Antibes Town

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The Ancient Walled Town

The ancient part of the town sits on a rocky promontory and includes the Grimaldi castle and the cathedral. That area is bounded by Promenade Admiral de Grasse and Cours Massena. The first Greek and then Roman structures have long been built over but in places there is evidence of Roman stones being used in the structure of later walls. The land side walls of this first town were formed by the town's buildings. This is not uncommon for towns of ancient and medieval periods and can still be seen protecting the village perchées which are found inland.

The extensive stone built ramparts remain to the sea side of the old town. They were developed over later times almost to the Ponteil beach where they end in a bastion now used as the local museum. These later walls continued from there inland until turning around the developing settlement to head towards the harbour. It is these later walls which were pulled down in the early twentieth century to enable the town to expand and to provide building materials used in that expansion. You can see remains of earliest, post Roman town walls in the rounded tower to the side of the Marché Provençal below.

The oldest part of the town was designed both for security and also to protect the residents from the weather, sun or wind, and comprises narrow lanes with small courtyards. This part of the town contains the Cathedral and its bell tower. Nowadays the first bells are rung at 07:00 and the last at 22:00. Be thankful, they used to ring through the night. The Cathedral bells are also rung with gusto during Sunday. The 1824 Mairie (Town Hall) has been incorporated into the Old Town where it is in the natural centre of religion, market, and pre Republican centre of power. It is popular for French civil weddings and you should expect to see these most weekends in spring and summer.

The town developed inland as buildings followed the tracks leading from the original township. Our apartment is located in one of the roads which began to run inland from the old town as the early settlement expanded. We know this road dates back to Roman times because remains of a Roman house excavated further down the street can be found in the local museum.



Pre-20 Century Old Town

The ancient port sat below the town where the yacht harbour now sits in the shelter of the ramparts. It is believed that the original harbour comprised a shallow beach on which the ships were beached. Excavation for the Pré aux Pécheurs underground car park revealed boats and other artefacts from that era. A set of display boards have been placed in the casemates of Quai Henri Rambaud which explain the development of the harbour from antiquity up to today.

The harbour now serves the yachting community where "yacht" can mean anything from a small sailing boat up to a large, mastless cruiser with a crew of stewards and a five figure daily hire charge. Antibes provides victualling, maintenance, and crew services to these ships. The small boats in the foreground of the picture above are those of the local fishermen who sell their catch on the quayside in the morning. The International Yacht Club of Antibes is the quay to the right of this picture at which the super rich moor their super large boats: up to 100 metres. That part of the quay is no longer open to the public. You can walk around the remainder of the harbour, except the moorings which extend into the harbour, as far as Fort Carré. Both the Fort and some parts of the area around it are closed in 2025 for renovation.

The ancient harbour beach was to the west side of the current harbour and has disappeared under quays and lawn. The fortress was part of the fortification built by Vauban as he fortified what in the 17C was the south eastern coastal city of France. There is a boat hire service in the port opposite the entrance through the ramparts to the Gravette Beach.

The Marché Provençal runs along Cours Massena and has developed over the centuries into a covered market. It is open daily in the morning most of the year, often severely diminished out of the main summer season, and is usually closed on Monday in winter. The area is used in the afternoons and evenings by local restaurants and bars, and the local arts community. The Marché is tourist orientated, that is, it is expensive relative to nearby shops except the butcher and some of the fruit and vegetable stores. Socca, the chick pea pancake, is often made and sold at the southern end of the market despite efforts by other stallholders to have it removed: possibly objecting to its popularity and reasonable price.

Away from the Marché and the harbour, single lane roads ran down from the ancient town as Antibes expanded within the boundary defined by the old ramparts.

And elsewhere, hints of secretive alleys, and retro fitted hygiene.

Much of the old town has been declared a pedestrianised area. Traffic is restricted to residents, property owners, emergency services, Le Petit Train, and deliveries. The latter only allowed in the morning. So be prepared for some vehicles although pedestrians have right of way in this area. Roads within the old town area are often single lane and one way.

Le Petit Train is of a type found in many French cities. It is really a small diesel truck pulling some trailers with seats, and runs between Antibes and Juan les Pins with a commentary in French and English.The start point in Antibes is in Rue Lacan.

The road running along the Ramparts at the sea front, beneath the castle, is part of the pedestrianised zone and provides a pleasant evening walk once you get over the runners, cyclists, electric scooter riders, and occasional motorcyclist. As a pedestrian, you do have right of way, and their speed limit is 10kmh.

The Modern Town

Unmissable in its scale and surrounding the old town like a broken doughnut, modern Antibes is an agglomeration of apartment and office blocks developed throughout the twentieth century and beyond which contains the same facilities found Europe over. This however benefits the visitor and property owner because you can get just about anything you would expect to buy in any large town in Europe. The modern town runs up to the autoroute, the A8, where the big box stores are located and these are accessible by bus (see Useful Information below). The bus station and railway station are sited alongside one another. Long range high speed rail services from Marseille and Paris stop at Antibes station from where it is about a 20 minute walk to the old town.

For those of an architectural and design bent it is worth looking above the shop fronts to see the many examples of Art Deco style which the town built during the inter war years. There are also several houses of that period although do not try searching for them on the internet which will only tell you about those of that style which are for sale. Lilliput on the Boulevard James Wylie is an understated example of such a house. Les Associations in Cours Massena an example of civic Art Deco. There are many other examples scattered around the town.

Place Général de Gaulle has been redeveloped over recent years and is used for occasional markets, and has cooling fountains in summer, seen below in more restrained winter mode, which spurt up from the pavement. Beware in summer: the fountains are often turned on in hot weather (three are active in the picture). Gives the kiddies something to play in but you don't want one up your trouser leg. A Monoprix supermarket has opened to its North side and is a convenient place to get household goods and those knickers and suntan lotion you realised you hadn't packed, and also has a goodish food hall, and excellent air conditioning on a hot day.

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Local Beaches

Antibes has four beaches: the Gravette; the Petit Gravette, Ponteil; and Salis. The Gravette looks like an artificial harbour beneath the old town ramparts but can only be used by swimmers. Although it has a sandy beach, the floor of the sea is rocky and some form of footwear is recommended. The Casa Ideas shop in the Place de la République usually has a stock of cheap ones, as does the JouéClub in Rue Lacan.

The Petit Gravette is a small pebble beach off Quai Henri Rambaud noted for its steep gravel shelving as you enter the water and really should only be used by experienced swimmers. The other beaches are shallow and sandy. This little beach has received little attention from the town over the last two years and appears to be left to go wild but it does have a freshwater shower and a line of warning bouys across it to keep boats away from swimmers.

Water is tested regularly both offshore and with samples taken at the beach. The efficiency of testing is apparent: beaches have been known to be closed after heavy rain if storm water drains wash pollutants into the sea water. The longest we have known a beach to be closed is two days: long enough for dilution and the sun's ultra violet light to kill bacteria. The summer season runs from June to August inclusive. Beach showers are often deactivated out of season, and more so now that the Côte d'Azur is suffering water shortages. Dogs are not allowed on beaches during this summer season.

Gravette

The water in the Gravette harbour is often clear as can be seen in this picture, but it can be cloudy after periods of strong wind, and also becomes less clear when very busy as the natural silt is stirred up. The water's cleanliness is shown by the many small fish which swim amongst the people. There are two freshwater showers on the beach which is supervised by lifeguards during the summer season. There has been a bar selling drinks and snacks on the ramparts above the beach but it appears this will be replaced for the 2025 summer season by a new bar located in the same place. In season there are lockers located next to the lifeguards' hut which take a 1 euro coin each time one is used. We recommend this beach for an early swim in the heart of summer to get over nighttime fug and warm yourself in the rising sun. The first bells at 07:00 will have woken you up.

The water deepens quickly as one swims towards the opening to the sea. The opening has large rocks to each side on which to stand and rest before returning to the beach. The beach sand is sifted each morning in summer to clear the flotsam and the prior day's rubbish. The water is generally clear but use though the day will stirs up the natural silt. Small jellyfish (medusa in French) tend to appear in late August/early September when the wind shifts to onshore. These are not dangerous but the sting is uncomfortable and leaves a red welt. The lifeguards post a chalked up sign when this happens with the density of jellyfish indicated by showing one to three of them on the board. The Lifeguards, as at 2025 summer season, also have anti histamine cream available for first aid, and local pharmacies stock the cream: showing the little welts will suffice for them to know what to sell you. Beyond them, the only natural risk come from mosquitoes and sunburn.

The background to this picture of the beach shows the large yachts lined up at the International Yacht Club mooring. Beyond are the resorts of Cagnes and Villeneuve Loubet and the foothills of the Alps Maritimes which rise high enough to become snow covered in winter and contains several ski resorts.

Ponteil and Salis

As the picture shows, the two beaches are long, and sandy. They slope gradually into the sea and are popular with families with small children and in the late afternoon with volley ball players.

The beaches are family friendly and have kiosks along them for snacks and drinks

They are connected by a small promontory which has been recently redeveloped and includes the local sailing school and a handicap beach which has hard paths for wheel chairs, and young staff to help the disabled enjoy the sea. Do please read the right hand sign in this picture. Access needs to be pre arranged and we would recommend enquiring as to how before arriving at Antibes.

There is a business between the Ponteil beach and the town which will tow you out on various forms of rubber inflatable.

There is a memorial at the eastern end of these beaches to remind us of the covert landing of British submariners during the war to support the local Resistance and the backstory illustrates the tensions the war in an occupied country. The Dr Levy named in the memorial was a local resistance leader who was eventually captured and sent to his death once the Nazis had raised the bounty on him to a thousand old Francs from one hundred and some local became greedy.

There is also the Royal Beach Club at this end of the beaches. This is the only example of a private beach in Antibes where you can hire a recliner and umbrella: sunbathe without touching sand; get into the water without touching sand; and it has a private bar, restaurant, and toilet services as well as eager young folk to serve you. The beach is operated by a local hotel and this arrangement is common in Juan Les Pins. The day fee at the Beach Cub is about EUR40 in 2025.

There are other beaches within walking distance of the town. To the east, immediately past Fort Carré, a pebble beach runs as far as Villeneuve Loubet. The Cap has more beaches which can be reached by a costal walkway. These include La Garoupe made famous in the inter war years, and the Baie des Milliardaires, a seemingly modern arrival perhaps popularised more by social media than any prior visitors. The coastal path does not cross the southern edge of the Cap which contains the world famous Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, so you can't bump into George Clooney during Cannes Film Festival.

Juan les Pins has sandy beaches but only a small part is accessible to the public. Most of their beaches are in the Italian style: you pay for some space and an umbrella, which explains why so many Italian families visit Antibes.

Eglise Notre-Dame de la Garoupe and Light House

Antibes sits at the North East end of Cap d'Antibes, a promontory which contains the Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc, the Eilenroc Gardens and house, and which was the landing place of Napoleon when he escaped Elba and began the march ultimately to Waterloo. The Garoupe beach area sits on its eastern side and this is where Gerald and Sara Murphy and their Gilded Era USA money created the taste for summer holidays enjoyed by F Scott Fitzgerald and USA expatriates as they avoided the Prohibition of home while in a country where the cost of living was markedly cheaper. They rubbed shoulders with the modern art colony which included Picasso in his inter-war prime. Previously Juan les Pins and Antibes, sitting either side of top end of the Cap had been the playground of British and Russian aristocrats and old world USA millionaires, popular in winter because of their mild climate and that clean air which had drawn the artists of the 19C from Paris with the assistance of the of the European rail network.

The church sits atop the Cap at its narrowest point, with the modern lighthouse over which you will probably pass over if flying into Nice airport. It is from here that the picture on the Home page was taken. A pleasant shaded walk on a hot day is up the Chemin de Calvaire which climbs from the Salis beach area through the trees, many of which are olives and the food store of squirrels which can eat the raw, young, tart fruit. In June local fishermen repeat a thousand plus year old tradition and carry a statue of the Virgin Mary from the old town, up the Chemin de Calvaire to the church. There is a cafe in the church buildings now operated by restaurateurs from the town. They do an al fresco Sunday Lunch in season but book the prior week if you want it. There are public toilets at the building which are generally open, and a water pump for a drink if the cafe isn't open.

Shops and Restaurants

Opening hours: most shops in the old town and nearby open on Sundays but don't expect this for shops in the new town further inland. Shops deliberately appealing to tourists, such as restaurants, may still have a closing day each week. Many of the bars also serve food. Other shops, such as pharmacies and food retailers will close one day per week, if not two. This is nowadays largely down to France's Code de Travail which enforces the 35 hour week: it simply is not economic for small businesses to try and staff up for 7 day a week opening. Also, many retailers will close between 13:00 and 16:00. The upside is they are open until 19:00 so you can get ingredients for the family's dinner after leaving the beach. Bars open early, 07:00 is not unknown, as cafes for breakfast. Bars and restaurants will stay open into the early hours of the morning in summer but cut back to about 20:00 to 22:00 outside of the high season.

Remember: French evening restaurant kitchens often don't function until 19:00. They will be pleased to sit you down earlier and sell you a drink but nothing is going to happen about food until 19:00. Tipping is between you and the waiter; the restaurant includes service in its bill. It is usual to leave the small change for bar staff but make sure you get it first. Practice is becoming to assume you don't want it. Do take your bill to the counter if the staff are slow to come and settle up at the table which is anyway normal (there is an assumption that everyone comes to bar or cafe to relax, not rush). Waiting for a customer to leave before going to their table to pick up the cash is an easy way to get an unexpected tip.

Place Nationale and the Marché have open air restaurants with a wide range of fare from Moules to Pizza.

The town has a wide range of food shops including several supermarkets the nearest of which is a Carrefour in the Place Nationale. As you would expect, there are several boulangeries and they also take it in turn to close. There are also boucheries and wet fish shops but the latter tend to be expensive. If you have a car or fancy the bus, we would go up the large Carrefour hypermarket near the motorway junction if stocking up on groceries for one or two weeks.

This website exists for the friends and family so that they can be kept up to date on the apartment in the old town and the town itself. You are welcome to use it to find out about Antibes and please provide feedback if you have noticed anything has changed. It does not constitute an offer to rent.