Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pass the sorry fleet and duck under the arches to the shell-shaped
Plage de la
Gravette,
anormallyquietpublicbeachtuckedrightinthemiddleofoldAntibes.Wander
up the ramp to the round lookout to better appreciate the scale of the ramparts that protec-
ted this town. Because Antibes was the last fort before the Italian border, the French king
made sure the ramparts were top-notch. Those twin towers crowning the old town are the
church's bell tower and the tower topping Château Grimaldi (today's Picasso Museum).
As you face the old town, forested Cap d'Antibes is the point of land in the distance to the
left.
Backtrack and enter Antibes'
old town
through the arch under the clock. Today, the
townisthehauntofalargecommunityofEnglish,Irish,andAussieboaterswhohelpcrew
those giant yachts in Antibes' port. (That explains the Irish pubs and English bookstores.)
Continue straight and uphill (halfway up on the right, you'll pass Rue Clemenceau, which
leads to the heart of the old town), and you'll arrive at Antibes'
market hall
. This hall
does double duty—market by day, restaurants by night (a fun place for dinner).
Goleftwherethemarketstarts(RueChessel)andfindAntibes'pretty,pastel
Church
of the Immaculate Conception,
built on the site of a Greek temple (worth a peek inside).
Achurchhasstoodonthissitesincethe12thcentury.Thisoneservedasthearea'scathed-
ral until the mid-1200s.
Looming above the church on prime real estate is the white-stone
Château Grim-
aldi,
where you'll find Antibes' prized
Picasso Museum
(described later). This site has
been home to the acropolis of the Greek city of Antipolis, a Roman fort, and a medieval
bishop's palace (once connected to the cathedral below). Later still, the château was the
residence of the Grimaldi family (which still rules Monaco; think Prince Rainier and now
Prince Albert). Its proximity to the cathedral symbolized the sometimes too-cozy relation-
ship between society's two dominant landowning classes: the Church and the nobility. (In
1789, the French Revolution changed all that.)
Find your way to the water and—heading right—follow the ramparts and views to
the
History and Archaeology Museum
(described later). From the terrace above the mu-
seum, you'll get a clear view of
Cap d'Antibes,
crowned by its lighthouse and studded
with mansions (a good place for a hike, described under “Walks and Hikes,” later). The
Cap was long the refuge of Antibes' rich and famous, and a favorite haunt of F. Scott
Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
Aftertakingaquickspinthroughthemuseum,continuehuggingtheshorepastPlace
Albert 1er until you see the views back to old Antibes. Benches and soft sand await (a
few copies of famous artists' paintings of Antibes are placed on bronze displays along the
beach walkway). You're on your own from here—energetic walkers can continue to the
around in its peaceful back lanes.
