The reasons why it is worth to visit Antibes on the French Riviera – despite it being a tourist hotspot

The French Riviera never ceases to amaze me. Even the most touristy destinations along the stunning, sun-drenched blue coastline hold such a wonderful atmosphere, it would be a shame to miss them.

With over 10 million visitors from around the world each year, Antibes is certainly a place you can expect to be abuzz with people, with the summer months seeing by far the highest numbers of tourists.

But the beautiful promenade along with the slightly more hidden parts of the historic walled town along with the excellent food scene are always worth a visit regardless of hight tourist numbers.

When is the best time to visit Antibes on the French Riviera

Thanks to the Mediterranean climate and an average of around 300 days of sunshine, the French Riviera is theoretically a year-round destination. Though the winter months can feel a bit cool, and several places of interest might run more limited visiting schedules. Which makes it essential to plan ahead if you do not want to remain disappointed.

Summer is peak season and both the cities and beaches along the coast will be busy with French and international tourists. In addition, more recently, the summer months can get really hot and even humid.

Fall is usually still warm although this is the time with the most chance of rain.

My favourite time visiting the Cote d’Azur is spring when the weather is already warm and sunny, but tourist numbers are still more moderate until early June.

If you are planning to visit Antibes on a day trip, I would recommend avoiding weekends as visitor numbers will be significantly higher than during the week.

How to arrive at Antibes on the French Riviera

Antibes is only 20 kilometres away from the main airport on the Cote d’Azur, Nice-Cote d’Azur. Taking a taxi from the airport will take around 25 minutes to Antibes. Alternatively, there are also connections by bus (directly from the airport) and train (via the main station in Nice).

The city is also close to several other major destinations along the Cote d’Azur like Cannes and Monaco and is well connected through bus and rail services; and therefore, it is a great destination for a day trip.

Why it is worth visiting Antibes on the French Riviera

The city is incredibly picturesque. Different to nearby visitor hotspots Cannes and Nice breathing a decidedly more international flair, there is still a distinctively unique, historic touch that sets the beautiful Antibes apart from the other main cities along the coast.

If you plan to visit Antibes on a day trip, here the things you should do.

Arriving at Antibes, the first place you are likely to cross is Port Vauban. It is the Mediterranean’s largest marina and while it can’t match the number of yachts anchoring at any time of the year in the marinas of Monaco, you still get a fairly good idea about the millionaire yacht lifestyle.

Just across the harbour, apposite to the old town of Antibes, located on Saint Roch peninsula is the city’s historic hilltop fortress Fort Carré. It was built in the 16th century to protect the border between France and neighbouring Nice, which at the time was under the rule of the House of Savoy and thus technically a part of Italy. There is also large park surrounding the fortress, so if you have time to stay a bit longer, go for a walk to admire the marina and opposite coastline from a different perspective.

Vieil Antibes, the old town located between the stone ramparts, looks like the posterchild of a historic French town.

Narrow cobbled streets are lined by picturesque pastel-coloured buildings.

It’s a place to simply wander around, and once you venture a bit away from the busy squares, you will suddenly find yourself getting lost in an entirely different world.

Place National, the old towns main square is a beautiful place and always bustling with a lot of energy – but it’s a real treasure trove when the local artists market is set up with handicrafts, jewellery, and antiques on display.

My favourite place in Antibes? There is no question it’s the scenic seaside boardwalk along the ramparts running from the harbour to the beaches at the southern end of the city, the Promenade Amiral de Grasse Antibes.

Not long ago, this was a narrow street open for cars. After a fantastic refurbishment, it was turned into a beautiful pedestrian promenade which has quickly become a favourite place for leisurely walks offering stunning views over the sun-drenched sea.

Today home to a Picasso Museum, Chateau Grimaldi is looking back at a colourful history. In fact, it is safe to say the site of the castle is where the story of Antibes – back than Antipolis, or ‘the city opposite of Nice’ how the place was called by the first Greek settlers around 340 BC – began. With a growing number of Greek settlers arriving, an Acropolis was built on the very site of today’s Chateau. Later the Romans took over the region, further extending the city of Antipolis until it started to fall into oblivion after the end of the Roman Empire. The city started to recover during the 10th century when also a castle was built on the remains of the Acropolis. It became a residence for the ruling Monaco royal family in the 12th century who in 1608 sold it to the King of France.

In 1924, the city of Antibes turned the castle into a museum for the Grimaldi Family. 22 years later, famous artist Pablo Picasso moved to Antibes for a short period and was offered to live and work at the Chateau. Though he only stayed for around two months, when he left 23 paintings and 44 sketches remained in the custody of the museum. They were initially shown in a separate room dedicated to Picasso from 1947 onwards. From 1966 onwards, the whole Chateau was turned into a Picasso Museum. Today, thanks to a donation from the artist’s second wife Jacqueline Picasso in the early 1990s there are some 245 works – paintings, drawings, and ceramics – of the artist on display.

Baroque-style Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Platea with its rose-pink fa?ade is a listed and protected historic monument. It is said it sits at the site of a pagan temple dedicated to Roman goddesses Diana and Minerva. Today the Roman Catholic church is home to the stunning altarpiece of Our Lady of the Rosary in the transept chapel, which was created by painter Louis Brea from Nice in 1515. The cathedrals carved walnut doors depict Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian, the patron saints of Antibes.

The Picasso Museum is not the only place to admire art in Antibes. Along the coastal boardwalk, various art sculptures are on display.

The most striking and most widely visible is a giant figure made of different letters. The sculpture, which is called Nomade prominently sits on the ramparts overlooking the sea and the city of Nice on the opposite part of the coastline.

Whether you are a foodie or not, another place not to be missed is Marché Provincial, the city’s local farmers market.

During the summer months from June to August it opens daily from 6am to 1pm, while during the rest of the year, it is closed on Mondays. Expect everything from fruits, vegetables, cheeses, charcuterie and more on display.

In the afternoon on certain days of the week, the farmers market changes into a craft market where you can find local painters, sculptors and ceramicists offering their works. The craft market opens from 3pm on Tuesday to Sunday from mid-June to September and on Friday to Sunday during the rest of the year.

The Cote d’Azur / French Riviera is full of wonderful restaurants, including a good share of Michelin-starred cuisine. But like all destinations with high tourist numbers, there are also those places best to avoid. Though from my own experience, ending up at a real bad place to eat in the south of France is more unlikely than at other tourist destinations across the world. After all, the area must defend a reputation of being the hotspot of the rich and famous. Which it does quite well. And the best of it all, that includes a great number of places offering delicious food at still reasonable prices.

For me, Antibes is one of the destinations along the coast with the best choices when it comes to good food at fair prices. Still my favourite restaurant is Restaurant Le View Murs located just a stone threw away from Chateau Grimaldi along the beautiful promenade. It’s a fantastic place to stop for a delicious lunch with the most stunning views.

Alternatively, just stop for a coffee at the restaurants’ separate coffee spot on the promenade.

If you still have time and your visit is during the warmer months of the year, you might also spend some time at one of the beautiful beaches of Antibes.

Plage de la Garoupe is located at the end of the promenade just before you enter the marina. It’s small but truly charming and you don’t have to venture outside of the old town.