Antibes Area Guide

As the name Antibes, and that of its inland neighbour Sophia Antipolis imply, this coast has a long and colourful history. Antibes itself was founded as a Greek colony and trading centre in the 5^th Century BC, primarily due to its protected port which is still an important port today.

By the time of Christ, Rome was in charge and Antipolis was the largest and most important town in the province of Gallia. Roman artefacts, walls and aqueducts can still be seen today, but after 500 years the Roman Empire fell apart and another 500 years of barbarian raids, disease and pestilence followed until the 10^th century when there began an age of some renewal, and the fortified walls familiar to visitors today begun to be constructed, to protect the residents.

Times were still very hard and characterised by endless wars and epidemics, until finally some relative stability descended over the region under the reign of Louis XI in the 15^th century.

It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that Antibes began to become popular with aristocrats and wealthy people from around Europe. The climate and the natural beauty of the area started to become appreciated abroad, and travel was becoming popular. The aristocracy from the UK, Russia and Europe began to buy land and built luxurious villas for holidays and to escape northern winters, a practice that continues today, most notably on the Cap d’Antibes, a promontory lying between the old fortified town of Antibes, and Cannes.

So many people have enjoyed the pleasures of owning a property in Antibes and its surrounding towns and villages, and indeed on the Cap d’Antibes itself. The list includes many well known names such as Pablo Picasso who lived and painted there, and in whose honour a very impressive museum, well worth visiting, has been created in the Castle. Numerous other museums of archaeology, naval history and even one toabsinthe, the local green liquor make sure the visitor is never at a loss for something to do.

Jazz à Juan (the Juan les Pins Jazz Festival)

The area is renowned for its art and culture, and the “Jazz a Juan” attracts the world’s greatest musicians for a fortnight every July (BB King, George Benson, Tracey Chapman, Katie Melua, Roberta Flack, Norah Jones to mention a few). It is widely regarded as one of the best jazz festivals in the world.

Beaches and Harbours

There are no fewer than 48 beaches on the 25 km coastline around Antibes, the Cap d’Antibes and Juan les Pins, as well as five harbours which provide moorings for a range of boats ranging from fishing vessels to full sized luxury yachts, including some of the biggest and most luxurious in the world in the old harbour of Antibes itself.