# Aubagne, Marcel Pagnol's town, Marseille > Aubagne is a Provençal town 17 kilometres east of Marseille, in the Huveaune valley below the white Garlaban hill. The writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, author of My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle, was born here in 1895: his house is now a museum, and trails around the hills follow the places of his childhood. Aubagne is also the capital of santons, clay figurines for Christmas cribs, with dozens of workshops in town. Buses and the tram are free. Give Aubagne half a day. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/aubagne - City: [Marseille](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille), France - YesGo score: 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 3 h - Opening hours: Town always open; museum and workshops by day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Town free; Pagnol's house by ticket - From Marseille: ≈ 17 km; TER train ≈ 15–20 minutes - Transport: Town buses and tram are free - Santons: About a dozen workshops - Duration: ≈ half a day - Location: The Huveaune valley below Garlaban - Coordinates: 43.29083, 5.57083 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1895** — Marcel Pagnol was born here (source: English Wikipedia) - **1946** — Pagnol, first filmmaker in the Académie (source: English Wikipedia) - **17 km** — from Marseille (source: English Wikipedia) - **2014** — the free tram opened (source: English Wikipedia) ## About Aubagne Aubagne lies in the Huveaune valley east of Marseille, ringed by the **Garlaban** and **Sainte-Baume** massifs. It's the department's sixth-largest town, but its old centre is a cosy Provençal town of narrow streets, squares, fountains and chapels. Aubagne is famous for two things. First, it's the birthplace of **Marcel Pagnol** (1895–1974), writer, playwright and director, one of France's best-loved authors. Second, it's the **capital of santons**, the little clay figurines Provençal families use to decorate their Christmas cribs. ## What to see - **Pagnol's birthplace** — a museum in the town centre. - **Santon workshops** — handmade clay figurines. - **The old town** — lanes, fountains and squares. - **The penitents' chapels** — Black, Grey and White. - **Garlaban hill** — trails through Pagnol's childhood haunts. - **La Treille** — the writer's holiday village. ## Marcel Pagnol **Marcel Pagnol** was born in Aubagne on 28 February 1895, the son of a schoolteacher. He grew up in Marseille and spent his summer holidays at the Bastide Neuve house in the village of **La Treille**, in the hills between Aubagne and Marseille. He described those summers in **My Father's Glory** and **My Mother's Castle**, books every French schoolchild knows. Pagnol made his name with plays about the port of Marseille, Marius, Fanny and César, then became a film director and in 1946 the first filmmaker elected to the **Académie française**. His novels Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources are rooted in these hills too. The house where he was born is now a **museum** of photographs, books and belongings. > **When to come** The best time is **December**, when Aubagne holds a big santon fair and makers show their new figurines. In **August** there's the Argilla ceramics festival and pottery market. In summer, head up Garlaban early in the morning: it gets hot by day, and on windy days the massif may close because of fire risk. ## Santons and ceramics **Santons**, 'little saints' in Provençal, are clay figurines placed in the Christmas crib: not just the Holy Family but the people of a Provençal village, the baker, the fishwife, the shepherd, the lavender seller, the miller. Aubagne is the main centre of their production, with about a dozen workshops. In the workshops you can watch the figurines being moulded, fired and hand-painted, and buy a souvenir. Aubagne has long been known for **terracotta** too, pottery and tiles from the local clay, which is why it hosts a ceramics festival and pottery market. ## Pagnol's hills Above the town rises the white limestone hill of **Garlaban**, symbol of 'Pagnol country'. Trails cross the hills past places from his books: the village of La Treille, springs, farms and viewpoints. Some routes lead to the Bastide Neuve, where the writer spent his holidays. Films of Pagnol's books were shot in the surrounding countryside too. The trails are stony and exposed, so wear good shoes and bring water and a hat. ## The old town Aubagne's old centre climbs a hillside: narrow streets, stairways, little squares with plane trees and fountains. Three chapels of the penitents' brotherhoods survive, **Black, Grey and White**; the Black Penitents' chapel holds a painting from 1695 listed as a historic object. In the mornings a market fills the centre with vegetables, cheese, olives and Provençal herbs, and locals sit in the cafés on the squares. Aubagne is far calmer than Marseille and pleasant to wander aimlessly, dipping into shops and workshops. ## How to get there 1. By TER train from Marseille Saint-Charles to Aubagne, 15–20 minutes. 2. From the station to the centre, the free tram or a 10-minute walk. 3. By car, 20–25 minutes on the A50 motorway. 4. To the Garlaban hills, by car or on foot from the edge of town. ## Tips for your visit Half a day is enough for Aubagne with Pagnol's house and the workshops; with a hike in the hills, a full day. The old town and museum in the morning, santon workshops at midday, and the Garlaban trail or a trip to La Treille in the afternoon. Aubagne pairs well with [Cassis](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/cassis), 20 minutes away by car, or head back to the [Old Port](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/vieux-port) for dinner in Marseille. Town buses and the tram are free, easy without a car. The centre is flat and pushchair-friendly. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Read My Father's Glory - [ ] Visit Pagnol's birthplace - [ ] Buy a santon at a workshop - [ ] Take in Garlaban hill - [ ] Ride the free tram ## Places in Marseille: compare and choose Places in Marseille rated by YesGo. - [Château d'If](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/chateau-d-if) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Castle ticket + boat - [Marseille Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/marseille-cathedral) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Aix-en-Provence](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/aix-en-provence) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 5 h · Free - [Aubagne](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/aubagne) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free ## Don't mix it up Aubagne is the town near Marseille; La Treille is the hill village where Pagnol spent his holidays. ## Tips - December means the santon fair. - Public transport is free. - Hike the hills in the morning. - Read Pagnol before you go. ## Questions ### How do I get to Aubagne from Marseille? By TER train in 15–20 minutes or by car on the A50. ### What is there to see in Aubagne? Pagnol's birthplace, the santon workshops, the old town and Garlaban hill. ### What are santons? Clay figurines for the Provençal Christmas crib. ### Where was Marcel Pagnol born? In Aubagne, on 28 February 1895. ### How long do I need in Aubagne? Half a day, a full day with a hike in the hills. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Prices and museum and workshop hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Aubagne and Marcel Pagnol - Aubagne tourist office, tourisme-paysdaubagne.fr --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.