Constructed on a grand scale in 1860 by architect Henri Antoine Charvet, it measures twelve meters (39 feet) high and thirty-two meters (105 feet) wide and set in the center of the Place du Général de Gaulle at the west end of the popular Cours Mirabeau. The fountain is emblematic of the elegance of Aix-en-Provence, and the dominant role that water-sources have played here over the centuries. So much so, the city is nicknamed ville d’eau (city of water), and the also the city of a thousand fountains.

Surrounding the Rotonde Fountain, you can select from several restaurants to share drinks and a meal on one of the outside terraces, do some shopping in the adjacent and modern Allées Provençales, or simply find the perfect spot to sit, relax and soak in the charming scenery.

The Aix-en-Provence tourist office is at the edge of the Allées Provençales shops with alarge post office just around the corner, and the rotonde it’s the central taxi congregation area as well. The bus and train stations are not far, although the one in town is for local service including Marseille only. The high-speed TGV station is located outside of Aix — roughly halfway to the airport, and about a 20- to 25-minutes drive depending on traffic.