Antibes

The old town, Port Vauban and the Cap d'Antibes coastal path

Antibes divides naturally into the old town and the cape, a day each. On day one, visit the Marché Provençal, Le Safranier and the Picasso Museum in the Château Grimaldi, then walk Port Vauban to Fort Carré. On day two, climb to the Garoupe lighthouse and walk the Sentier du Littoral around the Cap d'Antibes, about two hours.

Day one, morning. Go early to the Marché Provençal on Cours Masséna, before the tour groups, and buy fruit, cheese and a slice of warm socca for breakfast. From the market, wander the lanes of Le Safranier, the old fishermen's quarter with its flowerpots and tiny squares, then climb to the Château Grimaldi for the Picasso Museum and its terrace of sculptures above the sea.

Day one, afternoon. Follow the ramparts south to the Bastion Saint-André and its small archaeology museum, swim at La Salis or La Gravette, and then walk the length of Port Vauban, past the superyachts on the outer quay, to the star-shaped Fort Carré.

Day one, evening. Watch the sun drop behind Nomade at the harbour mouth, then eat in the old town.

Day two, morning. Start early on the Cap d'Antibes. Climb to the Garoupe lighthouse and its chapel for the view to the Alps on clear winter days, then walk the Sentier du Littoral around the tip of the cape, about two hours of rocks, steps and wind-bent pines.

Day two, afternoon. Recover at Plage de la Garoupe, or visit the Jardin Thuret botanical garden, then cross to Juan-les-Pins in time for a drink by the pines. In July, book a Jazz à Juan concert for the night.

Socca, pissaladière and the Marché Provençal in Antibes

The cheapest good lunch in Antibes is socca, a chickpea pancake sold hot at the Marché Provençal on Cours Masséna. Pissaladière and pan bagnat are the other snacks, and petits farcis and daube appear at dinner. The streets around the market have the most small restaurants. Drink Provence rosé or Bellet from the hills above Nice.

The cooking here belongs to the Nice side of Provence, all olive oil, chickpeas and vegetables. The cheapest and best lunch in town is socca, a thin chickpea pancake baked in a wood oven, peppered and eaten with your fingers; a stand at the Marché Provençal sells it hot. Look also for pissaladière, a bread base topped with slow-cooked onions, anchovies and black olives, and pan bagnat, a round roll packed with tuna, egg and raw vegetables, which is what locals take to the beach.

At dinner, Provençal menus offer petits farcis, small vegetables stuffed with meat and herbs, daube, beef braised in red wine, and plenty of grilled fish and squid. Sweet tourte de blettes, a Swiss chard pie with raisins and pine nuts, is a curiosity worth trying from a bakery.

The market itself runs every morning except Monday outside summer, and in the afternoons the hall fills with craft stalls. The streets around it, Rue James Close and the lanes towards the cathedral, have the densest choice of small restaurants. Port-side terraces trade food for views, and Juan-les-Pins is better for a late dinner than a good one. Wash it down with a pale rosé from Provence or a glass of Bellet, the tiny appellation in the hills above Nice.

Jazz à Juan, Les Voiles d'Antibes and the weather

Swimming weather without a crowded coastal path comes to Antibes in late May and June, and again in September. Summers reach 29 to 30C with little rain, and October and November are the wettest months. Les Voiles d'Antibes comes in early June and Jazz à Juan in July.

Summers are hot and close to rainless. July and August average highs of about 29 to 30C with nights near 19C, and July sees only around 17 mm of rain. The sea is warmest in August and September. Then the weather turns: October and November are the wettest months by far, with 130 to 160 mm each, often in sudden Mediterranean downpours that can close the coastal path. Winters stay mild, with January highs of about 14C, and clear cold days give long views across the bay to the snowy Alps.

The calendar is built around the water. In early June, Les Voiles d'Antibes brings classic wooden sailing yachts to Port Vauban for a week of racing, and the quays fill with spectators. July belongs to Jazz à Juan, one of Europe's oldest jazz festivals, staged in the Pinède Gould by the beach since the 1960s, with crowds for big names and nightly off-festival concerts in town. August is peak season, when Juan-les-Pins stays up all night and every road into town is jammed.

For most visitors the sweet spot is late May, June or September: warm enough to swim, the market at its most colourful, and room to walk the Sentier du Littoral. In winter, the old town carries on its normal life, and the Picasso Museum is quiet enough to enjoy at leisure.