ANTIBES!!! Oh my goodness where do I even begin? Well first, let me just say that I am so sorry this blog post has taken me so long… almost ten years too long! I decided last week that if I officially promised y’all {on IG stories} that I would blog Antibes, I would finally actually sit down and do it; so here we are! I think I just have so much to say and so so many pictures and videos to sift through on my phone that I just kept pushing off the time I knew it would take to document our favorite little town in the whole wide world. And I definitely succeeded in pushing this off for way too long. I think I get asked about every other day on IG for this travel guide from those of you who’ve been inspired to visit. So much so that John keeps saying… stop sharing our “little secret”… it’s going to get too touristy! Ha! Kinda feel like that’s already happening… more and more each year!
So let’s start at the veryyyy beginning… to answer my most asked question… WHY ANTIBES? About ten years ago now, I decided to start really going for my dreams. You know those really wild ones in the back of your mind that you try and convince yourself “don’t matter” and ” don’t align” with what everyone else around you dreams. Yep, I have a lot of those. I’d been convinced of that for so long that it took a big life situation at the time for me to decide to just throw caution to the wind and actually start trying to live out my daydreams. Beginning with travel.
My first big Summer away with my girls was just at a decade ago now. I started back when Winnie was three or four and Addie was maybe eight and I just packed the three of us up and started adventuring Europe! For six weeks every Summer. The absolute BEST decision and BEST memories of my life. I do not regret even a second of those days! Especially now that they’re both getting so much older and don’t want to be away for as long now.
That very first European Summer, my lifelong {ish} passion for French {minored in it in college} alongside my love for quaint towns and beautiful things somehow {truly cannot even remember exactly how now} landed us in Antibes, France. Here’s an oldie I found of our second Summer there… {Addie and Winnie were so tiny!!!}
I say all of that to say that I feel like I stepped one foot inside Old Town Antibes that first Summer and immediately felt this overwhelming sense of peace. Sounds drama {as Winnie would say} but I truly just felt at home. Like the troubles of my life back home were so far away and as we continued to visit every single Summer thereafter, it kind of became my emotional safe place. A getaway that my head and my heart needed more than words can describe. The colorful buildings and lush landscapes, the amazing weather and the authenticity and intentionality of life there. I just fell IN LOVE. Not to mention the “ease” of getting there {we fly direct Atlanta-Nice}, the ease of getting to other places {Italy, Switzerland, Spain} and PLUS it is right smack dab in the middle of the French Riviera so we have Nice and Monaco on one side and Cannes and St. Tropez on the other!
And as my daydreaming continued, my desire to visit as often as possible soon became a dream to call Antibes home. A home away from home. I still remember the first time I mentioned this wild idea to my then boyfriend {now hubby}. I think my default headspace awaited negativity and judgement but I will never forget his encouraging and supportive… and even “proud of me for dreaming big” response.
Welp, here we are ten paragraphs in to simply say… I love this little town so much. It has truly become home to us and after ten years of visiting and exploring, I have so many suggestions and tips! I am going to keep this post to JUST covering Antibes, Cap d’Antibes and Antibes-Juan les Pins. There is sooooooo much to do in surrounding areas so I will be back to visit all of that with you another day.
General Travel Tips
Pack Light! As I always recommend and will also advise for Antibes… pack as light as possible! Whether it’s the cobblestone streets or the three levels of circular stairs you may encounter entering your Airbnb, packing light is always helpful when traveling to Europe and Antibes is no exception! TAP TO SEE MY PACKING TIPS HERE!
When to Visit! So, this might not be the best news for some of you but I would avoid traveling to Antibes {and kind of Europe in general} during the July and August months. I know it can be difficult since that is when school is out BUT one good thing is that we find May and June to be amazing since most schools in Europe aren’t out until the second week of July. The weather just gets so hot and the town becomes so touristy that I would try and avoid those two months if possible! As far as when to go, we love April, May, June, September and October! The weather in Antibes is a mild, Mediterranean climate so it’s pretty fabulous almost year round.
Should you Rent a Car? Depends! If you plan to just visit Antibes, definitely not. If you plan to pop into a few neighboring cities like Nice and Eze Village or even Cannes, I still say NAH! Ubers are readily available and the train system is amazing! IF you want to REALLY adventure and drive well into Italy or even Switzerland then maybe so. Driving in France isn’t bad as long as you avoid big cities. Antibes is car-free {will chat more about that later!} but you can always park in a deck while you are visiting Antibes and then drive to your next spot from there.
The Town {and Where to Stay!}
Tap HERE to Rent Our Place!
Antibes as a city is actually quite large. When we had wifi hooked up at our place, we took about a thirty minute Uber ride to get it connected and were still in Antibes! However, everything that I share is all within Old Town Antibes or “Vieille Ville d’Antibes”. As I have said before in other travel tips posts, in my experience and in my opinion, the “Old Towns” in Europe are typically where you want to visit and stay. That’s where you’ll find most all of the beauty and the magic!
Old Town Antibes is surrounded by ancient stone walls that date back to the 16th century. Along those walls you will find the most stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea and even the snow capped French Alps on a clear day. Within those walls, you will find a beautiful maze of quaint streets filled with the most charming buildings with colorful shutters; courtyards with stunning gardens and squares filled with adorable shops, amazing restaurants and cute cafes. You’ll even find tiny little maker’s shops hidden in the residential alleyways… those are some of my FAVES!
If you are looking to visit Antibes, I would suggest renting an Airbnb in Old Town, “Vielle Ville”. You truly cannot go wrong with location if it’s within the Old Town. And since I am asked often, I am updating this post with a link to OUR FRANCE HOME! Yep, we are now renting our little apartment in Old Town Antibes, France… TAP HERE for our rental listing! It does only accommodate TWO PEOPLE FYI! Two quick notes if you are on the hunt for an Airbnb in Old Town… first, all of the buildings are hundreds of years old so not all of them have been outfitted with a/c and I don’t know of any with elevators. So make sure if you want/ need air, that you filter that in your listing search and know that you will likely be climbing some stairs!
Also FUN FACT… Antibes is actually a car-free city which is actually one of my very favorite things about this town versus others we’ve visited. This means that with the exception of delivery vehicles and permitted drivers, you cannot drive into the city. There are controlled pillars that prevent cars from entering which makes it SO nice for walking around and enjoying the city!
The Streets
If it isn’t the stunning views of the sea that make you fall in love with Antibes, it will be meandering the streets! If you have time, I would truly suggest walking every street and alleyway you can find. John and I did jot down street names of a few “must sees” last time we were there to share with you! We have a few faves that we love to stroll… you may even recognize a few from my pictures and videos on IG… but we never knew the names so our top picks would be…
Rue de Haut Castelet
Rue du Bas Castelet
Remparts d’Antibes
The two streets above are pretty self explanatory… just walk down them and enjoy the GORGEOUS views but the Remparts is a pretty large area. The most obvious part is along the water. I would walk that all the way from one end to the other. It is STUNNING from the cactus gardens on one end to views of the port on the other. I would also suggest getting lost in the alleyways just inside the area around the Picasso Museum. There are some really beautiful streets there as well!
The Restaurants
Where do I even begin? There are SO many good ones! John and I are the biggest foodies and one thing we absolutely love about Europe in general is all of the restaurants and all of the fun, outdoor seating. There always seems to be just restaurant after restaurant after restaurant in all the adorable Old Towns of Europe and in my Antibes adoring opinion, Antibes is one of the best!
Back when I first started blabbing to John about my love for Antibes and desire to live-ish there one day, he would jokingly {ish} mention that we should go for Italy instead solely based on the food. French cuisine unfortunately isn’t either of our personal favorites BUT I kept assuring him that in this region, there is so much Italian influence that the food is AMAZING! And he even now agrees that it ranks up there with some of the Italian cities we’ve visited.
Antibes has every type of cuisine you can imagine! From French of course to Italian, Spanish, Lebanese and even Thai! In fact, one of my personal favorites listed below is Asian/Thai. So here’s a little roundup of some of our personal faves.
Oh and quick FYI… across France {and Europe really}, most restaurants stop serving food around 2-3pm and don’t start serving again until 7-8pm. We always seem to be hungry right in those in between hours so I’ll note a few below that do serve during those off hours…
Our Favorite Breakfast/Brunch Spots…
Lillian Bonnefoi {the one on Place du Safranier}
Healthy Lounge
Les Filles de Micocoulier
Our Favorite Lunch Spots…
La Guinguette Antibes {the colorful garden/umbrella spot I always share!}
La Casita {serves all day!}
32 Pizza {serves all day!}
Papanico’s {I THINK they serve all day!}
Le Cafe Brun
Our Favorite for Tapas/Cocktails…
La Guinguette de Rio
Pablo
Our Favorite Dinner Spots…
Ferni Antibes
Chez Jules
Le Golden Beef {if you want a good burger or steak!}
Restaurant Le Safranier
Le Zinc
La Guinguette de Tigre {Asian}
Mamalu {Italian}
Sale/Sucre {not the cutest but SO GOOD!}
Casa Azul {Mexican Street Food}
The BEST Gelato!
Gelateria del Porto {only takes cash!}
For the Views/Decor… {outside Antibes}
Paseo
La Plage Belles Rives
For FUN! {outside Antibes}
PamPam
I will say this is the ONE place that’s way more fun during the Summer! It’s the craziest little Tiki Bar that only serves cocktails and sundaes. They have tiki dancers and music and it is always SO FUN!
The Shops
Rue Thuret
Rue James Close
Rue Sade
Rue Aubernon
Rue Georges Clemenceau
Boulevard d’Aguillon {makers shops}
The Beach
There are some GORGEOUSSSSS beaches in and around Antibes BUT if you are a first timer, they may be a wee bit difficult to find. So I am here to help! There is one public beach spot in Old Town Antibes but we rarely go there anymore. Because… the Cap d’Antibes and neighboring Juan les Pins beaches are STUNNING!
First up, the spot I’ve recently been videoing most is Billionaires Bay in Cap d’Antibes! This is also the start of the Cap Hike which I will chat about shortly. This GORGEOUS little “hidden gem” is quite rocky but it is so beautiful and our favorite spot to sit and relax… often times with a bottle of wine! You can walk there from Antibes but we typically Uber. To get there, I pinned the best Uber drop off location last week when we were there. From this spot, you’ll walk down the blocked road all the way to big black gates {also pictured below}. You’ll then walk through the black gates and down the path until you land in the most beautiful beach spot EVER!
If you’re looking for a natural but more sandy beach, there are LOTS across the Cap. From Plage de la Garoupe to Plage du Ponteil to Plage des Ondes {another personal fave}. Once again, unfortunately all of these spots will be substantially more crowded July and August than what you’ve seen me document.
If you’re looking for the ULTIMATE lazy but gorgeous beach day, you’ll want to spend the day in Juan les Pins. It’s the little town on the other side of Cap d’Antibes very easily accessible by foot or by the cute little white train you’ve seen us ride lots and lots! More on the train shortly too!
For Juan les Pins, there are what they call beach clubs all along the promenade that offer chairs you can rent for the day with service. Each beach club has a restaurant that will serve you at your chair or they have little beach restaurants with tables and chairs at each you can simply walk to from your chairs for a casual sit down meal. This day won’t be cheap (chair rentals start around $30/each) BUT it’s kind of amazing.
Quick and IMPORTANT NOTE… Juan les Pins is undergoing construction to extend the beaches by constructing the beach clubs underneath the promeande rather than on the actual beach. Which will be AMAZING however, construction was delayed a bit so I am not sure when it will be completed. I will update this section once I know more! During this time, ALL of the Juan les Pins beaches are closed and under construction.
The Markets
Antibes and surrounding areas have so many markets! From antiques to food to clothing and more. I am just going to cover the two we visit most often because most of the others are also very random and seasonal.
Antiques Market
Every Thursday and Saturday morning/early afternoon in Place Nacionale there is the most AMAZING antiques market! If you follow me on IG, you’ve probably seen so many videos of us shopping this market. I’ve gotten everything from the crystal chandelier in our entryway to vintage plates, wine glasses and artwork here.
Le Marche Provencal
Every single day from early morning until around 12:30pm Antibes has one of the most impressive fresh food and flower markets in Europe! Between Cours Massena and Rue Frederic Isnard, you will find Le Marche Provencal. They set up and break down this huge market every single day, seven days a week, and it is absolutely incredible. Here you will find everything from fresh local cheeses to meat, fresh seafood, local honey, fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables and spices…
The Musts & Extras
We will call this the “catch all” category for all of the little things that are actually the big FAVES for us! Of course meandering and eating and shopping is a must for any city but Antibes has sooooo many amazing extras!
The Cap Hike
This is a MUST!!! Even if you don’t love to hike! The hike starts at Billionaires Bay in Cap d’Antibes {how to get there is detailed above under “THE BEACH”} and you can go as far as all the way back to Old Town Antibes or you can stop starting at about halfway back and grab an Uber. It is very rocky in some parts FYI so be careful and wear good shoes! It is WORTH IT though!
Le Petit Train d’Antibes
This 10 euro train ride is the BEST and CUTEST little tour of Old Town Antibes plus it takes you all the way to Juan les Pins! You can either get off there and get back on later to head back or you can just do a little round-trip tour. It picks up on Rue Lacan right by the Carousel and is a MUST!
Port Vauban
Situated between the Old Fort and Old Town Antibes you will find the beautiful yachting harbor, Port Vauban. One of our favorite evening walks! If you are interested in renting a boat, this is the best place to do so or if you just want to take in the sights, it is STUNNING!
Le Nomade
If there is one thing at the top of John’s suggestion list for visiting Antibes, he’d say… they have to go see the Nomad! Just about every other night he wants to stroll by the Nomad on our evening walks. It really is WOW and it’s situated right between the harbour and the Sea so it has gorgeous views!
Le Grand Roue
Following up John’s MUST is my MUST and his worst nightmare. Ha! The Antibes Ferris Wheel! The views of Antibes and the Sea are STUNNING!!! I will say that last week when we were there, it was down due to a huge art festival so I am assuming/hoping it comes back!
Cineplanet Garden
This is just a new, fun little extra if you have time to spare. There’s a new cinema in Antibes and on the back side is the coolest mural and garden!
WHEW! I think I am done for now. More on our faves across the French Riviera coming SOON! Thanks for making it this far ;-)!
XOXO, Brittany Palazzo
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