For those planning on spending their holidays in Nice, it might be worth noting that the surrounding area provides some great alternatives to the city centre activities.

The town of Nice is surrounded by picturesque and characteristic villages next to the sea, such as Antibes, Juan les Pins and St. Paul de Vence, ideal for a trip out of town.

Antibes, located about 30 km south of Nice, is a lively and young city. It’s an ideal place for curious tourists and offers a lot of interesting thinks to see, especially in the old part of the town. There are the fortifications along the coast and the old town’s narrow alleys with a myriad of small shops with all sorts of curious objects, small streets with restaurants and coffees…

The Château Grimaldi, home to the princes of Antibes who reigned from 1385 to 1608, was built on the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Antipolis. In 1926, the castle of Antibes was purchased from the town (municipality) and restored to its former glory. Pablo Picasso stayed in Antibes in 1946 and actually ended up staying for 6 months!

The works produced in this period, mostly paintings and ceramics, are now kept in the same castle, and officially became “Picasso Museum” on December 27, 1966. The collection is one of the largest and most important in the world, and includes a total of 245 his works.

The next town, Juan les Pins, is one of the most visited areas of the city, due to the quality of the beaches and the nightlife. There is a beautiful promenade lined with palm trees, along which takes place the annual jazz festival “Jazz in Juan”, in the months of April and May.

There are 48 beaches along the 25 km of coastline in-between Antibes and Juan les Pins, where you’ll be able to find the perfect one for you! There are several small beaches suitable for families, sports and sun lovers.

Most of the best beaches are private, but there are plenty of places to find nice restaurants and rent a bed for the day. The main public beach is Salis, although it tends to be quite crowded.
Antibes can be reached by bus from the Gare St. Augustin and the central bus station of Nice.

If you are thinking of organizing a holiday in Nice, because of the cost of the hotels, a good idea is to rent one of the many appartamenti Nizza and alloggi Nizza available for holidays and short periods.