France / Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) / AntibesAntibes
Picasso's Castle and the Superyacht Port
A walled old town between Nice and Cannes: the Picasso Museum in the Château Grimaldi, Port Vauban's superyachts, the Provençal market, and the Cap d'Antibes coastal path past villas and coves. Juan-les-Pins next door has sandy beaches and a jazz festival in July. Twenty minutes from Nice by train. (The Marineland park closed in early 2025.)
Highlights
- Musée Picasso in the Château Grimaldi
- Port Vauban superyachts
- Marché Provençal
- Cap d'Antibes coastal path
- Juan-les-Pins beaches
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence hill village
- Jazz à Juan in July
Things to do
- Old town, Marché Provençal and the Picasso MuseumMorning · 3h
- Cap d'Antibes coastal pathAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Beach afternoon at Juan-les-PinsAfternoon · 3h
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence half-dayMorning · 3h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: May – June, September – October
Worth knowing
Peak Summer: Crowds and High Prices on the Coast
July and August are French school holidays: beaches, coast roads and trains along the Mediterranean and the Basque coast are packed, rooms cost 30-100% more and often need a minimum stay, and Corsica's ferries and flights sell out. Book months ahead, or come in June or September, when the sea is still warm.
- Cannes Film Festival — Twelve days in May. Screenings are for accredited film professionals and invited guests; the public sees the red carpet from behind the barriers and the free beach screenings. Hotels in Cannes cost several times their usual price and fill up along the coast to Nice; avoid it unless the festival is why you are going.
- Jazz à Juan — One of Europe's oldest jazz festivals, in the pine grove by the sea at Juan-les-Pins, over about ten nights in July. Ticketed; the town fills up.