Antibes

Sixteenth-century ramparts and winding cobbled streets on the French Riviera—welcome to Antibes! A Mediterranean city with quite the history, Antibes was originally known as Antipolis, founded by the Ancient Greeks in 5 B.C. Then came the Romans, who renamed the city Antiboul and erected a theater big enough for 10,000 people. Barbarians and disrepair came next, until the area’s famous ramparts were ordered by Louis XIV, safeguarding Antibes from raiders and pirates who trawled the Mediterranean Sea.  The first tourists arrived to Cap d’Antibes in the 1880s, and the city and its adjacent resort town of Juan les Pins quickly became a summer playground for Europe’s elite, beloved by Golden Age stars like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Picasso also spent six months living and painting in Antibes, and today you can see his works from that period at Antibes’ Picasso Museum in the Chateau Grimaldi.  Now a town of 80,000, Antibes stretches deep into the hills. It’s home to the largest marina in the Mediterranean and is a city of superyachts and their owners, who relax in the shaded mansions of Cap d’Antibes. Famous for its restaurants and surrounding beaches, Antibes’ Old Town also makes for a beautiful wander. Every morning, there’s a market by the marina where locals and tourists seek out fresh food from the region. 

Practical Info

Antibes has a train station on the main Nice-Cannes line. The 200 and 250 express bus services also run between Cannes, Antibes and Nice.