Antibes Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Alpes-Maritimes (06600) Population: 70,000 Altitude: 9 m Nearby: [ Biot | Cannes 10 km | Grasse | Mougins | Nice 22 | Opio | Valbonne ] Also: [ Antibes Boats ] Photos: 1. Larger photo of the old village and ramparts (17 k) 2. The Fort Carré (14 k) 3. The Placette Nikos Kazantzaki, author of Zorba the Greek (34 k) 4. A classic 1950 Ford at a garage in the town (15 k) 5. Fountain and brown-shuttered house on rue Vauban opposite ave Paul Doumer (23 k) 6. Fountain monument Mr. d'Aguillon, Bvd d'Aguillon at old "porte" (24 k) 7. Bottom of pillar fountain with dolphins (25 k) Below: [ History | Markets | Museums | Swimming | Numbers | Napoléon | Port Vauban | Fort Carré | Transportation | Walking | Lodging ] Antibes was a Greek fortified town named Antipolis in the 5th century BC, and later a Roman town, and always an active port for trading along the Mediterranean. Today it's an attractive and active town, popular with "foreigners" from Paris and the north of France, with non-French, and with the local population. The natural beauty remains in the vieille ville (old town), with the ramparts along the sea and the long, arched protective wall along the port. There are plenty of little streets for exploring, restaurants of all types and prices, and lots of shops, from authentic little hardware/general-stores to tourist gift shops. Name First record, 5th-c BC: Antipolis (possibly meaning "opposite the point of Nice", across the Baie des Anges) History Ligurian: Antibes goes back about 3000 years, when Ligurian tribes used the little inlet of Saint-Roch as a natural port, protected from the east winds by two large rocks. Greek: A Greek Massaliote colony founded "Antipolis" (Antibes) and "Nikïa" (Nice) while expanding trade from "Massalia" (Marseille). They fortified "Antipolis" against the ancient Ligurians who had earlier been pushed off the coast and into the Alps. Roman: About 154 BC, with the local tribes of Déciates and Oxybiens threatening Antipolis and Nikïa, the city of Marseille called in Roman protection. By the 2nd century, Rome had developed the region as a provence, giving the name Provence that is used today. In 43 BC, Antipolis was annexed by Rome. The town is full of Roman artifacts (walls, aqueducts, amphora, etc.) from the ancient town or the nearby sea bottom, and visible around the town or in the museums; details are available from the Office de Tourisme or the many guidebooks describing Antibes. Barbarian: In 476, when the Roman empire fell, the barbarians invested the region. Vandals, Visigoths, Burgundians, Ostrogoths and Franks all had their turn, with the theme being destruction. Medieval: Antibes was ruled by the Lords of Grasse, and later by the Bishops of Antibes. At the end of the 14th century, Antibes was on the Franco-Savoyard frontier, and in 1383, the Pope of Avignon "gave" Antibes to the Grimaldi family of Cagnes. In 1608, King Henri IV took Antibes into his kingdom. Markets Marché Provençal (covered market): Sept-May: Tue-Sun mornings; June-Aug: all mornings At the Cours Massena, in front of the Mairie Fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers, along with other regional products Artisanal - Marché Provençal (covered market): Sun afternoons Foire (clothing market): Thursday Rue Fontvieille, behind the post office Brocante: Thursday, Saturday; 8h-19h Place Jacques Audiberti, between the Porte Marine and the Place Massena Museums Musée Picasso The Picasso museum is in the Chàteau Grimaldi, between the covered market on the Place Massena and the ramparts. Picasso worked here in the chàteau in 1946, and his studio is part of the museum. The collection includes an enormous amount of his work, including Mediterranean marine and mythological life done here, and ceramics done in nearby Vallauris in 1948-49. tel: (33) 492 90 54 20; Fax: (33) 492 90 54 21 Open 15 June-15 Sept: 10h-18h Open 16 Sept-14 June: 10h-12h, 14h-18h Closed: Monday; holidays; 1 Nov-10 Dec Entry: 20 F Museum of History and Archeology At the Bastion St. André, at the south end of the ramparts The Bastion (built in 1682 by the engineer Niquet as part of Vauban's fortifications) contains an archeological exhibit from ancient Antipolis tel: (33) 492 90 54 35 Open: Tue-Sun, 10h-12h, 14h-18h; closed: holidays, Nov. Musée de la Tour A museum of Popular Arts and Traditions Located in the Tour Gilli on the Cours Masséna (the covered market) tel: (33) 493 34 50 91 Open: Wed, Thur, Sat afternoons Musée Peynet Peynet, who has lived in Antibes since 1950, drew "The Lovers" At the Place Nationale (with the tall column, between the post office and the covered market) tel: (33) 492 90 54 30 Open: Tue-Sun, 10h-12h, 14h-18h; closed: holidays Musée Naval et Napoléon Located in the Tour Sella (old Tour du Graillon) on the Cap d'Antibes tel: (33) 493 61 45 32 Open: Mon-Fri, Sat mornings, 9h30-12h, 14h15-18h15; closed: holidays, Oct. Swimming Pools (Piscines) Piscine Municipale ave Jules Grec Tel: (33) 492 90 53 50; Fax: (33) 492 90 53 51 Numbers Office de Tourisme, Antibes: tel: (33) 492 90 53 00; fax: (33) 492 90 53 01 11, Place de Gaulle, 06600 Antibes Office de Tourisme, Juan-les-Pins 92 90 53 05 51, Bvd Guillaumont, 06160 Juan-les-Pins Napoléon Bonaparte Bonaparte moved to Antibes with his family in 1794, and was responsible for the defense of the coast. When Robespierre fell, Napoléon was imprisoned in the Fort Carré. Port Vauban The old port was the heart of "Antipolis" when the Greeks had a tenuous grip on the coast, the Ligurians were crowded around the outskirts, and galleons and galleys moored in the sheltered waters. Centuries later, and centuries ago, Crusaders left from here on their way to the Holy Lands. Today, the Port Vauban is the largest marina in Europe. The Large Yachts jetty, added just a few years ago, often has a row of some of the worlds largest yachts. Fort Carré The 16th-century Fort Carré is a massive, star-shaped fortress on a promontory overlooking the Port Vauban. The fort is built on the site of the Chapelle St. Laurent, which sat on the ruins of the Temple of Mercury. You can't visit the fort, but there's a nice walk around it. A Few Places At the Pimm's Café, next to the bus station, the tea is from real tea leaves rather than the usual little sack. Fun Amusement     AntibeLand-Marineland Transportation Air. The international airport of Nice, 22 km to the east, is available by bus. Train. Antibes is on the main Paris-Lyon-Avignon-Nice-Italy line, with local trains serving most of the coastal towns. Prices vary by day and season, but a typical Antibes-Nice round-trip cost around 42 F. [Rail Map] Bus. Bus information is available at the Office de Tourisme, at La Rotonde (Place du Générale de Gaulle), where most of the buses stop. Nice-Antibes-Aix. The Cars Phocéens bus company provides bus service between Nice and Aix-en-Provence. There are three buses a day; two go via the Route Nationale and stop at Antibes; the other is an express that goes via the autoroute. Camping Walking Maps: Michelin "green" #115 (1/100,000) - "French Riviera - Alpes-Maritimes" IGN (1:25,000) 3643 ET "Cannes-Grasse" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #26 "Pays d'Azur" The Parc de Vaugrenier, 2 km up the coast (towards Nice) from the Port Vauban, has wide, hard-packed running and walking paths in the shade of its trees. There are fields for playing ball and plenty of spots for picnicking. The Parc de la Valmasque, about 3 km out to the northwest, past the autoroute, is much larger than the Parc de Vaugrenier. The marked running trails of 3-km and 6-km are narrower and irregular Lodging Listing available