Antibes Walking Tour

Why Walk Antibes

Antibes sits on a peninsula between Nice and Cannes, its history layered deeper than almost any town on the coast. Greeks from Marseille founded Antipolis in the 5th century BC as a trading post; the Romans expanded it; and the massive Vauban fortifications that still ring the old town were built in the late 17th century by Louis XIV's military engineer to defend against Savoyard attack. The old town within the walls — Vieil Antibes — is a dense grid of narrow lanes, stone archways, and sun-bleached facades opening onto small squares with fountain-fed washing basins. The Marché Provençal, housed under a covered hall on Cours Masséna, is one of the best daily markets on the Riviera, with local farmers selling tomatoes, goat cheese, olives, tapenade, and socca every morning except Monday. The Musée Picasso occupies the Château Grimaldi, a 14th-century seaside castle where Pablo Picasso was given a studio in 1946 and produced an extraordinary burst of work — paintings, ceramics, and drawings — many of which remain in the museum overlooking the sea that inspired them. The Cap d'Antibes, the wooded peninsula south of town, is home to the Sentier du Littoral (also called Sentier de Tire-Poil), a spectacular coastal footpath that traces the rocky shoreline past private estates, Aleppo pine groves, and hidden swimming coves. The Jardin Botanique de la Villa Thuret, established in 1857 on the Cap, was one of the first acclimatization gardens in Europe, introducing eucalyptus, palm, and many exotic species to the Riviera. Port Vauban, the town's harbor, is one of the largest marinas in Europe and the berth of some of the world's biggest yachts.

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