Things to do in Antibes, France
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During my month long trip to the South of France, Antibes was one of my favourite places that I visited. I loved that the town is on the smaller side compared to its neighbors Nice and Cannes, so it allows for a nice change of pace to break up a trip.
This post will highlight some of the main sights and activities in the town of Antibes.
Walk around the port
Antibes is one of the more popular ports along the Cote d'azur. The main reason for this is because the port can hold up to 1500 boats, and it has the infrastructure to host especially large boats that other ports in the area can not.
Most of the port is public access, so you can walk around and check out all the beautiful yachts at your leisure.
Musee Picasso
Pablo Picasso lived in Antibes for only 2 months, but he created a lot of works during this period, including 23 paintings and 44 drawings. For this reason, there is a museum dedicated to him in town. The museum also features work from several other artists.
Admission is 8 euros for adults, 6 euros for seniors over 65, students, and teachers, and free for anyone under 18. You can also purchase a pass that gets you into multiple sites, including the museum and Le Fort Carre (which is mentioned below) for 10 euros. Tickets can't be purchased in advance, but any additional information about tickets and opening hours can be found here.
Marche Provencal
Marche Provencal is Antibes outdoor market. I'd have to say that this one is quite high on my list of favourites in the South of France. It wasn't too big but they had a ton of different things from food items to jewelry and clothes. One thing I loved about this market was the wide variety of fresh food. There were fruits, different cheeses, and stalls that just sold spices.
The market runs from 7:30am-1pm everyday except Monday. I only made one purchase while there, so it's hard for me to comment on whether or not vendors take card, but I always recommend having cash for markets in France.
Go for a hike
If you're looking for a break from the town, a hike is an amazing way to see the beautiful cap d'Antibes, which is an area not far from town where there are many beaches and lots of nature. Renting a car and driving to the beginning of the different hiking spots is most ideal, but there are a few public transportation options. Bus lines 2, 6, 30, and 31 are all good ways to get outside of the town affordably. More information on bus routes can be found here.
The main hiking trail is the Sentier de Tire Poil. This trail begins at the plage de la garoupe (which hosts a large car park nearby), and stretches 5km, or 2 hours of walking, around the coast of the cap d'Antibes. The trail is quite a simple hike, with only a few small sections of incline. This hike is also an amazing way to see Billionaires Bay, which is an absolutely beautiful inlet that should not be missed when visiting the town.
More information about the trail can be found here.
Check out the beaches
Plage de la Gravette
There are tons of different beaches around the Antibes area. Plage de la Gravette is the only beach right inside town. This one is nice if you don't have the time to leave town, but it can get crowded. Plage du Ponteil and Plage de la Salis are both much larger, sandier, beaches that are just outside of town and still easily accessible by public transport. These beaches have public toilets as well as some nearby restaurants to eat. Plage des Ondes is a more quiet beach a bit further out from town. Plage de Juan les Pins is another larger beach in the Juan les Pin area. This one is relatively accessible by public transport and has many restaurants and other facilities around.
Shopping
Antibes was one of my favourite towns for shopping because it had a lot of smaller, locally owned, stores as opposed to the larger chain stores. Rue Thuret, Rue Georges Clemenceau, and Rue des Palmiers were all nice streets for shopping. The stores on these streets sold a variety of things such as clothes, jewelry, handmade goods, and more traditional souvenirs.
Le Fort Carre
Le Fort Carre is a medieval fort that overlooks the Antibes harbour. It was one of the first forts to be built during the Renaissance and therefore is a great activity for those interested in history. The fort is open from 10am-6pm in July and August and from 10am-5pm during the rest of the year. This activity is also an affordable one, with tickets costing 3 euros, and reduced rates available for certain groups. More information about the landmark can be found here.
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