Aix-en-Provence.

Cours Mirabeau links the old town with the straight streets of the Mazarin quarter. Plane trees, fountains and mansion façades give the broad promenade a distinct urban scale.

Walk enough of its length to compare the open promenade with the tighter streets leading away on either side. Looking above the shops reveals the grand houses that helped define this expansion of Aix. The trees and fountains add another layer to the street, but the main interest is how its width, architecture and connections organise the surrounding city.

• Plane trees and fountains
• Mansion façades along the promenade

Cross carefully at the ends and allow time to look above shopfront level.