AMB Cote d'Azur

It is a busy and dynamic town with jazz festivals, exhibitions, sporting events and other forms of entertainment. There are art galleries, museums, historic buildings, beautiful gardens, and a host of other cultural sights to visit too. Apart from that it is also a working town with enterprises and commerces competing for business both here and abroad.

Because there is so much to see and do in and around Antibes we’ve decided to make our presentation a little more digestible. Like many before us, it was Old Antibes we first visited when we’d just arrived on the Côte d’Azur. Our love for this ancient town has remained ever since and so this will be our starting point.

Each time we visit the old town and its port, we realize just how much we enjoy the scenery and atmosphere of this place and wonder why we don’t drive down from Chateauneuf-de-Grasse and visit it more often.

Granted during the height of summer (July and August) it finds itself heaving with tourists and the traffic can be a little difficult but otherwise it’s a charming port with an ideal climate. For example, at the time of writing this piece (middle of February) we sauntered round the Vieux Port and adjoining narrow streets in shirt-sleeves and sunglasses while temperatures clocked a balmy 14C; Vive la Côte d’Azur!

So we’ll start at the beginning: where we normally park our car. We generally go to one of the parkings (payant) along Avenue de Verdun, close to the historic 17th century ramparts built by Marshal Vauban. Parking signs are quite visible and there are LCD boards indicating status of vacancy.

Port Vauban’s marina, one of the largest in the Mediterranean, covers an area of 25 hectares and has 1,700 berths and 19 outer harbour quays for boats up to 165m long. The fact that you’re able to walk up and down the different jetties and ogle the wonderful (big) sleek crafts close up just adds to the pleasure.

Peering through the many tall masts you’ll get a glimpse of Fort Carré (built in the 16th century) standing on the point separating the Baie-des-Anges and the St-Roch inlet. There was a slight breeze the day we were down on the port and the gentle slapping of the ropes against the mastheads was almost melodious and rhythmic in sound; an incredibly soothing experience.

To get a better (and uncluttered) view of the Fort Carré you’ll need to walk past the Esplanade Jean Moulin (tucked between Port Vauban and the Old Port) where pétanque is played on warm, sunny days and head for the Chantier Naval Opéra.

As you walk along the Quai Henri Rambaud you’ll come across the entrance to Plage de la Gravette; open from 10am until 8pm at night. The beach is almost horse-shoe shaped but sadly not very big. However, snorkling here is fun as it’s fairly protected for younger swimmers.

But for now it’s still too early in the season for a paddle so continue on until you reach the Chantier Naval. On clear days you can see right across to Villeneuve-Loubet and the four ultra modern white pyramidal apartment blocks.

Taking ten years to build (1968 - 1978) they were designed by two French architects Michel Marot and André Minangoy and are supposed to represent either the sails of a yacht or waves. In winter-time when snow caps the tops of these mountains and the sky is crystal blue - the view is utterly breath-taking. Another vantage point is from the Capitainerie. Again you’ll have unrestricted view of the Fort and over to the outer harbour where the largest (mega) yachts are moored.

If you arrive early enough you’ll normally find a small group of fishermen on the Quai des Pechers selling their freshly caught fish. Perhaps you’ll do better than us as we never quite manage to get up and be there on time to buy some. We normally arrive after they’ve sold the last morsel of fish and have settled down to mending their nets while chit-chatting, sometimes heatedly, across their boats or on the quay.

Passing through the Ancienne Porte Marine you’ll enter rue Auberon. Watch your step here as the traffic tends to come at you from all sides; the road is narrow and the paths narrower still. Some 20 or 30 meters or so you’ll come across Café des Chineurs - easily recognisable by it’s green canopy and veranda.

Just next door and set back a little from the busy road is Heidi's English Bookshop ; now in its 14th year and still going strong. Deceptive from the outside, inside it covers 300m2; enough to allow a very good (and vast) selection of new and used books, cards, stationery and BBC videos. They will order any book published in the UK and, incredibly, are open 7 days a week 10am to 7pm non-stop.

You then have the choice of either continuing up rue Aubernon or turning left up Rampe de Saleurs. This brings you directly onto the coastal road and in the direction of the Musée Picasso. However, for the moment we’ll stick to our usual walk; but which ever route you do take, you’ll discover, like us, the odd statue, quiet square, or hidden restaurant just off the beaten track.

Continuing along rue Aubernon you’ll find Antibes’ Town Hall and a covered Marché Provençal in Cours Masséna. This market is irresistible - just the enticing fragrance of spices and fresh herbs will be enough to draw you in. Fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, cheese, flowers, honey, jams and other confectionery, spices, fresh and dried herbs are attractively displayed. These are local growers selling their seasonal home grown produce; it becomes a little hectic and over-crowded at the weekends but a great way to shop on a Sunday morning after a pleasing walk around the town and port.

On Saturdays and Sundays more stalls are set up selling a diverse selection of clothes, pretty provençal table, bed linen and towels; they overflow into Cours Masséna and sometimes even down into rue Clémenceau. Between June and the end of August the market is open every morning until 12h30; otherwise it’s closed on Mondays.

In the middle of the market are a couple of steps that bring you into rue Sade and then Place Nationale. Tall palm trees and wide plane trees decorate this lovely square where restaurants and shops vie for your attention. Unfortunately, when not used as a Brocante market, it turns itself into a parking lot from time to time which is a pity.

If you like the works of Raymond Peynet you’ll be delighted to know there’s a museum dedicated to him here. It holds an assortment of 300 of his charming paintings, sketches, posters, sculptures, costumes and stage designs. Unfortunately it was closed when we were in Antibes that particular day - another good excuse to return to the old port!

Leading into and off the square are a number of narrow streets with more restaurants, ice cream parlours, wine merchants, chocolate shops and delightful clothes, jewelry and art boutiques. Interspersed among them you’ll find a wonderful array of other specialized shops selling baskets, charcuterie, olives, knives, and even hats; while all around you are businesses and shops dedicated to the yacht industry. All this blends remarkably well together and makes Antibes such a diverse community.

Leaving the square behind you it’s a quieter walk along rue de la République. This is a pedestrian walkway and much appreciated. A number of other shops and cafés can be found here - and there have been many a time when we’ve taken the opportunity to sit and relax at one of these bistrot’s and watched the world go by. From there it’s just a short walk past the Bus Station to Place Général de Gaulle and the Tourist Board, a number of banks with ATM machines and more lovely restaurants with outdoor seating.

Depending on whether you’re tired out or not, you could prolong your walk by turning down into Bd Albert 1er; it’s a rather long (but downhill) boulevard but will bring you back out onto the coastal road - coastline that holds the merit of the “Pavillon Blue d’Europe”.

The area around Place Général De Gaulle and much of this boulevard has been renovated and is now a wonderful square with wide pavements allowing bistrots and cafés to up their parasols and make it the perfect place to stop for an expresso or lunch. At the bottom of the boulevard you’ll come to Square Albert 1er. Here you have the choice of either turning right, towards Cap d’Antibes or left towards Bastion Saint André. For now we’ll turn left towards the Musée d’Archéologie. Once there, you must take a moment to go up to the top of the museum as there’s a fastastic view across the open sea towards Nice.

A little further up you’ll find Victor Hugo’s stele, the Jardins de la Tourraque and Musée Picasso located in the impressive Grimaldi Château. The museum is closed on Monday and public holidays. Admission is €5 but minors under 18 go in free which is great. Be mindful of lunch hours - we’d suggest that between 12h00 and 14h00 you go for a nice meal somewhere as from September through to June the museum closes for their lunch break. Note that for 2007 the museum will be closed for renovation purposes.

If time is on your side and you’re experiencing withdrawal symptoms for something English, then back-tracking a little and heading towards rue Fontvieille will bring you to rue Lacan and another English “landmark”; Geoffrey’s of London. The supermarket opened in 1991 and has been successfully servicing the expat and yacht community ever since. UK food (and non-food), non-alcoholic beverages, magazines, stationery, CDs and a good selection of rental videos fill the shelves although costs are a tad higher than in the UK. They’re closed on Sundays which is a little bit of a shame as most shops in Antibes are open Sunday morning. However, they make up for it as they have a website where you can indulge your taste buds. And if you ever decide to make a curry - Geoffrey’s of London has an outstanding range of ingredients.

Strolling around this lovely town makes you realize how temperate the climate is. Plants that would normally be grown indoors in the UK, grow quite contentedly outside. We discovered an amazingly exhuberant rubber tree and giant prickly pear bush enjoying the balmy climate of this coast line while huge swathes of Strelitzias (Bird of Paradise) planted by the port and in the town were already starting to flower.

Our walk nearly over and with a few heavy shopping bags in tow, filled with glorious and irresistible food, we head back to our car and home.