Antibes

For the most wonderful view, walk up to la Garoupe lighthouse. Tucked away in the verdant greenery of Cap d'Antibes, the lighthouse is next to Notre Dame Chapel, the sailors' church.

The Cap has been inhabited for 150 years. During the 19th and 20th century it became more developed as luxury hotels were built, and the rich and famous discovered it and built their sumptuous villas there.

Stop off at the Napoleonic Museum, then walk to Juan-les-Pins, passing the small Olivette harbour where the small, traditional, wooden sailing boats are moored.

The internationally renowned Juan-les-Pins, famous for its jazz festival and beach resort, a swimmers' paradise during the day and nightclubbers' heaven at night. A great place to go with friends.

Contrary to appearances, Juan-les-Pins has developed its own personality since 1920 when it began to grow, a growth initiated by the wealthy American Frank Jay Gould. Since that time many famous stars have visited the resort: Sydney Bechet, Mistinguett, Marlene Dietrich, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Claude François, and Johnny Halliday when he was an up-and-coming star.

After a stroll around the town, return to Antibes up boulevard Wilson, and stop to admire the architecture of the Grand Hotel in place de Gaulle, a souvenir of the Belle Epoque.

Antibes Juan-les-Pins is a forward-looking town that nevertheless keeps up local traditions that are integral to daily life in the town.

Everyone is welcome to come along to see and experience these religious and pagan celebrations that have endured through the centuries.

June

• Battle of the flowers

The traditional battle of the flowers is organised by Friends of Old Antibes and local associations take part with their very inventive creations: Amicale of Antibois, Cyrnos, Saint Marie School, Antibes Kurnis, the autonomous commune of Safranier, ASOA, Amicale 48, Association of pieds noirs and families …

A parade of flowers with glorious decorated floats and plenty of humour, interspersed with music by brass bands and groups from around the world.

• Festival of Saint John

Legend has it (or is it only a legend) that couples who jump over the flames of the fire of Saint John will be married within the year.
Wishes come true on this magic night, as shooting stars fall from the heavens.
A refreshment van is available all evening for snacks and drinks.

July

• Festival of Saint Peter

Saint Peter is the well-known patron saint of fishermen, and each year they organise a festival in his honour. Ten men carry his statue, with silver fishes hanging round his neck, from its usual resting place in the cathedral to the port, accompanied by fife and drum.
There are many events which accompany this celebration.

• Festival of Notre Dame de Bon Port

Since 1016, barefooted sailors have carried the statue of Notre Dame de Bon Port to the cathedral on the first Thursday of July and returned her to her sanctuary the following Sunday, by the chemin de Calvaire.

Services, sermons, songs of the sea, concerts and the fire of joy accompany this event that is dear to the hearts of residents of Antibes.


September

• Grape-pressing festival

In September, the autonomous commune of Safranier stages a grape-pressing festival. Led by chief magistrate Joseph Marcona aka “Zézé” and president Peter Thybaud, residents and tourists gather around the barrel and press to watch the bottling of the precious potion pressed from grapes grown on trellises in the commune.

An event which grows in popularity each year, which surprises visitors stumbling on a grape-pressing in the heart of town for the first time.

November

• Chestnut festival

To combat the first nip in the air, friends of the autonomous commune of Safranier invite everyone with a sweet tooth to come along and eat piping hot roasted chestnuts washed down with mulled wine in the tiny Safranier square.
Not to be missed at any cost!

December

• The Christmas log

The autonomous commune of Safranier holds a traditional Christmas log festival every year. Some forty families bake the giant 10 metre long cake, which is rolled and iced and decorated with butter cream. Appreciative visitors, their numbers growing each year, are given a slice of log and mulled wine or hot chocolate for the children. The Safranier chorale provide the music and songs, singing Provençal and Italian numbers with everyone joining in the chorus. A wonderful get-together for residents of the commune and everyone in the town, where visitors mingle with them all at this very special traditional festival each year.

In the style of Provencal gardens of the 18th century, there is a maze with sculpted hedges where you can amuse yourself for a while, wandering at will.

Further on, Islamic gardens are featured, with an orange grove where the ground is patterned with terracotta irrigation pipes similar to those in the celebrated Seville Cathedral in Spain.

The vegetable gardens and orchards in the Arsat are planted in hollows as in Morocco, to protect them from the sun and maximise shadow and humidity. There is a representation of a Moroccan house with a square courtyard and pond within, with plants and ornamental pots.

The kiosk, with its attractive blue varnished roof pays hommage to the painter MAJORELLE, creator of the beautiful blue garden in Marrakesh. This completes this part of the park.

In another area, the winter garden contains plants that flower in winter, such as mimosa and camellias, but naturally can only be seen at that time.

The Rotunda pays hommage to Ferdinand BAC, man of letters and keen garden designer who created the wonderful garden in Columbières in Menton. The Latin inscription on the obelisk means: “Many gardens on the point of dying, are resurrected”.

From the Rotunda, the mall lined with lime trees is the popular Provencal style of avenue, such as the well-known Cours Mirabeau in Aix en Provence or Cours Saleya in Nice.

Finally there is the atrium, where the peristyle and Pompeii garden are reminiscent of an ancient Roman villa and garden, inspired by the writings of Pline of Jeune, used as a historic and botanic reference today. At the other end of the park, in contrast to this ancient area is a cool room, in true Provencal tradition, which gives access to the sea.

In 1857, Gustave Thuret discovered the wonderful, unspoilt Cap d'Antibes and bought five hectares of land where he built a villa and began the creation of a glorious park.

Bequeathed to the state by his heirs, the property is now managed by the INRA (National Institute of Agronomin Research).

The superb collection of trees and exotic plants, and the rich earth, provide many opportunities for learning, and the cross-fertilisation of plant species that grow on the meditteranean coast.