Antibes

Visit Antibes, Provence

Antibes is found on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice. It is adjacent (across the Cap d'Antibes peninsula) to Juan-les-Pins and faces across the Baie des Anges (as does nearby Nice).

Antibes is one of the most attractive and interesting places to visit on this section of the coast, with all the ingredients you could hope for: an attractive sea facing side, historical buildings, an interesting old town with a traditional market, and a selection of museums etc.

Explore Antibes

The old town is very pleasant to explore, with a mass of narrow winding streets lined with pretty houses, designer shops and boutiques, and cafes and bars, and surrounded by Vauban's defensive ramparts.

There is also a very good covered market at Antibes where you can buy all manner of fresh produce as well as hand crafted artisan items - I was pleased to see that the focus was on quality food products (cheeses, spices, fruit, sausages etc) rather than the 'tack' that sometimes takes over traditional French markets...

The harbour area, holding plenty of suitably impressive oversized yachts is to the east of the old town, and a couple of carefully laid out gardens should also be visited - the substantial Exflora Park contains a lot of interesting plants and garden types, and the gardens at Eilenroc Villa are also exceptional, and with lovely sea views as a perfect backdrop.

The coastline around Antibes features many kilometres of beaches to suit all tastes - including public and private (paid) sections. The public beaches, especially the more easily accessible, get rather crowded in the summer - as you might have guessed.

There are a few sites of historical interest - the cathedral, the medieval church towers, and the 16th century fortress - fort carré - in particular, focussed in the centre of Antibes near the sea.

It is the Grimaldi castle that holds one of Antibes most renowned attraction - the Picasso museum. In addition to some 50 (mostly 'minor' by comparison with his more famous works, but fascinating nonetheless) works by Picasso, the museum also has an good collection of other modern artists popular around the middle of the 20th century such as Joan Miro and Max Ernst.

(Picasso lived in the Antibes-Juan-les-Pins region for a large part of his life, and had a studio in the Grimaldi castle for a few months after the second world war.)

Other museums in Antibes include one dedicated to Napoleon, and also a local archaeology museum in the defensive walls of the town to the west.

Conclude your Antibes visit with a stroll along the seafront, and some lovely views across the Baie des Anges and along Cap d'Antibes.

Attractions nearby

The route that follows along the coast around the Cap d'Antibes to reach Juan les Pins has lots of beautiful coastal scenery and glimpses of luxury villas where the rich and famous of Antibes live.

Photos of Antibes (click any picture to start the gallery)

Tourist classifications for Antibes: Village in bloom (ville fleurie) 3*;

Suggested places to visit near Antibes, France

Distances shown are direct, driving distances will be greater.

More suggestions: Cagnes-sur-Mer 10km; Cannes 10km; Mougins 11km; Valbonne 11km; Saint-Paul-de-Vence 13km; Opio 15km; Mandelieu-la-Napoule 15km; Vence 16km; Tourrettes-sur-Loup 16km; Theoule-sur-Mer 17km; Le Bar-sur-Loup 17km; Nice 18km; Grasse 18km; Gourdon 19km; Cap Ferrat 20km; Villefranche-sur-Mer 21km;

See these places and more on a map at places near Antibes

Antibes tourism: sights and attractions nearby

Jardin botanique de la villa Thuret - remarkable garden (0km) : Abbaye de Lerins (Cannes) - religious monument (10km) : Parc du château de la Napoule - remarkable garden (16km) : Jardin botanique - remarkable garden (18km) : Baou de Saint-Jeannet - site of natural beauty (19km) : Jardin de la Villa Fort de France - remarkable garden (19km) : Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild - remarkable garden (21km) : Le Vallon du Brec - remarkable garden (25km) :

French version: see Antibes (Francais)