Provence

The Old Town of Antibes (Vieil Antibes)

How to get there:

By Train: From Nice. The trip takes between 18 min and 33 min. The round trip ticket is 4 Euros.
From Cannes. The trip takes around 12 min. The round trip ticket is 3 Euros.
If you drive: How times have changed! Now, all I have to say is : Take your trusted GPS with you, and you will be just fine!
Note: If you are living in North America, just make sure you buy the GPS already loaded with the Map of Europe. Do not plan to load the map later, it simply might not work!

Antibes is a 2500 years old city. The Roman Empire, and The Middle Ages, left their marks on the city.

The fortifications date back to the Roman times, and they were constantly improved during the Medieval period. A pontifical and royal city, Antibes became a stronghold through her close proximity to Italy. The last large-scale renovation of the fortifications took place in the 17th Century, when Louis XIV assigned the task to the Marquis de Vauban (1633-1707), who was Marshal of France and the best military engineer of the time.

Vauban's works were so intelligently designed that the rampart walls were practically unassailable. No military campaign ever succeeded against the city. There were two important sieges, one in 1707, the other in 1746 when Antibes heroically resisted the massive Austrian bombardments. Le Bastion Saint André, which now hosts the Archeological Museum, was built as part of the project.

Antibes: Fort-Carré seen from Port Vauban

The leisure port of Antibes, renowned all over the world, is also bearing Vauban's name (Port Vauban).

The most impressive part of the Antibes fortifications is represented by the "Fort Carré". Built during the reign of Henry II of France, in the second half of the 16th Century, the fort underwent significant transformations under the same Vauban.

There is a free shuttle bus (ask for "Navette Fort-Carré") from the Old Town to the fort. It runs every 15 min, and it takes only 10 min to get to the fort.

While in the Old Town, walk through the narrow streets, full of boutiques, restaurants, and artisan shops selling everything, from artisanal lavender soap to the "Herbes de Provence". Do not miss "Le Marché Provençale", the Provençal Farmers Market, right by the City Hall (L'Hôtel de Ville).
Although from another era, you might want to visit the "Picasso Museum" in the Grimaldi Château.

For more information on the Old Town, you can go to the Tourist Information Office:

Tourist Information
32 Boulevard D'Aguillon
Antibes, 06600
Tél. : +33 (0)4-93 34 65 65

Just in case you will need it, the main Antibes Tourist Office is located in the modern part of the city:

Office de Tourisme
11, place du Général de Gaulle - BP 37
06601 Antibes Cedex
Tél : 04 97 23 11 11

Enjoy your vacation!