Earlier this month we left Paris behind for three full days on the Côte d’Azur. To say it was heavenly would be an understatement. I’ve already booked a trip back and I’m planning on doing a lot of the same things, with a few additions which I will also share. Read on to discover our full three day Antibes itinerary including the other towns we visited, what we did and where we ate.
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How to Get to Antibes
When going to Antibes and most places along the Côte d’Azur from Paris you have three options on how to get there:
- Drive – but that takes about nine hours. So unless you want to stop in different places along the way or have a specific car with you I wouldn’t recommend it.
- Train – the fastest, direct train from Paris to Nice takes about six hours. Traveling by train in France is generally pretty relaxing and can be scenic (although you’re usually going so fast that it’s hard to really take in the view). You don’t have to arrive at the train station that early compared to an airport, the train stations are all in central Paris, and there aren’t any security lines. If this is the kind of experience you’re looking for, taking a train is a good option. Personally, I like to fly.
- Plane – if you can leave from Orly, the smaller (and closer) airport south of Paris I recommend flying. We left extra early at 7:00 am for a 9:35 am flight, landed in Nice at 11:00 am, and by 11:30 am were in the rental car with our checked bags. It was so easy.
We rented a car for our trip. Unless you’re staying at a hotel that is within walking distance of different restaurants and activities, have tours or transfers lined up (which I can help with), or think you’re rarely going to want to leave the hotel I recommend renting a car. This will give you the flexibility to explore different places along the Côte d’Azur, which is so much fun. Don’t rent a big car – as small as possible is better for parking and small streets.
Three Day Antibes Itinerary: Day One
After landing in Nice we picked up the car and headed to Villa Kérylos. If you love interiors or any sort of “house museum” this is a great place to visit. It’s small and a relatively quick visit.
Afterwards we went to the Villa & Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild which in my opinion is in need of some major TLC. The paint is chipping away on the exterior, the crystal glasses they had displayed on a table were filled with dust, and the water in the pond looked pretty dirty and green. They were also setting up for a wedding or event so it kind of took away from the whole experience. The garden was still very beautiful and it offers great views of the surrounding areas, but must admit I experienced a little bit of “Instagram versus reality” disappointment.
Lunch was at Le Plongeoir in Nice. I don’t think I’ve ever received more questions about a place on Instagram ever. I tried to make a reservation well in advance, but we were still waitlisted. In order to book we had to give a credit card and agree to a 50€ per person minimum charge. We finally got in about a day before we arrived and I think we probably had the worst table in the entire restaurant. The food was fine, but there weren’t a ton of choices and in order to hit their minimum we had to order an entrée and a plat each. Not a place I need to go back to.
We then drove to Antibes and checked into the house we rented.
I had our entire time planned except for whatever reason I decided to skip making dinner reservations. Everything eded up working out because we didn’t go during a super busy time, but next time I’ll have things booked in advance. We wanted to eat by the water and Cap Riviera in the neighboring Juan-les-Pins had availability. Because they had a cancellation we got lucky with a table right by the window. The service was very friendly and I would go back again. It was just a good friendly, low-key spot. There are lots of restaurants along the beach in Juan-les-Pins that are open for both lunch and dinner.
Three Day Antibes Itinerary: Day Two
In the morning I went into Old Antibes. Croissants and pain au chocolats were calling, and I also wanted to see Le Marché Provençal, which is open daily besides Mondays. I highly recommend walking around in the morning before crowds arrive if you can, it was such a charming experience.
I went to Boulangerie Veziano and got croissants and a Pissaladière, which is like an oniony pizza and is a local speciality. After you’ve eaten a croissant in Normandy (land of butter), it’s hard to expect something on the Côte d’Azur (land of olive oil) to compare. I don’t eat croissants every day and to me this one wasn’t “worth it,” but it’s a sweet little boulangerie that appears to have been around for a while.
I took a spin around the entire market and bought some different salts and spices both for myself and to give as gifts, as well as some Mara des Bois strawberries.
We reserved beach loungers at Plage Keller for the day and also had a lunch reservation at their beach restaurant. After getting settled in our loungers we decided to just order food to the loungers, which was perfect. The service again was so friendly and efficient. We swam a little bit but the water was still a little chilly in early June.
Dinner was in Old Antibes at Chez Jules which ended up being another favorite. The recipes came from Jules’ grandmother and all of the produce is local. We split an entrée sampler with local tomatoes, petits farcis which are stuffed vegetables (another local specialty), and calamari. I think next time I would get tomatoes with burrata and petits farcis because I’m not a huge calamari person. Plats were the beef tetaki and gnocchi with daube – both delicious. Another highlight was the lemon tiramisu for dessert.
Romain flew in from Paris this night, so we were walking around trying to find a place where we could get him something to-go. While looking we saw Gelateria del Porto, a gelato shop with handmade gelatos and had to try. No regrets. Apparently Pizza & Co is by far the best pizza in Antibes. The size of the line seemed to back that up. We got Romain’s pizza from Ponzo, which is apparently the second best.
Three Day Antibes Itinerary: Day Three
I was first up again and went back to the Old Town for coffee, croissants, and another market visit. I got a coffee from the Nomads Specialty Coffee truck in the port and was off.
Next up was more spices from the market – I couldn’t resist. Romain called me a tourist, which isn’t false. But I’m happy with my purchases and I’ve already used them a lot. The spice lady was chatty, so I asked where I could find the best fruits and vegetables. I bought more Mara de Bois strawberries, but this time from Antibes proper. The vendor told me to make sure to eat them that same day, which wasn’t going to be a problem.
As I was walking for croissants I passed Fromagerie de l’Etable. I bought one of their homemade Antibois Chèvre Frais à la Tapenade cheeses, a light goat cheese stuffed with tapenade. On the way to the boulangerie I planned on trying, I saw a big line of French people outside Le Boulanger des Gourmets. Usually the combination of a line plus French people equals an excellent boulangerie, but I was personally underwhelmed. I needed another coffee so this time stopped in the physical Nomads shop, which was adorable.
The boys were awake when I got back. We filled up on strawberries and croissants and went on a walk along the sea wall back into town. There was plenty of beautiful scenery and villas – the group favorite being Villa Bacon.
Lunch was at Eden-Roc Grill. I’m not going to sugar coat this – the service and setting is incredible, but other than the signature raspberry pastry, the food left a lot to be desired. We started with the crushed avocado with Piment d’Espelette (guacamole), artichoke with a mustard vinaigrette, and tuna tetaki. My brother and I both had club sandwiches and Romain had a chicken Ceasar salad. It was a big club sandwich week for me and my brother (we had one at Hôtel Costes in Paris, one on the beach at Plage Keller and our third here). Eden-Roc Grill’s sandwich came in last place for me.
We didn’t reserve beach chairs again at Plage Keller (mistake) so we set out for Plage des Ondes. It was really pretty, but crowded and I needed an umbrella to protect me from the sun. Next we went to check out Baie des Milliardaires (Billionaires Bay Beach). It was a little bit of a hike and seemed to be more of the “party” spot. Baie des Milliardaires is rocky, so bring the right shoes and water shoes if you want to swim. At both beaches bring everything you need for the day because there isn’t any sort of restaurant or café nearby.
We came back to the house for apéro before our final dinner on the beach at Plage Keller again. It was an absolutely gorgeous night and the perfect way to end the trip. The cocktails were all delicious. I had the catch of the day with artichoke ravioli and loved it.
What I Want To Do On the Next Trip:
As I mentioned before, we’ve already booked a return trip to Antibes. I will be repeating a lot of these same places – for sure Plage Keller and Chez Jules. Since we’ll be there for a longer time I also think we’ll probably cook at home more. The produce at the market is gorgeous and too tempting to pass up. I could also see us getting pizzas from Pizza & Co and bringing them home.
On our way back to the airport we picked up one last croissant from Au Palais de la Friandise. This croissant blew the others out of the water and will be my exclusive Antibes boulangerie from here on out. Other places that I want to try include:
- Mamo Michelangelo
- Lunch at the Belles Rives Beach
- The lunch buffet at Eden-Roc Restaurant
- Some sort of boating activity. I definitely want to be on the water. I think it would be really fun to go back to Île Sainte-Marguerite and have lunch at La Guérite
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How to Get to Antibes
When going to Antibes and most places along the Côte d’Azur from Paris you have three options on how to get there:
- Drive – but that takes about nine hours. So unless you want to stop in different places along the way or have a specific car with you I wouldn’t recommend it.
- Train – the fastest, direct train from Paris to Nice takes about six hours. Traveling by train in France is generally pretty relaxing and can be scenic (although you’re usually going so fast that it’s hard to really take in the view). You don’t have to arrive at the train station that early compared to an airport, the train stations are all in central Paris, and there aren’t any security lines. If this is the kind of experience you’re looking for, taking a train is a good option. Personally, I like to fly.
- Plane – if you can leave from Orly, the smaller (and closer) airport south of Paris I recommend flying. We left extra early at 7:00 am for a 9:35 am flight, landed in Nice at 11:00 am, and by 11:30 am were in the rental car with our checked bags. It was so easy.
We rented a car for our trip. Unless you’re staying at a hotel that is within walking distance of different restaurants and activities, have tours or transfers lined up (which I can help with), or think you’re rarely going to want to leave the hotel I recommend renting a car. This will give you the flexibility to explore different places along the Côte d’Azur, which is so much fun. Don’t rent a big car – as small as possible is better for parking and small streets.
Three Day Antibes Itinerary: Day One
After landing in Nice we picked up the car and headed to Villa Kérylos. If you love interiors or any sort of “house museum” this is a great place to visit. It’s small and a relatively quick visit.
Afterwards we went to the Villa & Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild which in my opinion is in need of some major TLC. The paint is chipping away on the exterior, the crystal glasses they had displayed on a table were filled with dust, and the water in the pond looked pretty dirty and green. They were also setting up for a wedding or event so it kind of took away from the whole experience. The garden was still very beautiful and it offers great views of the surrounding areas, but must admit I experienced a little bit of “Instagram versus reality” disappointment.
Lunch was at Le Plongeoir in Nice. I don’t think I’ve ever received more questions about a place on Instagram ever. I tried to make a reservation well in advance, but we were still waitlisted. In order to book we had to give a credit card and agree to a 50€ per person minimum charge. We finally got in about a day before we arrived and I think we probably had the worst table in the entire restaurant. The food was fine, but there weren’t a ton of choices and in order to hit their minimum we had to order an entrée and a plat each. Not a place I need to go back to.
We then drove to Antibes and checked into the house we rented.
I had our entire time planned except for whatever reason I decided to skip making dinner reservations. Everything eded up working out because we didn’t go during a super busy time, but next time I’ll have things booked in advance. We wanted to eat by the water and Cap Riviera in the neighboring Juan-les-Pins had availability. Because they had a cancellation we got lucky with a table right by the window. The service was very friendly and I would go back again. It was just a good friendly, low-key spot. There are lots of restaurants along the beach in Juan-les-Pins that are open for both lunch and dinner.
Three Day Antibes Itinerary: Day Two
In the morning I went into Old Antibes. Croissants and pain au chocolats were calling, and I also wanted to see Le Marché Provençal, which is open daily besides Mondays. I highly recommend walking around in the morning before crowds arrive if you can, it was such a charming experience.
I went to Boulangerie Veziano and got croissants and a Pissaladière, which is like an oniony pizza and is a local speciality. After you’ve eaten a croissant in Normandy (land of butter), it’s hard to expect something on the Côte d’Azur (land of olive oil) to compare. I don’t eat croissants every day and to me this one wasn’t “worth it,” but it’s a sweet little boulangerie that appears to have been around for a while.
I took a spin around the entire market and bought some different salts and spices both for myself and to give as gifts, as well as some Mara des Bois strawberries.
We reserved beach loungers at Plage Keller for the day and also had a lunch reservation at their beach restaurant. After getting settled in our loungers we decided to just order food to the loungers, which was perfect. The service again was so friendly and efficient. We swam a little bit but the water was still a little chilly in early June.
Dinner was in Old Antibes at Chez Jules which ended up being another favorite. The recipes came from Jules’ grandmother and all of the produce is local. We split an entrée sampler with local tomatoes, petits farcis which are stuffed vegetables (another local specialty), and calamari. I think next time I would get tomatoes with burrata and petits farcis because I’m not a huge calamari person. Plats were the beef tetaki and gnocchi with daube – both delicious. Another highlight was the lemon tiramisu for dessert.
Romain flew in from Paris this night, so we were walking around trying to find a place where we could get him something to-go. While looking we saw Gelateria del Porto, a gelato shop with handmade gelatos and had to try. No regrets. Apparently Pizza & Co is by far the best pizza in Antibes. The size of the line seemed to back that up. We got Romain’s pizza from Ponzo, which is apparently the second best.
Three Day Antibes Itinerary: Day Three
I was first up again and went back to the Old Town for coffee, croissants, and another market visit. I got a coffee from the Nomads Specialty Coffee truck in the port and was off.
Next up was more spices from the market – I couldn’t resist. Romain called me a tourist, which isn’t false. But I’m happy with my purchases and I’ve already used them a lot. The spice lady was chatty, so I asked where I could find the best fruits and vegetables. I bought more Mara de Bois strawberries, but this time from Antibes proper. The vendor told me to make sure to eat them that same day, which wasn’t going to be a problem.
As I was walking for croissants I passed Fromagerie de l’Etable. I bought one of their homemade Antibois Chèvre Frais à la Tapenade cheeses, a light goat cheese stuffed with tapenade. On the way to the boulangerie I planned on trying, I saw a big line of French people outside Le Boulanger des Gourmets. Usually the combination of a line plus French people equals an excellent boulangerie, but I was personally underwhelmed. I needed another coffee so this time stopped in the physical Nomads shop, which was adorable.
The boys were awake when I got back. We filled up on strawberries and croissants and went on a walk along the sea wall back into town. There was plenty of beautiful scenery and villas – the group favorite being Villa Bacon.
Lunch was at Eden-Roc Grill. I’m not going to sugar coat this – the service and setting is incredible, but other than the signature raspberry pastry, the food left a lot to be desired. We started with the crushed avocado with Piment d’Espelette (guacamole), artichoke with a mustard vinaigrette, and tuna tetaki. My brother and I both had club sandwiches and Romain had a chicken Ceasar salad. It was a big club sandwich week for me and my brother (we had one at Hôtel Costes in Paris, one on the beach at Plage Keller and our third here). Eden-Roc Grill’s sandwich came in last place for me.
We didn’t reserve beach chairs again at Plage Keller (mistake) so we set out for Plage des Ondes. It was really pretty, but crowded and I needed an umbrella to protect me from the sun. Next we went to check out Baie des Milliardaires (Billionaires Bay Beach). It was a little bit of a hike and seemed to be more of the “party” spot. Baie des Milliardaires is rocky, so bring the right shoes and water shoes if you want to swim. At both beaches bring everything you need for the day because there isn’t any sort of restaurant or café nearby.
We came back to the house for apéro before our final dinner on the beach at Plage Keller again. It was an absolutely gorgeous night and the perfect way to end the trip. The cocktails were all delicious. I had the catch of the day with artichoke ravioli and loved it.
What I Want To Do On the Next Trip:
As I mentioned before, we’ve already booked a return trip to Antibes. I will be repeating a lot of these same places – for sure Plage Keller and Chez Jules. Since we’ll be there for a longer time I also think we’ll probably cook at home more. The produce at the market is gorgeous and too tempting to pass up. I could also see us getting pizzas from Pizza & Co and bringing them home.
On our way back to the airport we picked up one last croissant from Au Palais de la Friandise. This croissant blew the others out of the water and will be my exclusive Antibes boulangerie from here on out. Other places that I want to try include:
- Mamo Michelangelo
- Lunch at the Belles Rives Beach
- The lunch buffet at Eden-Roc Restaurant
- Some sort of boating activity. I definitely want to be on the water. I think it would be really fun to go back to Île Sainte-Marguerite and have lunch at La Guérite
