Antibes is located between Cannes and Nice on the French Riviera. While the best beaches can be found in the area of Juan les Pins, the streets of the old town of Antibes are nice to stroll around in. When visiting Antibes with kids, make sure to take them to the Picasso museum, located by the sea in the Grimaldi castle.
Picasso Museum
The art work of Picasso and other artists represented is a type of art children can often relate to. It is colorful and some art works have the same animals or creatures coming back in several paintings which they will be able to recognize. The museum is free for children and you can download an app which will guide you through the museum and gives you the explanations.
Before arriving at the museum, we had seen a small house by the sea on top of the wall around Antibes, where Nicolas de Stael had lived. A lot of his art works are also represented in the Picasso museum.
Walking on the walls around Antibes
We liked walking on the walls around Antibes, from the Picasso Museum towards its big port ‘Port Vauban’, where you can see all the big boats, the ferris wheel, the square fort, and on the other side the sea and some small beaches, and art works. The big art work by the sea is made by artist Jaume Plensa and is called ‘Nomade’.
Old Town and Marché Provencal
Our kids like going to the market! We always do that while on holiday and they like to choose olives, tapenades, cheese, sausages and soap. The Marché Provencal in Antibes is a really nice one. We only saw small producers there, no big stalls selling everything which made us feel it was really local products. You will also see people cleaning fish on the spot to sell it. The covered market is on a street with restaurants and terraces which makes that a good spot to sit and watch the markets lively scene.
Address of the Marché Provencal in Antibes: Cours Masséna. Open daily from 6:00 – 13:00.
The Old Town streets of Antibes have a pedestrian only zone with little boutique shops with local products. There was one shop we couldn’t resist entering, La Belle Iloise. A shop filled with small and colorful canned tin boxes of sardines and other small fish in different mixtures; with olives, tomato, whole fish or in spreadable form. The nice lady in the shop explained it has been a family business for over 80 years. We chose our own colorful canned fish and were very happy with the discovery of this cute shop!
Address of La Belle Iloise in Antibes: 28 Rue de la République
When you are done discovering the town of Antibes, your kids will probably be happy to head to the beach! There is a small beach behind the wall, but you can also head towards Juan les Pins!
Other articles that may interest you if you are heading to the French Riviera:
