Most people give Antibes, France a single afternoon. They photograph the yachts in Port Vauban, then catch the train back to Nice before dinner. We think that gets the town backwards. Our agency sits on Cap d’Antibes, and from here the case is obvious: Antibes only makes sense once you stop treating it as a stopover. This is how we would spend the time.
The Best Things to Do in Antibes, France Beyond the Old Town
The yachts deserve an early walk before the quays fill. Port Vauban opened as a marina in 1971 and is the largest in Europe by tonnage. Since 1986, its Billionaires’ Quay has taken vessels of 50 to 165 meters. At the top end, they look less like boats than apartment blocks.
Next door, climb onto the Bastion Saint-Jaume. Jaume Plensa’s Nomade, an 8-meter sculpture, has sat facing the sea there since 2010. In late May the same esplanade hosts Les Voiles d’Antibes, and the harbor walls turn into grandstands.
Across the water, Fort Carré is the landmark most visitors skip. They shouldn’t. The star-shaped fort dates from the 16th century and rises 26 meters above the sea. Vauban barely altered it, and little has changed in five centuries. It has been open to the public since 1998.
In July, plan at least one evening around Jazz à Juan. The festival dates back to 1960 and is staged under the pines of the Pinède Gould in Juan-les-Pins.
How to Spend a Morning in Antibes Old Town
Old Antibes rewards a morning, not an afternoon. The Marché Provençal on Cours Masséna runs from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. under a metal hall built in 1928. Go early, before the heat settles into the lanes. Local artists take over the hall on summer afternoons and off-season weekends.
A warning worth taking seriously: from September to May, the market closes on Mondays. So does the Picasso Museum, all year. If your only free day in town is an off-season Monday, move it.
The museum itself is not optional. Picasso worked in the Château Grimaldi from mid-September to mid-November 1946 and left 23 paintings and 44 drawings behind. In December 1966, it became the first museum dedicated to him. Our Antibes art gallery trail picks up where the museum leaves off.
Afterward, walk the ramparts along Promenade Amiral de Grasse. You will pass the house where Nicolas de Staël painted more than 350 works between September 1954 and March 1955. Then slip into the Safranier, a tiny flower-lined quarter around rue du Haut Castelet. It declared itself a “free commune” in 1966.
Antibes Beaches and the Cap d'Antibes Coastal Path
Antibes has 25 km (about 15 miles) of coastline, and the beaches change character fast. Choose by the kind of day you want.
La Gravette sits against the harbor ramparts. It is sandy and sheltered from wind and swell, and it falls into shade once the sun drops behind the old town roofs.
Ponteil and La Salis are the long sandy stretches heading toward the Cap. The water stays shallow, which makes them the easy call with young children.
La Garoupe, on the eastern side of the Cap, is the glamorous one. In summer, most of its sand belongs to private beach clubs, with a small public section. Our guide to the best beaches in the French Riviera covers more of the coast.
The best thing on this stretch, though, isn’t a beach at all. The Tire-Poil path traces the southern tip of Cap d’Antibes in about two hours, starting from the car park on avenue André Sella. Along the way you pass Château de la Croë, built in 1927 and once home to the Duke of Windsor. Wear proper shoes. The path closes in bad weather, gales included, so check before you set out.
The Best Restaurants in Antibes, France Worth Booking Ahead
These are the four tables we send people to.
Miraé by Mauro Colagreco is the one we would book now. Set within Villa Miraé on Cap d’Antibes, just back from Plage de la Garoupe, the restaurant is overseen by Mauro Colagreco, the three-Michelin-starred chef behind Mirazur. Its menu draws on the French and Italian Rivieras, with seasonal Mediterranean produce and dishes inspired by the coast from Genoa to Saint-Tropez. The setting is relaxed but polished, with a peaceful garden terrace framed by umbrella pines, palms and bougainvillea.
Louroc, at Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, also holds a 2026 star. Chef Sébastien Broda cooks Mediterranean food in one of the coast’s most storied hotels, and the view does half the persuading.
Maison de Bacon is where to go for bouillabaisse. The restaurant has stood on the Cap since 1948, and Nicolas Davouze, Bocuse d’Or France winner in 2014, has run the kitchen since 2021.
Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit is the old-town pick. It lost the Michelin star it had held since 2010 in the 2026 guide, though Michelin still recommends it. We would book it anyway. Christian Morisset’s patio under the fig tree remains one of the best tables inside the walls.
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Practical Tips for Visiting Antibes, France
Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is 20 km (about 12 miles) away, and the drive takes 20 to 40 minutes when the roads are clear. The train is often easier. Take the free tram line 2 to Grand Arénas, walk to Nice Saint-Augustin station and head west. Every train stops at Antibes, TGV included.
July highs sit around 26°C (79°F). September, the month we would choose, eases to around 24°C (75°F), and the sea still carries its late-summer warmth. Our guide to the best time to visit the French Riviera covers the seasons in detail.
Why Cap d'Antibes Is Where We'd Stay in Antibes, France
For a night or two, a hotel inside the old walls works well, with the market on your doorstep. For a week, we would base ourselves on the Cap. It is quieter, and three of our four restaurants are on the peninsula itself.
It is also where Bucket List Villa is based, so this is our home ground. Our guide to the most beautiful villas in Cap d’Antibes shows what the peninsula offers.
When you are ready to talk dates, contact the Bucket List Villa reservation team and we will find the villa that suits how you travel.
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