Best Antibes tourist attractions include Château Grimaldi Picasso Museum, Port Vauban harbor, Garoupe lighthouse, Plage de la Garoupe beach, and Juan-les-Pins.
Château Grimaldi Picasso Museum (www.antibes-juanlespins.com/les-musees/picasso/) is a museum dedicated to the works of Picasso, and considered one of the best in its category.
Picasso lived at the Château Grimaldi palace for a period of six months in 1946, and created during that period a total of…
- 24 paintings,
- 44 drawings,
- 32 lithographs,
- 11 oil paintings on paper,
- 80 ceramic artworks,
- 2 sculptures, and
- 5 tapestries.
From the original artworks, the museum’s collection has been expanded to include 245 artworks, through donations and acquisitions.
Port Vauban harbor, meanwhile, is the largest yacht marina in Europe, offering over 2,000 places for anchorage, with room even for yachts over 100 meters (328 ft) in length.
Vauban harbor has been central to the city even since Antibes was part of ancient Greek (under the name ‘Antipolis‘), and during its long and colorful history, the harbor has seen, for example, the departure of crusaders towards the holy land.
Today, the harbor features such high-profile ships as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s 86 meter (282 ft) long “Ecstasea” yacht, and often, you can see Paul Allen’s (the co-founder of Microsoft) super-yacht “Octopus” anchored here.
Of the tourist attractions, Garoupe lighthouse, on the other hand, provides one of the best views over Antibes, as it is located on top of a small, idyllic hill.
To get to lighthouse, you have to walk around one kilometer (1,100 yards), from Plage de la Salis beach through Chemin de Calvaire street.
A visit to the lighthouse is an easy half-day trip, and it is a good idea to pack picnic foods for the visit, and enjoy eating them together with the panoramic views over Antibes.
Antibes tourist attraction highlights also include Plage de la Garoupe beach, which is one of the best beaches within Cap d’Antibes, offering a location that is well sheltered from winds.
The location of the beach is towards the east, which means that the sun shines from a pleasant angle for most of the day.
Plage de la Garoupe has been divided into sections, of which two are free of charge.
Among the best sections is ‘Keller’ beach, where you can often spot international celebrities enjoying the beach-life.
For a more relaxed beach experience, however, a good choice is ‘La Joliette’, located in the mid-section of Plage de la Garoupe.
When visiting the beach, you should also take a look at the Plage de la Garoupe parking area…
…as it is, for most of the year, packed with some of the most expensive cars on the planet, from Mercedes-Benzes to Rolls Royces.
Juan-les-Pins (www.antibesjuanlespins.com) town is part of Antibes-Juan-les-Pins holiday region, and especially famous for offering the best selection of nightlife in the area.
From the town, you can find:
- casinos,
- nightclubs, and
- several popular beaches, with sand that is very fine and pleasant to walk on.
Juan-les-Pins has a reputation for being a hot-spot for European jet-set celebrities, but it is also known for its jazz festival, “Jazz à Juan” (www.jazzajuan.com) …organized annually since 1960.