What to Do in Antibes: Beaches, Forts and More!
What to do in Antibes, France! Whether you opt to take a day trip to Antibes from Nice or choose to stay a night or two (recommend), here are some things you should do while in Antibes!
- Why Visit Antibes, France
- What to do In Antibes
- Visit Fort Carré
- Explore the Antibes Harbor, Port Vauban
- Visit Plage de la Gravette (Gravette beach)
- Walk Along Promenade Amiral de Grasse
- What to do in Antibes Old Town: Walk the Streets
- Visit Plage du Ponteil
- Explore Cap d'Antibes
- How Many Days Do you Need in Antibes?
- How to Get from Nice to Antibes
- Where to Stay in Antibes
- Final Thoughts on What to Do in Antibes
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Why Visit Antibes, France
Chances are, if you are searching for things to do in Antibes, you are already aware how beautiful it is going to be. However, I just want to reiterate how great of a city it is.
Though Nice is really a great city, Antibes has a more old-town feel and has less crowds than Nice. With its walled-in old town and sandy beaches, it is a unique city in the French Riviera and worth a visit!
Antibes is a highly sought-after city for celebrities for a reason 😉
What to do In Antibes
Aside from staring at the beauty that is Antibes, most things to do in Antibes revolve around the old town, the beautiful, sandy beaches, the yachts and the harbor.
Visit Fort Carré
Fort Carré is located on the Saint-Roch Peninsula, east of Antibes and dates back to the 16th century and is famous for its star shape. However, the real gem of the fort is the view it offers over old town Antibes, the harbor and the Mediterranean sea!
You can opt to visit the fort on your own or do a guided tour of the fort.
- Hours: 10am- 5pm, September through June; 10pm-6pm July and August
- CLOSED ON MONDAYS
- Guided Tours: 11am, 2pm, and 4pm
- Free of charge with entrance
- Some days, guided tours are required in order to see the fort
- Cost: 5 euros
Tip: The hours for the fort can be inconvenient. So when you are planning your itinerary, I recommend getting to the fort as soon as it opens so you don’t have to make your way to the fort and interrupt your schedule in the middle of the day to visit before it closes.
Explore the Antibes Harbor, Port Vauban
Antibes has no shortage of impressive yachts (and SUPERYACHTS) sitting in its harbor. But, whether you are a yacht fan or not, Port Vauban is a beautiful portion of Antibes and is going to be on every list of “what to do in Antibes” for good reason!
The port is actually LARGE. It spans 62 acres and is actually the LARGEST MARINA IN EUROPE. Additionally, it also one of the oldest in ports in Europe as well.
- The port has 1500+ spots and holds yachts up to 160 meters (524ft!) It is INSANE to see some of the superyachts in person.
Walk Along the Rampart Walls Around the Harbor
Around the harbor you will also notice a wall you can walk along. The ramparts are where you can get some of the best views of the harbor, old town Antibes, Gravette beach, the Mediterranean Sea and those superyachts I just mentioned!
The wall is free to walk around and spans from one end of the harbor to the end where you will find the slots for the superyachts.
You will also find the Le Nomade sculpture by artist Jaume Plensa. It is a large, white, metal sculpture made of connected letters sitting toward the end of the wall.
Visit Plage de la Gravette (Gravette beach)
Speaking of Gravette Beach (or Plage de la Gravette), this beach is worth visiting! It is one of the best beaches in Antibes with its nice, sandy beaches and proximity to the old town. However, its proximity to the old town also means it is one of the busiest beaches, so be prepared for a crowd.
We visited in September and the beach was still full of people sunbathing like it was mid-July!
Walk Along Promenade Amiral de Grasse
Promenade Amiral de Grasse is the road that follows along the oceanfront wall surrounding Antibes. Here you will get a great view of Gravette Beach from above, the Mediterranean Ocean, old town Antibes and more.
This street runs the length of the old town, so it not only gives you great views but will connect you from the popular beaches and harbor on the east of Antibes all the way to the beaches at the west of Antibes.
What to do in Antibes Old Town: Walk the Streets
Old town Antibes is a beautiful area and a lot of what to see in Antibes in located here! Get lost in the streets of old town.
See the Beautiful Antibes Cathedral
In the old town, be sure to stop by the colorful cathedral of Antibes. Yes, I know people get tired of seeing cathedrals on recommendation lists, but the cathedral is beautiful and at least worth stopping by.
Visit Provençal Market
Antibes has a great market culture! The main market is the Provençal Market (aka marché provençal) which is a covered market that offers a variety of produce, cheese, flowers, seafood, meats, etc as well as a crafts, soaps, souvenirs, etc.
- Open daily from 7:30am to 1pm (open to 1:45pm June, July, August and is closed on Mondays from September 1 through May 31st)
This area is also full of restaurants when you decide you get hungry!
Visit the Museé Picasso
I’ll be the first to admit I am not very knowledgable in the art world and typically don’t visit a lot of art museums. However, even I know that Picasso is impressive and that it is cool that he lived at Château Grimaldi in Antibes for 6 months. This château is now the Museé Picasso.
So, if you are an art fan, this will definitely be worth a visit.
Visit Plage du Ponteil
If you continue along Promenade Amiral de Grasse and the oceanfront street you will come to Plage du Ponteil, another nice, sandy beach located on the west side of Antibes.
One of the best parts of walking to this beach is that you can look back toward old town Antibes and get a great view of the walls of the old town and the mountains behind it!
- There is a nice beachside restaurant and bar located here as well, Royal Beach.
- Reviews are mixed, but if you are looking for a place to have a drink or a meal in a relaxed (not hurried) way, it can be a good option for you
- You can also continue further down the coast to Plage de la Salis, which is a similar beach closer to Cap d’Antibes from Plage du Ponteil.
Explore Cap d’Antibes
What to do in Antibes.. and Cap d’Antibes! Cap d’Antibes is a peninsula west of Antibes. Contrary to what I believed, it is not within a casual walking distance of old town Antibes.
- In order to visit, you can either taxi, take a rideshare (Uber or Bolt), bus or take an hour and 15 minute hike (4,9 km or around 3 miles) from old town.
- Take bus 2 from Antibes to Cap d’Antibes, which is about a 30 minute ride
Cap d’Antibes is known for its super clear, blue waters and high-end houses and hotels. Popular places to visit on Cap de Antibes are:
- Port de Salis (small port on the east side of the peninsula)
- The Garoupe Lighthouse located on the Garoupe Plateau
- Free to climb- Groups of 10 every 20 minutes
- Open 10am to 5pm
- Plage de la Garoupe (beach on the east side of the peninsula)
- Billionaires Bay
- Famous Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc (a beautiful 5 star hotel)
- Villa Aujourd’hui (famous villa built for Audrey Chadwick in 1938)
- Plage des Ondes, a beautiful beach on the west side of the peninsula.
You can also visit Juan Les Pins, a small town on the northwest side of Cap d’Antibes.
How Many Days Do you Need in Antibes?
What to do in Antibes and how many days do you need to do it?
You can see and do a lot of what Antibes has to offer in a day if you are looking to take a day trip to Antibes from Nice.
However, if you are going to opt to take a day trip, you are going to want to leave EARLY to maximize your time here. There is enough to see and do to fill one to two days in the city.
We opted to stay two nights in Antibes spending one day exploring Antibes and the other taking a day trip to Île Saint Honorat from Cannes.
How to Get from Nice to Antibes
Antibes is an easy train ride from the Nice airport or Nice central station (though it can be a bit complicated trying to find the right tram from the airport to the train stop you will need). We tried to follow the GPS and the signs and had to eventually ask for help.
From the Nice Airport:
- Take the L2 tram from Port Lympia to Grand Arénas
- Walk to the Nice Saint-Agustin stop and take the train to Antibes
- 40 minutes with walking time
From Nice city center:
- Take the non-stop train from Nice-Ville station to Antibes
- 30 minute ride
You can book tickets directly through SNCF or through Omio apps.
Where to Stay in Antibes
I recommend staying in walking distances of old town, especially if you are only staying one to two nights. This will keep most things in walking distance and maximize your time nicely.
If you are training into Antibes with the intent of staying a night or two (I.E. you have luggage with you) be mindful of the distance of the train station to your hotel. That is, unless you are okay with walking your luggage into the old town or grabbing a ride share.
- There are loads of either VRBOs or small hotels located within the old town of Antibes
We prioritized staying close to the train station because 1) we came in with luggage and didn’t want to tote it 15 minutes into old town and 2) had a day trip from Antibes to Cannes the second day anyway.
We stayed in Hôtel Le Collier a simple, affordable hotel less than a 5 minute walk from the train station that worked well for us! (15 minute walk to old town)
Final Thoughts on What to Do in Antibes
Antibes is a great city and definitely worth making it onto your French Riviera itinerary! Even if you only spend a day in Antibes, it is worth visiting to see the the mix of high-end yachts, 16th century ramparts and forts and sandy beaches with a backdrop of the French Alps!
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