There was no particular draw for us to visit Antibes, other than that it was nearby, an easy day trip, and somewhere different to experience.
We arrived by train shortly before 10:00 AM and headed straight over to Port Vauban d’Antibes. With over 1,500 berths, and 19 for superyachts, Antibes is home to the largest marina in the Mediterranean Sea. We saw a lot of workers preparing for the summer sailing season, both on the marina’s infrastructure and on numerous boats. You could easily tell which boats were being cleaned up by the radios blasting.
From the port we ventured through the city walls into old town. A few minutes later we were outside Cathédrale Notre Dame de I’lmmaculée Conception and next to Musée Picasso. After a quick pop in at the Antibes Cathedral we walked up the stairs and over to the museum.
Pablo Picasso lived and worked in Château Grimaldi in 1946. At the time it was an historical and archaeological museum. Upon leaving he gifted numerous painting and drawings to the city of Antibes. In 1947 the first Picasso exhibition opened in Château Grimaldi. Twenty years later it was officially renamed Musée Picasso.
The second and third floors display Picasso’s artworks. The first floor is dedicated to local artists. When we visited the first floor was closed as it was between exhibitions. This was fine with us, particularly since the admission price was reduced from €10 to €8 as a result.
It was time for lunch when we left the museum. Only the finest French restaurant would do. Just kidding. Even the basic French restaurants were charging €15 to €20 per person for lunch, not including a drink. We went to Subway. For under €22 total we got two combo meals and had a comfortable place to sit outside.
While at Subway we made our afternoon plans. Instead of taking a twenty-minute bus ride to Plage de la Garoupe to walk the coastal trail around Cap d’Antibes, we chose to stay closer to town. We walked south along the waterfront over a mile to Petite Plage, passing several parks and beaches.
We never expected to sit on a beach in 70° F weather, gazing across the sea at snow-capped mountains, but that is what we experienced in Antibes.
After our walk along the coast we veered back into old town Antibes and walked aimlessly until finding a flea market in the main plaza. With our stuffed carry-on luggage we do not have room to buy souvenirs to take home. Nevertheless, Stephanie always looks, reminding me that we can mail packages to Memphis. Thankfully we mailed nothing home from the French Riviera.
Across the marina from old town, on the Saint Roch peninsula, is Le Fort Carré, a 16th century military fort. We thought about visiting the fort but decided against it in the end. While we were pretty sure the fort was open, it closed a few days earlier because of a rain storm. The website was somewhat ambiguous as to whether the fort had reopened.
Even worse, however, is the fact that guided tours are required. Actually taking a guided tour is not the problem, the issue is that the tour schedule is not posted on the website. There are quite a few reviews from visitors who were forced to cool their heels and wait thirty or forty minutes to join a tour. No, thanks. We weren’t going to make the twenty-five minute walk from town to the fort only to sit and wait for an extended period of time or, worse, discover that it is still closed.
By mid-afternoon we had seen and done enough in Antibes, so it was back to Gare d’Antibes to catch a train back to Nice.
Garrett and Stephanie
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