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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