Antibes was one of my favorite destinations on my one-month trip across the South of France. Antibes was everything I look for in a summer travel destination: a walkable historic center with crystal-clear beaches and unique attractions that cater to diverse interests. I stayed in this town on the Cote d’Azur for five days, and in that time I discovered all of the best things to do in Antibes.
If you’re looking for a relaxing break with good food, good beaches and friendly people in a town with a rich artistic and seafaring history, then Antibes is the ideal destination to add to your South of France itinerary.
Le Nomade by Jaume Plensa
One of the most popular things to do in Antibes is to make a sunset pilgrimage to Le Nomade, a sculpture by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa.
Located on the bastion at the old waterfront fortress of Antibes, Le Nomade was opened to the public in 2010 in collaboration with the city government and the nearby Picasso Museum (see below). According to the artist’s website, the statue features a figure who reaches “beyond its constituent materials, its space, all emptiness and silence, opens up to the sea and spreads out before it, like a gigantic figurehead”.
At the time of my visit there was a sunset cocktail bar situated beside Le Nomade. Stop by for a drink if you’re into chill house music and (slightly pricey) cocktails.
Chemins de Vie (Blue Sculptures)
Almost everyone who visits Antibes will walk out to Le Nomade, but not everyone will notice the other contemporary sculpture series that dot the historic center: Chemins de Vie by Nicole Brousse.
This series of sculptures and murals is hidden in plain sight all over town, and features distinctive blue human sculptures along with paintings in the same color palette. According to the artist’s website, the works challenge the viewer to reach beyond their perceived limits and recognize their own limitless capabilities.
If you’re in Antibes with kids, a fun game is to see how many of these sculpture you can find.
Marché Provençal – Antibes Provençal Market
Have you ever fallen in love with a tomato? If you haven’t already, you will when you visit the Provençal Market in the center of Antibes. Open daily in the summer (and Friday to Sunday in the slow season) this beautiful open-air market showcases the best of the region’s culinary traditions.
Without a doubt, one of the best things to do in Antibes is to shop at the Provençal Market and prepare a meal with the local ingredients that you choose. If you’re renting an apartment in Antibes then you can whip up something fancy chez vous, but if you’re like me and staying in a hotel or guesthouse then you can simply pick up the ingredients for a beachfront pique-nique.
Be on the lookout for beautiful, seasonal fruits and vegetable, freshly baked bread, locally-produced cheeses and homemade condiments like olive tapenade and pistou, the local interpretation of pesto.
Picasso Museum of Antibes
Opened in 1966, Antibes’ Picasso Museum was the first Picasso Museum in the world. Picasso himself donated many of his works to the collection, as he had previously called the castle (Chateau Grimaldi) home for six months in 1946.
One of the things that makes this a stand-out museum is the official app (download it before you arrive), which leads you on a guided walking tour through the indoor and outdoor galleries, explaining in just enough detail Picasso’s relationship to the town and the building, as well as the significance of the works that are on display. The app serves as an audio guide (bring your own earphones) and a transcript accompanies each audio track.
The Picasso Museum in Antibes also has an outdoor sculpture garden on its oceanfront terrace; here the works are by other contemporary artists (rather than Picasso).
Old Town Antibes
The historical center of Antibes is a labyrinth of colorful, sun-drenched pedestrian streets. Each is lined with unique facades, some decorated with Mediterranean gardens and others with small murals or other works of art.
A ceramic map of the historic center center is located near the port entrance to Antibes, and it shows the towns medieval history. However, the settlement here actually dates back to even before the Ancient Greeks, who referred to the city as Antipolis, referencing its location opposite (or anti) the larger city of Nice.
Even in the high season, it’s possible to stroll Antibes’ narrow streets without encountering any other explorers, especially early in the morning before the day-trippers arrive. I stayed in the Rue Sade B&B (if they’re not taking bookings, check back closer to the summer season), where the central location meant that the entire historical center was within a five-minute walk.
Antibes Cathedral
I have a soft spot for the Antibes Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Immaculée-Conception d’Antibes… what a name!), as its sunny red, yellow and orange facade captures the colors of the Mediterranean sunshine.
It’s totally free to enter the which dates back to the 1700s. Other churches stood on this site as far back as the fifth century, but they were variously destroyed by both pirates and Austrians. 😉 Even before a church stood here, the Ancient Greeks constructed a temple on this site to honor Diana (Goddess of the Hunt) and Minerva (Goddess of Wisdom).
Inside the building there is lots of moody religious art, including a Renaissance altarpiece and heavy wooden doors carved with images of the town’s two patron saints (Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian).
Antibes City Walls
The historical center of Antibes is protected by ancient city walls that date back to the tenth century, from the late Roman era. One of the most enjoyable things to do in Antibes is to take a walk along the coast, following the walls south from the Old Town to the beaches and modern city center located about one kilometer further down the shoreline.
Napoleon’s Mom’s Laundry
You know when you stumble across something so bizarre that you can’t help but become obsessed with it? That’s how I feel about this random crumbling cement tub I stumbled across as I was exploring the streets around the city walls of Antibes.
As a young man, Napoleon Bonaparte spent some time living in Antibes, and local lore says that this is where his mother would come to wash the family clothes. I suspect the legend is true, as otherwise this structure, that is now little more than a cooling-off area for pigeons, would have been developed into an apartment or guesthouse.
You can find Napoleon’s mom’s laundry on Rue du Lavoir, at the end closest to the Old Town walls.
Archeological Museum of Antibes
Remember how I said that the Ancient Greeks called Antibes “Antipolis”? Well, if you want to learn more about that settlement, a visit to the Archeological Museum should be one of your top things to do in Antibes.
The museum is located in the former Saint André Bastion, a fortified building that once protected the city from marine invaders. Inside, two galleries showcase both objects found on the settlement and those recovered from ancient shipwrecks in the nearby sea. Admission is approximately €5 and worth it for history buffs.
Brunch Like a Billionaire
Rooms at Hôtel Cap-Eden-Roc on nearby Cap d’Antibes start at €1,550 a night and are already mostly sold out for the upcoming Summer 2024 season. If that’s not in your budget, I know the next best thing: brunch at Lilian Bonnefoi in Antibes.
Bonnefoi has served as the head pastry chef at the luxury hotel for years, and he recently opened his own patisserie-inspired restaurant in Antibes, just a few streets from the archeological museum. While you can stop by just to pick up a sweet treat or have a light meal, I recommend staying for the luxurious brunch special.
Currently priced at €39, the Lilian Bonnefoi brunch experience is incredibly indulgent. Shown above is my first course (of three!): a praline brioche and fruit salad served with orange juice and a cappuccino. This was followed by a savory course (I chose the avocado toast) and then one of Bonnefoi’s signature cakes. I have never felt as fancy as when I was served the “Tropezienne” with orange flower brioche, almond mascarpone cream, grapefruit zest and grapefruit confit.
Reserve your table for brunch online because this is obviously a hot spot in Antibes. Click on the menu button, then “Contact” and you’ll find an email address and phone number for reservations.
Plage de la Gravette (Gravette Beach)
By far, my favorite thing to do in Antibes was to wake up early in the morning and go for a swim at the Plage de la Gravette in the historic center. From my hotel, Rue Sade B&B, it was just a five-minute walk to the little beach at the base of the city walls.
In the mornings, the water here was always crystal clear and very clean. Because it’s a small, protected cove, the water is also very calm. This is a great place to swim with children in Antibes – on top of the calm water there is also no boat traffic to watch out for.
Most days, I returned here to swim in the evening, but there was a noticeable decrease in water quality by 4:00 and 5:00 pm. By then, the water glistened with sun screen and occasionally some garbage from irresponsible beach-goers ended up in the water.
Plage du Ponteil
If you follow the city walls to their south end, you’ll find a series of larger beaches. The first one is Plage du Ponteil, where a long stretch of golden sand follows the waterfront for about 200 meters. As you can see, locals bring their own umbrellas and even sun chairs to relax on Plage du Ponteil in Antibes.
Facilities here include showers on the beach and two public toilet facilities. In the summer this beach is also monitored by lifeguards (check the signs to confirm they’re working at the time of your visit), but the water here is also calm enough that even reluctant swimmers should feel comfortable going for a dip.
A few meters beyond Plage du Ponteil you’ll find Plage de la Salis, which is, for all intents and purposes, the same.
This website will help you predict the likelihood of encountering jellyfish at any beach in France. The red, orange and yellow jellyfish icons correspond to jellyfish sightings over the past 48 hours, while the green flags show areas confirmed to be jellyfish free at reporting time. Personally, I didn’t encounter any jellyfish in Antibes, but they are common along the Mediterranean.
Antibes Beach Clubs
If you’re like me and find it uncomfortable to spend a day on your towel in the sand (or you just prefer to have a little shade) there are several beach clubs in and around Antibes. At these beach clubs you can rent an umbrella and sun chair for the day, which gives you a little more comfort and sun protection.
The closest beach club to Old Town Antibes is Royal Beach Club, just on the close side of Plage du Ponteil. Renting a chair on the beach costs €25-35 per day, and needs to be arranged in advance through their website. They also offer towel rental for €8 per day.
There are other beach clubs nearby, but they are mostly on the opposite side of the peninsula in the neighboring town of Juan-les-Pins. It only takes about twenty minutes to walk between the two, but you can also make the trip via regular regional train (it literally takes three minutes) or via the pricier touristic “train” (it’s more like a bus) that runs hourly in the summer.
Antibes is less than 30 minutes by train from Nice, which is the ideal home base for day trips in the South of France.
If you have a few extra days, you can add a beach break in Antibes to my recommended one-week Provence itinerary.
And if you have any questions about traveling to Antibes, let me know below!
Planning a trip to the South of France? Pin this post for later!
 |
 |