DESCRIPTION

The second largest town in the department in terms of population size, the commune of Antibes is renowned for its jazz festival and the great artists who have lived there, such as Picasso. The ramparts run parallel to the old city and Fort Carré stands as testament to its past as a garrison town. Today, Antibes continues to be a dynamic city. Many historic buildings echo its fascinating history and development. Amongst other noteworthy edifices, there is the Château Grimaldi (Grimaldi Castle), now converted into a modern art museum (Picasso Museum), and the Tours Sarrasines (Saracen Towers), the cathedral, the Fort Carré (Square Fort), and Port Vauban, which is one of the largest in Europe... Antibes is also one of the first cities to acquire the European "Blue Flag" eco-label award. Nearby, the seaside resort of Juan-les-Pins conceals little coves and wonderful fine sandy beaches.

HISTORY

Enriched by the history of three millennia, Antibes has always been a preferred location for the various folk who settled there. In the Fifth Century, Greek sailors landed and founded "Antipolis". The "city opposite" swiftly became an important port and essential stopover point for sea trade, particularly because of its location opposite Corsica. Bearing the brunt of many attacks, the city decided to enlist protection by placing itself under the Roman aegis, as is demonstrated by this civilisation’s ruins. The city continued to experience strong growth in the Nineteenth Century.

Juan-les-Pins :
Even though Antibes is distinct from Juan-les-Pins, the two towns remain closely linked. It was the Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria, who brought about the creation of Juan-les-Pins in 1880. At the time, Juan-les-Pins was a pine forest lined with large fine sandy beaches. This seaside resort is tied with the city of Antibes. In 1920, the American, Frank Jay Gould, invested considerably into its development. He invited many personalities, such as André Gide, Cocteau and Chaplin, et al. In 1960, Antibes Juan-les-Pins held its first jazz festival. Its fame was such that the greatest artists made the trip there: Armstrong, Ray Charles, Georges Benson, Hancock, Keith Jarret, Al Jarreau, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sydney Bechet, et al.

ENTERTAINMENT

The name of the town cannot be separated from what is mainly responsible for making its reputation: jazz. From 1925, in the Roaring Twenties, hot on the heels of American tourists and to the sound of the first Charlestons, jazz moved into Juan for good. After the Second World War, unsurprisingly Juan became the Mecca for the greatest names in jazz and every year was host to Sydney Bechet (he got married there in 1951), and also Claude Luther, Lionel Hampton, and the great Ella Fitzgerald. Then, in 1960, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stéphane Grappelli, more recently, Michel Petrucciani and many others have made Juan-les-Pins pulsate with their crazy beats. Throughout the month of July, the international jazz festival or "Jazz à Juan" attracts fans from all over the world. A frenzy of night entertainment flourishes around the festival; improvised concerts by small unknown bands; an entire movement immersed in jazz; a gathering of musicians and artists who fervently share in this get-together which is one of its kind in the world.

Apart from the jazz festival, Antibes is also the setting for several other big events, such as «Musique au cœur» featuring the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, a large magic gala «La Colombe d’or» and the famous theatre and music festival, Le Festival Nuits Carrées which is held in the Fort Carré amphitheatre.

WALKS

One walk which is particularly well-liked in Antibes is certainly "La Route des Peintres" (Artists’ Circuit). As with many towns on the Côte d’Azur, Antibes Juan-les-Pins is closely connected with Art. This town is very popular amongst artists and has welcomed names famous in the art scene, many of whom have immortalised the town on canvas. Antibes Tourist Office suggests taking this walk in order to discover the town through the works of great painters. Lecterns set alongside the route show paintings by Picasso, Monet, Boudin and Peynet... Such a "Route des Peintres" is offered by ten other towns..

ARTS AND CRAFTS - INDUSTRY

The City of Antibes has given its original name of "Antipolis" to the technopole Sophia Antipolis. This industrial park specialises in new technologies in a similar way to Silicon Valley in the United States. Founded in 1984 by Pierre Laffite, this technological park sets a benchmark for Europe.

SHOPS

The small alleys of the old city are filled with little shops. There is also a Provencal market...

LEISURE

The City of Antibes Juan-les-Pins is home to several unmissable museums. Amongst these is the Picasso Museum housed in the Grimaldi Castle in the very same place as the artist stayed and worked. After having long been under renovation, the museum reopened in July, 2008.. The Archaeology Museum sheds light on the significant Roman ruins of the city. There are also the following: Peynet Museum, the "musée de la Tour" (Tower Museum) and la Chapelle de Notre Dame de la Pinède (the Chapel of Our Lady of Pinède).
Gambling enthusiasts can visit Eden Casino.
In addition, there are many amusement parks such as Antibes Land and the Marineland complex. The latter combines Aquasplash, Adventure Golf, la Ferme du Far West (Far West Farm) and Marineland, one of the largest marine parks in Europe. There is also a naval museum, musée de la Marine.

RESTAURANTS

There are all sorts of restaurants to suit all sizes of wallet, with many seafood specialities.

SPORTS

Antibes gives you the opportunity of taking part in all kinds of sport. Golf is one of the most widely available, as is demonstrated by the amount of golf courses. Similarly, water sports are an integral part of the city’s activities.

PARKS

Exflora Park in Juan-les-Pins is located between the districts of Antibes and Golfe-Juan. This very beautiful five-hectare park was designed by the architect-landscape gardener, Alain Goudot, who combined several gardens of different style side-by-side, inspired by Roman, Moorish, Provencal, Tuscan and Greek designs. There are century-old trees, olive, plane, cypress, and parasol pines. The Italian Renaissance is conjured up by an open air theatre bordered by arcades; a small maze leads to a panoramic viewpoint from which you can admire the sea. You can “visit” a part of Spain by walking through a Hispano-Moorish orange grove; then a Moroccan palm grove with a blue-tiled kiosk where you can rest in the shade. You can experience a real journey in miniature.

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS

Antibes is located between Cannes and Nice the Alpes-Maritimes, near Biot and Vallauris – Golfe-Juan.

Par les airs :
Juan-les-Pins is located 12 kms from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and 20 kms from Cannes-Mandelieu aerodrome.
By road :
- A8 "La Provençale" motorway, Antibes exit.
- Route Nationale 7 (trunk road).
By train :
SNCF station: Juan-les-Pins

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