A day in Antibes was our plan so we took a tram to Nice Ville railway station where we paused briefly to admire its beautiful façade before buying tickets from a machine on the station concourse. As there was no difference in price between purchasing singles or returns we opted for singles so we didn’t have to decide in advance on a specific time to return (standard single fare €4.80).
Our train, destined for Marseilles was comprised of individual compartments seating up to 8 passengers enabling us to have window seats facing each other for the short 20 minute journey.
On leaving the station, it was then just a 10 minute walk down the Avenue de La Liberation to the yachting marina (Port Vauban). This crescent shaped harbour is one of the most luxurious yachting centres in the world and the largest in Europe with boats of all sizes moored as far as the eye could see.
The port covers 62 acres with a capacity of up to 1,500 craft catering for all types of boats from small ‘points’ 4 m fishing boats up to 165 m super-yachts. There’s even a famous billionaires quay ‘Quai Camille Rayon’ which can accommodate up to 19 of the largest motor yachts ever made.
Glancing at these glimmering water craft it was interesting to read where they had been registered with Valletta (Malta) and the Cayman Islands appearing most often.
In the distance we had good views of Fort Carré a 16th century defensive fort built on Roman ruins where for a time Napoleon was imprisoned during the French Revolution. More recently it has been the setting for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again.
Moving inland from the port we strolled through the stone archway of the 500 year old wall. Here we found the tourist office so we popped in to pick up some leaflets and a map of the town.
The old town (Vieille Ville) is utterly charming with its maze of cobbled streets and beautiful old stone buildings that have hardly changed for centuries except for the addition of cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops.
We found a sunny cafe terrace for a spot of lunch in the Place Nationale where we rested our legs and watched the world go by awhile whilst sipping our coffees and tucking into pastries.
Feeling re-energised after our short break, we continued on to Cours Masséna where we came across the Provençal Market said to be one of the best markets on the French Riviera. Unfortunately we were too late to browse its stalls of fresh local produce as it had already closed for the day (opening hours 6.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. except Mondays in winter).
Close to the market place lies the attractive town hall (Hôtel de Ville) with a short uphill climb then taking us up to the Notre Dame Cathedral (admission free). With its pastel pink façade this ancient church was renovated in 1991 and has been protected as a National Monument having a 16th century altarpiece and wooden baptismal font.
Lying close to the cathedral stands the Picasso Museum in Chateau Grimaldi. The French Riviera town of Antibes has been an inspiration for some of the world’s greatest artists who visited the area to capture idyllic Mediterranean scenes. Pablo Picasso adored the resort and in 1946 transformed the 14th century Chateau Grimaldi into his art studio.
Today the chateau serves as the first art museum dedicated to Picasso. It is where he donated a number of his paintings with more donated by his wife following his death.
The other side of the Picasso Museum looks out to sea so we ended our day in Antibes with a pleasant stroll along the ramparts. The wide promenade is shaded by tall trees and there are plenty of benches to rest awhile and take in the spectacular views. We did just that and looked out over to the forested Cap d’Antibes headland which runs between Antibes and the neighbouring town of Juan-les-Pins.
Returning closer to the town centre we viewed the Plage du Ponteil, a delightful crescent of soft white sand. It’s a predominantly public (free) beach with a private beach club at one end which is open May-October. There were just a few people on the beach as we passed but I’m certain that on a sunny summer’s day it will be packed with sun worshippers.
There was then just time for one more look at the beautiful harbour before returning to the station for our train back to Nice. We had really enjoyed visiting Antibes and taking under half an hour on the train it is easy to reach and I’d definitely recommend adding it to your itinerary if you are staying on the Cote d’Azur.
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Love Travelling Blog 
When travelling, I like to use public transport when possible. Equally, I love to walk around unknown places such as Antibes. It looks so beautiful in your photos!
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Thanks so much June for your continued interest in this series of posts. Antibes is lovely and even if we can’t afford to buy the gleaming yachts in the marina, it’s nice to view them!
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That really is the Blue Coast- I love that deep blue of the water! How fun to visit the Picasso museum. I always think it is interesting to see the progression of art from one artist 🙂
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Antibes is a wonderful place to visit with its flashy yachts and delightful old town. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Meg, it’s much appreciated.
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Such an amazing site you visited Antibes . We really loved our time a few years ago. I love seeing these images of these stone buildings. We visited there in the Picasso Museum and so amazing. I love all of your images. Thanks Anita
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Thanks for your kind words and interest in this post Anita.
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Love your photos. Glad you’re enjoying your adventure. Antibes is a nice location. I enjoyed it on my visit to Nice. Are you heading to Mougins? That’s usually where I based when in Côte d’Azur.
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Thanks for your kind words Candy. We very much enjoyed our visit to Antibes bur didn’t make it to Mougins, hopefully next time! Thanks for the suggestion.
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Sounds like you had a nice and relaxing day leisurely strolling around Antibes. The harbour looks beautiful. It’s crazy how many yachts and super-yachts were docked here. Thanks for sharing and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
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I sometimes wonder if some of these yachts and super-yachts ever leave the harbour or whether they’ve just been bought for partying on by the rich and famous. Antibes is gorgeous though. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend. Sunshine in northern England unlike the rain for the coronation ceremony in London.
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Antibes look wonderful is so is the Nice-Ville station. I found that its wow factor is its beautifully preserved glass canopy over the platforms/tracks that let the warm sun of the French Riviera spill in. I also loved the large clock above the entrance which will ensure that travellers don’t miss their connection. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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Thanks for your interest in my day in Antibes. Nice-Ville station is beautiful and a reflection of travel in days gone by. Our day spent in Antibes was lovely too and it was just a pity that we didn’t have enough time to visit the Picasso museum. Another time though!
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The Picasso Museum looks really interesting, and I can see how he was very inspired by this beautiful area!
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Yes, I’d love to visit next time I’m in the area Allie.
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Never been to Antibes, but it’s gorgeous! Love the marina and looks like a wonderful time in southern France. 😊
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Antibes is a very attractive town with a large marina filled with expensive yachts. I’d recommend visiting sometime when you are back in the Nice area Rebecca.
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Love the Nice Ville station and the stone archway in Antibes … the architecture is truly something special! And once again you were lucky to have a sunny day – beautiful photos Marion.
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After our first day in Nice the sun did indeed decide to shine for us. Antibes is a lovely town and ogling the expensive yachts in the marina was fun. Hope you’re having a good weekend!
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What a wonderful and beautifully relaxing day. I would’ve liked to see all the yachts and wonder about the people that owned them.
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Antibes is beautiful Lyssy and we adored our time there. From Nice we were able to reach so many places by either train or bus which was very convenient. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
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Last summer we went to Cote d’Azur, Nice was probably the best one of all the places we stayed at. We traveled by train, it was pretty nice.
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We travelled around both by train or bus from Nice each day which was very convenient and inexpensive. Thanks so much for reading and commenting Milena.
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It’s my pleasure
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It looks beautiful, especially in the sunshine. I particularly love Place Nationale 🙂
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Antibes is beautiful Hannah. It was so easy to get around everywhere by train and bus and much easier than spending ages trying to find somewhere to park.
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I visited Picasso museum in Antibes and had a very enjoyable walk around the town
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I’d really like to visit the Picasso Museum next time we are there. Antibes is such a beautiful town. Thanks so much for reading and commenting Tanja.
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I love the view of the port with all of the sailboats in the blue water. It would be interesting to visit the Picasso museum. Maggie
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The coastal views along this stretch of the Mediterranean are stunning Maggie. Hopefully we’ll have time to visit the Picasso Museum on a future visit. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
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I like your way to travel to Antibes better than the way we took. We went by car on our way back from the Gorges du Verdon and ended up in a traffic jam. We will definitely go back when we return to Nice. Thanks for showing us what we missed, Marion. Allan
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It’s my pleasure Allan, thank you for your kind words.
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When I lived up the road in Plascassier and later Mouans-Sartoux I used to spend many a Saturday down in Antibes, browsing the English language bookshop for second=hand bargains, having lunch, and getting my haircut every now and then. I loved Antibes. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
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It’s my pleasure June. Hope you’re enjoying the Coronation weekend. It’s nice and sunny up north!
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I’m ignoring the Coronation as a staunch republican. I had hoped to get some gardening done, but the weather is against me. Not sure who June is 🙂
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So sorry for getting your name wrong Stella, a lapse in concentration. Rain in London but actually nice today up in Yorkshire !
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Picasso Museum would’ve been worth a visit: https://viewfromtheback.com/2020/02/11/trip-to-antibes-part-ii/
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I think so too, hopefully another time Sheree. Thanks for the much appreciated link.
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My pleasure
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I really enjoyed this post, thanks for sharing. We spent a week in Juan Le Pins but didn’t explore Antibes. Sad to have missed Picasso’s museum! If we have the chance to go to Nice again, your Antibes itinerary will come in handy.
We were warned of jellyfish but had loads of fun playing on the beach in JLP.
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How wonderful to be able to spend an entire week in Juan Le Pins. The Côte d’Azur is a beautiful place to visit. Thank you so much for your kind words.
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Looks and sounds so wonderful. Love those old cobbled streets and stone buildings.
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Thanks Miriam for your kind words and interest in this post. We spent a beautiful day exploring Antibes.
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