Antibes

Antibes is a walled seaside town in the Alpes-Maritimes about 22 km southwest of Nice, known for its Old Town, its Provencal market and its long ties to Picasso. The TER Zou train from Nice-Ville takes about 20-25 minutes, with several trains per hour, at EUR 7.00 full fare or EUR 4.90 with a Zou card (~$8 / ~$6). Antibes station is about a 10-minute walk from the Old Town. Bus 200 and driving are alternatives, and parking is available at Port Vauban. The best arc starts in the morning at the Marché Provençal on Cours Masséna, where stalls sell produce, flowers, olives and cheese; it runs daily in summer and most mornings otherwise, with other days devoted to crafts. From there, visitors pass through the ramparts to the Musée Picasso in the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso worked in 1946 and left a collection of paintings, drawings and ceramics. The adjoining Romanesque cathedral and the lanes of the Old Town are worth a slow walk. The ramparts and Port Vauban, one of the largest yacht harbours in the Mediterranean, lie to the south, with the 17th-century Fort Carré visible across the bay. Lunch can be taken in the Old Town at small bistros serving fish and Provençal dishes. In the afternoon, visitors can walk along the Promenade Amiral de Grasse and the ramparts to the Plage de la Gravette, a small beach below the town. More energetic travellers can continue to Cap d'Antibes and its coastal path, the Sentier du Tire-Poil, which offers rocky coastline and views. May, June and September combine warm water, open terraces and manageable crowds, while July and August are hot and busy. A day trip of five to six hours is enough for market, museum, lunch and a seafront stroll before returning by train to Nice.