One of the many things that’s so great about the Côte d’Azur (French Riviera) are all the great towns along the coast. Nik and I have only taken a day trip to Monaco and so on this initial two weeks in the area, we wanted to visit a few other places. Following our week in Nice, we made the short and scenic drive and enjoyed a few days visiting Antibes.
Staying in Juan-les-Pins
Our criteria for picking an Airbnb include a 4.8 or higher rating, a modern look, air conditioning and in this case, one that allows pets. (Moving forward, when traveling with Koval the Dog, we will require an elevator.) We found a modern looking apartment in the area of Juan-les-Pins, kind of a town within Antibes. Looking at the map below, you can see highlighted in yellow the two different areas.
Since we were a good 45 minute walk from Old Town, with a lot of it being uphill, we used Uber a few times to go back and forth and the fares were pretty reasonable.
Other than the three flights of stairs and no elevator, we enjoyed staying in Juan-les-Pins. It felt very much like a beach resort town with a long boardwalk and numerous beach clubs and restaurants.
Port Vauban and the City Walls
All along Old Town and the Antibes coast were old walls built in the 10th century to protect the city from invasion. You can walk a good portion of the walls near Port Vauban, which is also the largest yacht marina in Europe.
Yacht Watch
As mentioned above, Port Vauban is the largest marina in Europe. It’s undergone some renovations and upgrades to fit large superyachts. Unfortunately there is no public access, like we’ve been able to enjoy in Nice and Monaco. So we had to look at the yachts from a distance as they were anchored along Quai des Milliardaires which translates to ‘Billionaires’ Quay.’
Since the port doesn’t allow you to walk where the megayachts are docked, I couldn’t get a good feel for how big some of them were. With the help of a boat watch app, I was able to get the names of a few yachts that were docked in a row.
From left to right, the first three yachts are: Al Raya, a 110 meter yacht (360 feet) owned by the Royal Family of Bahrain. Drizzle is a 91.8 meter yacht (312 feet) owned by the founder of Zara. Solandge is an 85.1 meter yacht (279 feet) and currently owned by Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.
One unique yacht that was out sailing in the water was Motor Yacht Yas. Yas is one of the largest superyachts in the world with a length of 141 meters (463 feet.)
Yas began her life as a Dutch navy frigate but was replaced with composite materials and turned into a luxury yacht. You can read a lot more here.
Shortly after our visit to Antibes, Instagram user Michaelyachts posted some hi-res video of Yas. Seeing Yas up close in these images just shows how unique she is.
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Le Nomade
In one stretch of the walls, near Port Vauban sits one of the most known structures in Antibes. Le Nomade is a statue created by Jaume Plensa. Made of stainless steel letters, the statue represents a man kneeling in front of the sea.
Dining out in Antibes
There were a number of bars and beachfront restaurants near our Airbnb and a variety of other places over in Old Town. It was nice to have options like this.
Le Ruban Bleu
Our first meal in Antibes was near our Airbnb at Le Ruban Bleu, one of the many beachfront restaurants. The weather was perfect – warm and sunny. Nik and I shared the burrata salad and fried calamari. We both agreed that the calamari dish was one of the best we’ve ever had. Lightly breaded, tasty and not too chewy.
We regret not making the afternoon a beach day since it turned out to be the sunniest day of our stay in Antibes.
Chez Mô
Close to Old Town, but not quite in it, is Chez Mô. Not sure how we found this French Mediterranean restaurant but we’re glad we did. We arrived without a reservation and were lucky to get seated. It was a busy, lively and fast-paced place. I ordered the linguine with half a lobster in a shellfish juice while Nik opted for the lamb shank with Provence herbs and mashed potatoes.
Both entrées were outstanding and we highly recommend a meal at Chez Mô.
Mamo Michelangelo
Another fabulous dinner we enjoyed was at Mamo Michelangelo in Old Town. For this restaurant, we did have a reservation. The space was very rustic with stone walls and we felt very cozy.
Nik and I started with the char-grilled squid “à la Provençale” as an appetizer. It was delicious. Shortly later, a table next to us ordered it as well but sent it back because it was under-cooked. Thankfully we did not experience that.
For our main courses, I throughly enjoyed the breaded veal escalope and Nik had the rigatoni with sausages and meatballs.
The Terrace at Hotel Du Postillon
For the most amazing charcuterie at the right price, go to the terrace at Hotel Du Postillon. Located in a square within Old Town, we came upon it while looking for a post office.
There was a variety of meat and cheese, toasted breads with soft goat cheese on top and a little side salad. The portion was more than enough for two people and it really hit the spot.
Misc. Spots Around Antibes
In Old Town
Ponzo: While wondering around Old Town we stumbled upon Ponzo pizza on one of the cute side streets. It was perfect for a small snack as we were exploring the area.
Le Caméo: Located in Place Nationale, this was a nice spot to people watch. While we only had a couple drinks here, the food at the neighboring tables all looked very good.
Les Filles du Micocoulier: This crêperie was the perfect spot for a lite bite and a drink. Nik and I shared the butter and sugar crepe and we each had a cider, which were served in mini bowls. Different and unique.
In Juan-les-Pins
Le New Orleans: One of the hottest spots in the area came in clutch for us. We made two visits, basically to start and end one of our nights. The espresso tiramisù martini was outstanding! And the live music was fun to sign along to. Highly recommend a stop here.
Le Shawarma: You can rarely go wrong getting shawarma and this place was next door. We got takeout twice and had zero regrets.
PizCof: Possibly our only regret of our time in Antibes was eating here. We wanted something quick and near our Airbnb and this fit the bill. The pizza was just very underwhelming as was the service. There were other similar places nearby that we should’ve gone to instead.
Overall, we enjoyed visiting Antibes. It’s perfect for a few days but I don’t know that I’d want to live there full-time. Nik and I hope to return in the future to enjoy a beach day and for more yacht watching. Have you ever been to Antibes? What’d we miss?
