What to see and what to buy in Antibes Juan les Pins

Antibes and Juan Les Pins make a winning combination. Antibes is the second village in the Alpes Maritimes and is well known for its famous Cap d’Antibes, the Picasso Museum and the French ‘Silicon Valley’ aka Sophie Antipolis. Together with Juan Les Pins, Antibes lets you discover over 25 kilometres of coast, from white sandy beaches to rural rocky paths around the Cap. Antibes has over 3.000 years of history, and you get a glimpse of that when you see the cathedral, the old protection wall and the castle Garibaldi.

But most of all, Antibes Juan Les Pins inspires people to feel happy. And you sense this directly when you enter via port Vauban the old town with its many restaurants and bars. If you like an international ambience and different styles of food, the restaurants in the old city of Antibes are always open. A must-do in Antibes is a visit to the covered fresh market in the Massena halls, open seven days a week, from 06.00 till 13.00.

Antibes is also home to theme parks like Marineland, founded in 1970. Marineland Antibes brings shows with dolphins, orcas and sea lions and attracts thousands daily. Antibes Land is a big luna park with many attractions, and the big wheel is a central eye-catcher.

For sailing fans, the Voiles d’Antibes is a yearly event in June, when old classic sailing boats are battling for the Cup. A great spectacle to watch from the beaches. The port of Antibes, Port Vauban, is filled with many small, large and giant ships. There is even a particular pier to dock extreme boats up to 150 meters. The Octopus in the picture below (126m) of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is a regular visitor of Port Vauban.

Still, money can’t buy everything; the second largest ship, Eclipse (162 meters) of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was refused to enter Port Vauban because of its size.

Cap d’Antibes

The Cap d’Antibes is where all good things of nature come together. It feels like a small forest, surrounded by azur blue waters. It was for a good reason that one of the best hotels in the world, Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, opened here in 1870. Villas with large private parks, created two centuries ago, are keeping their secrets. The Cap is the place for the happy few that can afford to live here.

Juan Les Pins

Created in 1832 as a seaside resort with a lovely little port called Port Gallice. In the 1920’s Juan Les Pins became famous after the Hotel Les Belles Rives opened. Celebrities like Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Umberto d’Italie and Rudolf Valentine chose Juan Les Pins as their favourite hang-out.

Juan Les Pins has lots of beach clubs where you can hire a sun lounger and enjoy a lovely meal during the day. If you like dining under the stars with your feet in the sand, all Juan Les Pins beach restaurants have their front-line dining tables practically placed on the shore. Nightlife is just one block away with the Eden Casino and party cocktail bars like Pam Pam. Juan Les Pins is the place to enjoy life and party ‘till the next sunrise.

Jazz a Juan
In 1960 the first edition of this world-famous Jazz festival came to life. Since then, it has always been swinging on the Pinede Gold. Famous names like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Domino and Ella Fitzgerald came to Juan Les Pins. Followed by other modern funky, jazzy artists like Diana Krall, Marcus Miller, Hugh Coltman, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau and Selah Sue. Here are three videos from the festival to get an idea of the vibes in 1960, 1970, 2016 and the opening of 2019!

Jazz in Antibes Juan Les Pins 1960 starring Rita Reys and Pim Jacobs

Jazz in Antibes Juan les Pins 1970 starring Aretha Franklin

Jazz in Juan 2019 starring Steve Gadd Band et Georges Benson

Antibes Juan Les Pins is a popular holiday destination equipped with an international jet-set, with a casino, nightclubs and also beaches, which consists of fine-grained sand that is cut in small inlets and is not straight. In the west of the town of Antibes lies Juan Les pins, this area is filled with lots of stone pines where the residents of the town usually go for the promenade or a picnic.

The name Juan Les Pins were given to the town in 1882 and it began to expand during the 1920s. This town is known for its relaxed lifestyle and health resort services, it also opens its doors to all international and European youth who are looking for entertainment and fun.  Juan-les-Pins is also a popular place for cafes, nightclubs, and restaurants, it is truly a place of amusement and celebration.  During the summer, this town turns out to be an entertainment fortress and a place that no one should miss during this period. In 2017, Juan les Pins merged officially with Antibes.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS IN ANTIBES JUAN LES PINS

Cap d’Antibes and Juan-Les-Pin Beaches

The beaches in Antibes Juan les Pins makes it one of the choices of tourist destinations. The beautiful landscape of the Cap d’Antibes peninsula and the coastline of Juan-les-Pins is located in Golfe Juan that stretches between Antibes and Cannes. Juan-les-Pins got its name from the beautiful natural scenery of the many pine groves it has. There are many beachside hotels and some internationally renowned resorts in Cap d’Antibes and Juan-les-Pins. There are lots of beaches in the area, about 13 ranging from large beaches having waterside restaurants to small beaches that are protected. Most of these beaches have shower and toilet facilities while others have parasol rentals and snack bars.

Chemin des Douaniers

As a visitor, you will experience and enjoy the natural breath-taking scenery when you take a stroll along the verdant seafront of the Cap d’Antibes. Starting from the Old Town, these walk directs you to a small Cap d’Antibes at the Villa Eilenroc. You will also enjoy the beauty of the Sentier des Douaniers, a beautiful pathway that is surrounded by landscaped gardens having many flowers of different species.

Fort Carré

On the peninsula of Saint-Roch, the Fort Carré is built on a rock at 26 meters above sea level with a 360-degree panoramic view. Built on the orders of King Henry II of France in the second half of the sixteenth century, this amazing fortress was once used as a sentry post and defensive site for Antibes, the last French port before the border with Nice, which at the time was a threat to Antibes. The Fort Carré is surrounded by four gorgeous hectares of parkland featuring typical Mediterranean flora and fauna. South of the old fort is the Port Vauban harbor.

Vieil Antibes (Old Town)

The old town of Antibes is a wonderful place with beautiful sceneries which one can leisurely explore. It is located in a place known as the Bay of Angels (Baie des Anges). There are lots of boutiques, cafés, gourmet food shops and restaurants along the narrow, winding streets laid with cobblestones. Vieil Antibes with its stone buildings, seaside views, elegant fountains, alleyways draped with bougainvillea, Vieil Antibes passes for an ancient Mediterranean City. The medieval part of the city is always busy on market days where so many items are sold such as flowers, vegetables, and fresh fruits and some other local artifacts and arts. When done with the natural appreciation of the charming ambiance and historical wonder of the town, visitors may take a walk along the ramparts. The wonderful pathways that connect to the old town provide tourists with an exquisite overview of the Mediterranean Sea.

Villa Thuret Botanic Gardens

The Jardin Thuret was developed by a botanist named Gustave Thuret around 1856 and can be found near the Plateau de la Garoupe on the boulevard du Cap in Antibes. It is a five-hectare botanical garden and consists of a wide variety of native plants that easily survive in the climate of the Cap d’Antibes. There are a total of 1,600 species of trees including the Australian eucalyptus tree. Apart from being a tourist attraction center, it serves as a place for scientific research and studies.

Notre Dame de Bon Port la Garoupe

This is a historic pilgrimage chapel that serves as a small sanctuary on Cap d’Antibes plateau. In the Notre Dame de Bon Port la Garoupe, you will be able to find commemorative plaques and frescoes, also a 14th-century icon from Sébastopol is present here.  An interesting Madonna and Child statue created from wood is found in this holy ground, it is something worth seeing.

Having a home in Juan Les Pins, Antibes is a dream come true. There is nothing you would lack because every need is available to all residents of this area. If you need to cool off during the summer, or when you like to ski in the French Alps at 1,20 hours inland then this is the best place for you.