France | Charming Antibes: Art, Ancient Walled Town, Azure Coastline

Antibes is a seaside town on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur) where we really liked during our trip in the south of France. It is full of charming elements: Art, ancient walled town, and azure coastline.

Antibes, France | photo by the author

Antibes has a rich history dating back to ancient Greece, over 2000 years of history. It is one of the oldest seaports in Europe. The town is rich in precious historical monuments. We love the charm of Antibes by walking through the alleys of the old town, visiting the museum (Musée Peynet et du Dessin Humoristique), and strolling the historic ramparts along the beautiful coastline.

Antibes Old Town | photo by the author

It was pleasant to stroll in the old town of Antibes. The streets and squares were bright and colorful, embellishing by flowers and buntings. There were many Provencal-style shops, bookstores, cafes, and restaurants in the old town. The shops had a variety of cultural and creative products. We spent a while in the bookstore, Antibes Books, and bought many beautiful painting style postcards.

Antibes Books | photo by the author

Beautiful painting style postcards, Antibes Books | photo by the author

Antibes Old Town | photo by the author

The museum, Musée Peynet et du Dessin Humoristique, is one of our favorite spots in Antibes. Raymond Peynet (1908–1999) was a French cartoonist and illustrator, who is known for having created the couple of lovers in 1942. The museum boasts a diverse array of Peynet’s artworks, including drawings, paintings, posters, ceramics, dolls, etc.

Musée Peynet et du Dessin Humoristique | photo by the author

We spent over an hour at the Musée Peynet, appreciating every lovely creation. Although the works were written in French, which we did not understand, we could also guess the meaning through Peynet’s detailed illustration. Each artwork is very cute and interesting. The museum is located near the Place Nationale, where is convenient to reach.

Musée Peynet et du Dessin Humoristique | photo by the author

Musée Peynet et du Dessin Humoristique | photo by the author

We were fascinated to walk along the historic ramparts by the beautiful coastline, admiring the azure sea view and the ancient city. The castle by the coastline is the Musée Picasso, one of famous attractions in Antibes. The museum collects Picasso’s art pieces that Picasso created during his stay in Antibes. Due to limited time on our trip day, we did not visit the Musée Picasso; we would like to visit it next time!

Azure sea view in Antibes | photo by the author

Antibes, France | photo by the author

Antibes port | photo by the author

[embed]Travel video: Antibes, YouTube Shorts | video created by the author

The next article would be about our trip to a medieval village full of artistic atmosphere on the French Riviera, Saint-Paul de Vence.