THE FRENCH RIVIERA - France 2014 - page 1164

Self-Guided Walk
Welcome to Antibes
(See “Antibes” map, here .)
This 40-minute walk will help you get your bearings, and works well day or night.
• Begin at the old port (Vieux Port) at the southern end of Avenue de Verdun. Stand at the
port, across from the archway with the clock.
Old Port: Locals claim that this is Europe's first and biggest pleasure-boat harbor,
with 1,600 stalls. The port was enlarged in the 1970s to accommodate ever-expanding
yacht dimensions. The work was financed by wealthy yacht owners (mostly Saudi Arabi-
an)eagerforaplacetoparktheiraircraftcarriers.Thatoldfour-pointedstructurecrowning
the opposite end of the port is Fort Carré , which protected Antibes from foreigners for
more than 500 years. (For information on visiting the fort, see “Sights in Antibes,” later.)
The pathetic remains of a once-hearty fishing fleet are moored in front of you. The
Mediterranean is pretty much fished out. Most of the seafood you'll eat here comes from
fish farms or the Atlantic.