Antibes (ahn-teeb; pop. 80,000 including Juan-les-Pins) provides a much-needed middle ground on the glitterati-controlled Riviera. Though blessed with beautiful beaches, a truly charming vieille ville, and a renowned Picasso museum, the city is less touristed than Nice and more relaxed than St-Tropez. Partygoers and sunbathers prefer neighboring Juan-les-Pins, but you’ll need to venture to calmer and more budget-friendly Antibes to find sights other than sand and clubs. In between the twin towns is the unforgettable Cap d’Antibes, a peninsula of rocky beaches and luxurious villas, hidden off winding streets in forests. The area is also a boat lover’s paradise, with enormous yachts, sleek sailboats, and smaller fishing vessels rounding the Cap and traversing the white-tipped waves of the Mediterranean.
The city is far from compact, and many sights and accommodations will require taking a bus or renting a bike. From the train station, turn right onto av. Robert Soleau, which connects with place du Général de Gaulle and farther down with the tourist office. From here, rue de la République (off the far left corner of pl. du Général de Gaulle) passes the bus station and heads into vieux Antibes, along the eastern shore, south of the vieux port. Boulevard du Président Wilson stretches from pl. du Général de Gaulle across the peninsula, funneling into the center of Juan-les-Pins. Follow bd. Albert I from pl. du Général de Gaulle and turn right at the water to reach a long stretch of beach and the beginning of Cap d’Antibes (15min.). The tip of the peninsula is 40min. from the base of the Cap.
Antibes has a few affordable options; most lie between the new town and the vieux port. Those interested in only a few of Antibes’s attractions may want to daytrip from Nice or Cannes. Serious sightseers should stay in the vieille ville, while those with a bike or car can stay a bit farther from the centre-ville.
Vieux Antibes has many budget eateries, most of which serve crispy pizzas and grilled meats. Excellent Provençal restaurants make for a great splurge. Cours Masséna hosts budget restaurants and the famous Marché Provençal, one of the Côte d’Azur’s best. Tempting restaurants, bars, and cafes set up outdoor tables on boulevard d’Aguillon. For cheaper prices and great people-watching, head to lively place Nationale and rue Aubernon. The largest supermarket is Intermarché, 2 bd. Albert I. (☎04 93 34 19 10. Open M-Sa 8:15am-7:30pm.)
Antibes was once home to Pablo Picasso, Graham Greene, and Max Ernst. The historic village and its highly artistic past left Antibes with a variety of museums that will appeal to art lovers and historians alike.
Musée Picasso. This museum displays a large collection of Picasso’s paintings, mostly from the 1940s, and photos and video clips of the artist at work. Exhibits change every three months. The museum recently underwent renovations; call for hours and prices. (Pl. Mariejol, in Château Grimaldi. ☎04 92 90 54 20.)
Fort Carré. This 16th-century fort guards the entrance to port Vauban, the largest private marina on the Mediterranean. A magnificent view of the city, the port’s 2400 yachts, and its new mega-yacht dock—affectionately called “Millionaire’s Row”—are worth the uphill hike. Inside the fort, a small exhibit showcases rare 19th-century swords and guns as well as a famous statue of Napoleon on a horse. (☎06 14 89 17 45. Open Tu-Su from mid-June to mid-Sept. 10am-6pm; from mid-Sept. to mid-June 10am-4:30pm. Fort accessible only by French or English guided tour every 30min. €3, students and seniors €1.50, under 18 free.)
Musée D’Archéologie. Antiquity buffs will be thrilled to discover the Greek ceramics and Roman artifacts of ancient Antibes, including 2000-year-old anchors found in the city’s harbor. The temporary exhibit sometimes has a more general appeal—past exhibits have included a simulated display in which modern objects were aged 2000 years to look like an archaeological find from the future. The museum’s roof offers great views of the Cap and city. (On the waterfront in Bastion St-André-sur-les-Remparts. ☎04 95 34 00 39. Open July-Aug. Tu and F-Su 10am-noon and 2-6pm, W 10am-noon and 2-8pm; Sept.-June Tu-Su 10am-noon and 2-6pm. French guided tours F 3pm. €3, students €1.50, under 18 free.)
Musée Napoléonien And Hôtel Du Cap-Eden-Roc. This museum is housed in an old battery tower built by Napoleon in 1794 before his coup d’état. Two galleries display a range of Bonapartist paraphernalia, including a bronze casting of the dictator’s hand. (Take bus #2 from pl. Guynemer to Eden Roc. Every M-Sa 40min. 6:50am-7:30pm, €1. ☎04 93 61 45 32. Open Tu-Sa from mid-June to mid-Sept. 10am-6pm; from mid-Sept. to mid-June 10am-4:30pm. €3, students €1.50, under 18 free. Cash only.)
Notre Dame Du Bon-Port. Honoring Jesus’s last struggle, the 14 Stations of the Cross decorate the chemin du Calvaire beginning at Port de la Salis. The stations lead up to the church’s chapel, which overlooks the Garoupe beaches. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary, drenched in seawater, appeared to an old man visiting the church one stormy night. Antibes locals have dressed up in nautical costumes every year since 1016 on the first Thursday in July to carry the Virgin statue to the shore and commemorate the divine apparition.
Other Sights. Antibes has two main public beaches, both sandy but crowded all summer. The larger plage du Ponteil features an abundance of snack stands and street vendors, while the smaller plage de la Salis is nearly enclosed by rock breakwaters that form a calm, manmade lagoon. (From the vieille ville, turn right, toward Port Vauban.) The rocky beach on Cap d’Antibes has clear water perfect for snorkeling. (Take bus #2 from the bus station to Tour Gandolphe (M-Sa every 40min. 6:50am-7:30pm, €1). Follow av. Monseigneurs-Lieutenant Beaumont to the end. Turn left onto the pedestrian road, then right when a small door appears in the surrounding walls; take the dirt path to the isolated beach cove.) Also on Cap d’Antibes, plage Garoupe put itself on the map in the 1920s when celebrities such as Cole Porter, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Pablo Picasso frequented its sand and surf. Côte Plongée provides a great scuba-diving locale. (On the beach below the Musée Napoléonien, at the corner of bd. Kennedy and bd. du Maréchal Juin. Take bus #2 from pl. Guynemer to Eden Roc (every 40min. 6:50am-7:30pm, €1). Walk along bd. Kennedy to the coast. Descend the stone steps and turn left. ☎06 72 74 34 94; www.coteplongee.com. Open May-Oct. daily 9am-6pm. Intro dive €50; dive from boat €30, at night €45. Snorkel rental €8. MC/V.)
Cinéma Casino, at 6 and 8 bd. du 24 Août, shows modern films in English. (☎04 93 34 04 37; www.cinefil.com. €7.50, students €6; M-F afternoons €6.) During the annual Voiles d’Antibes Juan-les-Pins, held the first week of June, traditional sailing ships from all over the world come to race the 23km of coastline between Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, accompanied by concerts every evening. During the first weeks of July, the Festival d’Art Lyrique brings world-class soloists and orchestras to the vieux port. (☎04 92 90 53 00. Tickets €15-50. MC/V.)
Most clubbers head to Juan-les-Pins at night, but the Antibes bars provide an alternative to the club scene. Although they are largely imitation pubs, they can get rowdy late at night. The bars and pubs along boulevard d’Aguillon hold happy hours (usually around 6pm) for a fun-loving crowd, while public squares and the Provençal market remain lively late into the night.
Biot’s train station (☎08 92 35 35 35) is 1.5km from the centre-ville; the best way to travel from Antibes is by bus (Sillages ☎04 92 28 58 68). Bus #10 connects Biot Village and the bus station in Antibes (25min.; M-Sa 11 per day, Su 8 per day; €1). To get to the tourist office from the station, head uphill and take a right onto rue St-Sébastien; the tourist office is on the left. The last bus from Biot to Antibes departs at 6pm.
Just 3km from Antibes, the small town of Biot (bee-yoht) hides a host of ceramic, pottery, and verreries (glass workshops) behind 15th-century vaults and fortified gates. Once home to the Greeks, Romans, Templars, and Malta knights, Biot is now one of Europe’s glass capitals and boasts a rich artistic tradition. Local artists design and sell pottery, woven baskets, and paintings. Beyond their galleries, the narrow streets of vieux Biot are filled with traditional restaurants and refreshingly unique souvenir shops.
The source of much of Biot’s modern-day renown, the Verrerie de Biot, chemin des Combes, continues to produce its founder’s trademark “bubble glass.” The verrerie was created in 1956 by Eloi Monod, who married the daughter of the founder of the Poterie Provençal (below). After watching his father-in-law create famous Biot pottery, he decided to reproduce it in a new medium: glass. His attempt resulted in the formation of accidental bubbles, for which his glass soon became famous. Visitors can watch master glassblowers form beautiful and unique vases, goblets, and dishes in the workshop. Guided tours of the workshop and the verrerie ’s Ecomusée explain the process of glass blowing. (Tours daily June-Aug. 11:30am, 4, 5:30pm; Sept.-May 4:30pm. Free.) Before leaving, be sure to stop by the Galerie International du Verre, considered the most prominent glass gallery in Europe. These unique, luminescent glass sculptures, created by 35 international artists, are expensive—as in over €100,000—but a trip through the gallery is free. (☎04 93 65 03 00; www.verreriebiot.com. Open June-Sept. M-Sa 10am-8pm, Su 10:30am-1:30pm and 2:30-6pm; Oct.-May M-Sa 10:30am-1:30pm and 2:30-6pm. AmEx/MC/V.)
The clay found in the fields surrounding Biot permits ceramicists to create enormous jars, several of which are on display at the Poterie Provençal, 1689 route de la Mer, 5min. behind the train station. Founded in 1920, the poterie (pottery) is the oldest in Provence. (☎04 93 65 63 30; www.poterie-provencale.fr. Open M-Sa July-Aug. 10am-7pm; Sept.-June 9am-noon and 2-6pm.) Follow the signs from the poterie to the Bonsai Arboretum de la Côte d’Azur, 229 chemin du Val de Pome, a curious addition to Biot’s art scene. Two generations of the Okonek family have maintained a collection of the trees in a peaceful Japanese garden. Trees of all ages, from newborns to an elaborate 105-year-old bonsai imported from China, line the arboretum’s winding paths. One highlight is the 6m long bonsai forest, the largest in Europe. (☎04 93 65 63 99. Open M and W-Su 10am-noon and 2-6pm. €4, students €2.)
Run by an enthusiastic, English-speaking owner, T Crêperie du Vieux Village , rue St-Sébastien. (☎04 93 65 19 32. Meat plats €18-25. Salads €10-13. Lunch menu €19. Open July-Aug. Tu-Su 7am-2am; Sept.-June Tu-Th and Su 7am-2pm, F-Sa 7am-8pm. AmEx/MC/V.)
A free shuttle runs in July and August every 10min. from the parking lot at the verrerie ’s entrance to the village, close to the Musée Fernand-Léger, and to the Poterie Provençal. From October to May, bus #10 (€1) stops several times between the village and the train station; ask the driver to let you off at your preferred stop. The tourist office, 46 rue St-Sébastien, is in the heart of the village. (☎04 93 65 78 00; www.biot.fr. Open July-Aug. M-F 10am-7pm, Sa-Su 11am-6pm; Sept.-June M-F 9am-noon and 2-6pm, Sa-Su 2-6pm.) There is a free guided tour of the vieux village in French (with accompanying translations in English and other languages) that leaves the tourist office Thursday at 3pm; otherwise, ask for the self-guided tour map, available in many languages.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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