I'm back. I've been to both Arles and Avignon, but I don't know about the shopping there. Marseille, as sarajane suggested above, is bigger and surely has good shopping, but I really dislike that city. The area around the port is nice, but the second to last time I was there I left crying (long story), and the last time I was there (one month ago) I witnessed a woman get her purse stolen out of her car (she had her purse on the passenger seat with the window down at a stop light. Two kids on a scooter reached in and zipped away with her bag).
Aix-en-Provence, on the other hand, is really nice and has lots of good shopping. There are lots of little, meandering streets (mostly pedestrian) in the center of town, so it would probably be really helpful to stop by the Office of Tourism and get a map (don't mind all the tents set up outside--it's a political thing).
I don't know what kind of bags you're looking for (high-end designer or less expensive) so I'll just tell you about all the places I can think of:
Starting on the Cours Mirabeau (the major strip of town with cafes, banks and expensive shops) going from the Big Fountain (La Rotonde), which is right across from the Office of Tourism and moving up the cours:
-
Longchamp; the store is on the right side of the street, facing Monoprix which is on the left side of the street when moving away from La Rotonde.
-
Paranthèses; this shop is in the building at the end of the Cours Mirabeau. It says "Paranthèses-Maroquinerie-Bagages" on the top of the windows. The official address is 1, Place Forbin. They sell
Francesco Biasia and the like...
If you switch over to the other side of the Cours Mirabeau and walk toward La Rotonde, you'll notice several little side streets that go off the Cours. One of them is
Rue Fabrot. That is a perfect street for purse shopping. You'll find:
-Another
Parathèses/Gilbert Arnaud with more Francesco Biasia and Esprit, etc.It's on the right if you're moving away from the Cours Mirabeau.
-
First; this boutique sells Mui Mui,
Prada,
Gucci, Chloé, Jill Sander, Dolce Gabbana...it's on the left. The door is locked, so you have to ring a buzzer to be let in.
-
Gerard Darel Boutique; still on the left. Has some new styles that they just put out recently (there were new things in the window today when I passed).
-
Lancel; this is right across from Gerard Darel, on the right. To be exact, it's on the corner of Rue Fabrot and Rue de L'ancienne Madeleine.
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Stephane Kélian; mostly shoes, but there was a nice bag in the window when I passed today so you never know...it's on the right
-
Alain Manoukian; still on the Rue Fabrot on the left side
-
GAGO; sells Prada and other stuff (along with clothes...)
-
LOVE, 24; this is on the right at the end of the Rue Fabrot. It's hard to miss since (as of today anyway) there are two red
Balenciaga bags in the window. They
Marc Jacobs, etc...
That's it for the Rue Fabrot.
One street over to the left is Rue Clemenceau. There is a little shop called
Frivo on the corner that sells
Sonia Rykiel and
Longchamps among other brands.
One street over to the right from Rue Fabrot is Rue Marius Renaud. On that street you'll find the following boutiques:
Escada
Sonia Rykiel
Zadig et Voltaire
From there you can get to a
Hermes boutique. It's on the corner of Place du Verdun and Rue Thiers. It's facing the Palais de Justice across a parking lot.
A few doors down on the Rue Thiers you'll find:
-
Makaire Ecriture; which is a shop that sells nice pens and paper, but they also sell
Mulberry and other bags.
-
La Maroquinerie; this is further down the road, still on the left side. They sell bags that are less designer. They have lots of
Le Tanneur,
Soco,
Coccinelle, etc...The guy who works there is really nice. The exact address is 12, rue Thiers. Phone: 04.42.38.42.92
You probably didn't need all the directions, but I've had lots of friends get totally lost in Aix, when it's actually really small. What I've described above takes you in a bit of a loop. You can get back to the Cours Mirabeau from the rue Thiers (just keep going a bit from La Maroquinerie and then turn right...you'll see the Cours Mirabeau a bit further).
I hope this helps!!! Have fun!
THANK YOU SO MUCH DEV!! This is fabulous. . . so much info. I absolutely love to visit France. Such a beautiful country, and the gorgeous bags well - icing on the cake. I let you know when I get back. Thanks again.