, we are not at school! On my tours, you will walk through the history of Aix, noble and not so noble, as well as chat about what it’s like to move to France and live in modern Aix’.

Tours leave from the Rotonde

Walks leave Mon-Sat, morning and afternoon from the Rotonde (outside Apple). The maximum number is 8, and the charge is 30€ for the over 13s.  More here: https://aixwalkingtours.com/

For a socially-distanced alternative, you could opt for Richard’s tour on your smartphone.  He explains: ‘Just before Christmas I was asked by VoiceMap to produce a downloadable GPS guide for Aix based on my guided walk.  Voicemap is a really cool company: they have walks worldwide ranging from local guides like me to a London Theatreland walk with Ian McKellan.  The production values are high; it was hard work!’

‘Their website is www.voicemap.me.You download the app onto your smartphone and then you have the choice of hundreds of tours. My tour is 5.99€,  but of course you don’t get the full Richard Seaward experience for that price (not necessarily a bad thing some may say). There is not the detail of my 2 1/2 hour walk or the jokes, but the themes and places I explore are the same: how Aix history is shaping modern Aix.’

Two  new ways of exploring Aix and its fascinating history this summer.