Situated almost centrally on the coast between Nice and Cannes, each within fifteen minutes or so drive, Antibes is an ideal base for exploring  the French Riviera.   

Next door to Antibes, you will find the celebrated lively Juan-Les-Pins, with its own particular ambiance - long sandy beaches, bustling town and street cafes, where you can sit sipping cocktails as you watch the world go by. 

July brings the famous Jazz Festivals to Juan-Les-Pins and Nice, where you can experience an intoxicating blend of warm summer nights, listening to Jazz from artists all over the world, under a star-studded Mediterranean sky. 

Nice, the capital of the Cote d’Azur is a fascinating and historic city –  more substantial and interesting, we think, than Cannes (though Cannes is certainly worth a visit). Old Nice, the Port and the Chateau hill are particularly worth exploring.

St. Laurent du Var is a charming mini-resort located near to Nice Airport.  It offers numerous water sports, and safe swimming areas in what can be described as individual mini lagoons, protected by an outer reef which is home to many seabirds.  From some of the little lagoon beaches, you can watch close at hand, the air'planes land on the landing strip which seems to extend breathtakingly right into the sea.  St. Laurent du Var also has a charming port and marina, with associated restaurants, bars and shops.

The Provencal Alps, with good skiing, are only two hours drive away.

Visit Grasse, a short drive inland, home to several perfume factories, where perfume and soaps are made from the herbs and flowers grown in the fields around.  

A few miles west of Antibes, the coast is charming in a slightly different way: lusher though perhaps not so spectacular. Saint-Tropez is particularly worth visiting (best off-season) and there are very pleasant walks in the pinewoods of the Isle de Saint-Tropez (not a real island). This is a whole-day trip and utterly delightful all the way.  Port Grimaud, sometimes called Little Venice, is close to Saint Tropez.  Visit also the old chateau and town at  Grimaud, a striking contrast to the new, modern development on the waterways of Port Grimaud .

Explore the Gorges du Verdon, with their breathtaking scenery and hairpin bends.  Take a canoe on the river which runs along the bottom of the gorges or swim in the waters of the lake.  Visit Gourdon, high up in the Alpes Maritimes, but just half and hour or so drive away from Antibes; pass through St. Paul de Vence, with its many artists' boutiques tucked away up cobbled streets inside the village wall.  Fall in love with quaint Mediterranean villages clinging precariously to the sides of steep rocky slopes. Suggested route Antibes - Grasse – Castellane – Lac de Ste Croix – Banjols – Draguignon – Frejus – Cannes – Antibes.

Esterel is well worth a half-day trip to see the quite remote-feeling reddish coloured mountains of the Massif de l’Esterel which run behind the coast between Frejus and Cannes. In the very early Spring, the mimosa woods are in blossom and are astoundingly beautiful. Some of the roads are somewhat hair-raising.

One of the features of Provence is the many quaint and ancient hill-top villages.  Eze, on the coast half-way between Nice and Monte-Carlo, is the queen of them all.

Menton  is a charming, old-fashioned resort very near the Italian border.  A favourite of Queen Victoria and we prefer it to the more commercialised Monte-Carlo (which however is certainly worth visiting as well).

Monte Carlo and the Principality of Monaco is just along the coast; visit the palace at Monaco, home of Prince Ranier and at one time, home of his wife, Princess Grace, who before she married, was the film star Grace Kelly, and who sadly was killed in a tragic road accident.  Not to be missed, is a visit to the famous Casino at Monte Carlo.

Other pleasant and interesting places to visit include the villages of Valbonne, Biot, Mougins, Haut de Cagnes (Cagnes sur Mer), and Fayence – but there are dozens more and it is perhaps more fun to discover them for oneself.   The Green Michelin Tourist Guide to the French Riviera is full of useful and interesting information about the Cote d’Azur. 

For travelling inland, you will need a car. A good way to go is by Autoroute one way (fast and excellent but remember there are tolls) and lesser roads the other. 

You can visit any of the towns and villages on the coast by using the good railway service. There is a rail timetable in the flat.

But best of all, fall in love with Antibes, with its fairy tale chateau, its old walled town basking in the Mediterranean sun, its cobbled streets, the heady scent of garlic from the many restaurants, the bustle of its old market place, and just outside the old wall, the sophistication of its modern yacht marina.

Email:  james.wroe@orange.fr

Tel:   0033 (0)494 735 826

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