Old ramparts rise straight from the sea at Antibes, and behind them a tight knot of lanes, markets and ochre houses climbs toward a castle on the shore. The town sits between Nice and Cannes on the bay of the same name, facing the snowy line of the Alps on clear winter days, with the long wooded peninsula of Cap d'Antibes to the south and the jazz town of Juan-les-Pins on its western flank.
The Greeks founded a trading post here called Antipolis, and for centuries Antibes was a frontier fortress facing Nice, which belonged to Savoy until 1860. The star-shaped Fort Carré, reworked by Vauban, still guards the entrance to Port Vauban, one of the largest yacht harbours in the Mediterranean, where superyachts line the outer quay. In 1946 Picasso was given rooms in the Château Grimaldi on the seafront to use as a studio, and the works he produced there in a burst of energy now form the heart of the Picasso Museum. The Marché Provençal in the old town is busy every morning with flowers, olives, cheese and socca, the chickpea pancake of the coast.
The ride around Cap d'Antibes is short and lovely, a narrow road past villas, pines and rocky coves, though the traffic in summer can be dreadful. For serious riding you head inland. The Mercantour and Col de Turini rides go northeast, up the Var valley or through Nice and into the mountains, where the hairpins of the Turini are famous from the Monte Carlo Rally. The Verdon ride goes northwest via Grasse, the perfume town, and the Route Napoléon to Castellane and the Gorges du Verdon, where the road follows the rim of a canyon several hundred metres deep before descending to the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix for a swim.
Riding out of Antibes takes patience. The coast is densely built up, the roads are congested for much of the year, and speed cameras are common. Leave early in the morning, especially in July and August, and you will reach the hills before the heat and the crowds.
Fuel, food and services are everywhere in and around Antibes, and the old town is a fine place for an evening meal when you return. Parking for bikes is easier than for cars, but keep valuables with you. A walk along the ramparts at sunset, with the Alps turning pink across the bay, is the right way to end a day.