DETAILS

Cezanne's Provence

GETTING THERE: Aix-en-Provence is three hours from Paris by high-speed train, France's TGV. Round-trip first-class fares start at about $160. View schedules and reserve online at http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ .

Air France currently has the cheapest nonstop flights to Paris, for $768 from Dulles. Connecting service is available starting at $642 on American from Reagan National, or $680 from BWI.

GETTING AROUND: Cezanne sites and trail heads for Sainte-Victoire are accessible on foot or buses that run from the Aix tourist office (see below). Bus fares to the villages of Le Tholonet and Vauvenargues are about $1.50 each way.

WHERE TO STAY: On the edge of Aix, the Hotel Le Pigonnet (5 Avenue du Pigonnet, 011-33-442-59-0290, http://www.hotelpigonnet.com/ ) is a small deluxe hotel in a country house with a formal garden and views of Sainte-Victoire. Doubles from about $300 per night. In the center of old Aix, the more humble two-star Hotel des Quatre-Dauphins (54 rue Roux-Alpheran, 011-33-442- 381-639) offers simple charm for about $105 double. Six miles outside of Aix against the backdrop of Sainte-Victoire is Le Relais Sainte-Victoire (D46 Beaurecueil, 011-33-442-66-9498, http://www.relais-sainte-victoire.com/ ), offering clean practical rooms from about $75 to $125. The reputedly gastronomic restaurant offers complete menus from about $30 to $85 plus wine.

WHERE TO EAT: Any walk in Cezanne's steps inevitably leads to Le Tholonet. Le Relais Cezanne (Route D17, 011-33-442- 66-9191) offers a choice of pizza, salads and hearty specialties for about $18. Or walk a few dozen yards to the edge of the public petanque court, where you'll find Chez Thome (011-33-442-66- 9043), a relaxed place that serves ancestral Provencal meals starting at about $25 per person.

WHAT TO DO: The "Cezanne in Provence" exhibit opens June 9 and runs through Sept. 17 at the Musee Granet (Place Saint-Jean-de-Malte, 011-33-442-52-8832). During the exhibit, tickets can be purchased at the museum ticket office up to one hour before closing. Before June 9, tickets can be purchased through the Aix-en-Provence Tourism Office (2 Place du General de Gaulle, 011-33-442-16-1091, http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/ ). Admission is about $12.

The Aix-en-Provence Tourism Office is running shuttle buses for visits to the Cezanne Studio at Les Lauves , the Jas de Bouffan and the Bibemus Quarry (open mornings only in July-September). Prices are about $6.80 per site or $14.90 for a ticket for all three sites. Reserve through the tourist office.

The tourist office also offers several guided (English and French) bus tours around Cezanne's countryside . "In the Footsteps of Cezanne" is a five-hour itinerary following the painter's life and landscapes, for about $35 per person, on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, from May 15 through Oct. 15. "Contrasts of the Sainte-Victoire" is a five-hour exploration with numerous stops around the base of the painter's favorite landscape subject, for about $50 per person (Saturday afternoons from mid-May through June and mid-September to mid-October).

For private guide services, contact Evana (011-33-442-65- 8336, http://www.evana-provence.com/ ). Rates start at about $250 per day for a walk with an English-speaking guide for up to 15 people.

Info and maps for self-guided hikes around Aix and on Mont Sainte-Victoire are available through the Aix tourist office. Be warned that during summer, hiking is prohibited in the afternoon because of the fire hazard.

INFO: Information Cezanne 2006 , http://www.cezanne-2006.com/ .

-- Robert V. Camuto