Antibes

Antibes

Antibes, port town, Alpes-Maritimes département, Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur région, southeastern France, on the eastern side of the Garoupe Peninsula across the Baie des Anges (Bay of the Angels) from Nice.

Originally Antipolis, a Greek trading post established by Phocaeans from Marseille, it became a Roman town, and from 1384 to 1608 it was a fief of the coast-ruling Grimaldi family. The Grimaldi château, much rebuilt over the ages, is now a museum featuring works of Pablo Picasso, who painted there in 1946. There is also an archaeological museum displaying the Grimaldi fossils, remains of prehistoric humans discovered locally.

Juan-les-Pins, with its parasol pines and sand beach, is part of the Antibes commune, which also includes the luxury resort of Cap d’Antibes. Although Antibes was traditionally the centre of the local flower trade, tourism now dominates the local economy. Apart from the attraction of the beaches, the area offers a series of large yachting harbours. The town’s development was also boosted by the growth of Sophia-Antipolis, a neighbouring science park that is one of the largest such parks in France. Pop. (1999) 72,412; (2014 est.) 75,731.