Places similar to Antibes?

[Polkadotpie]

Currently on holiday in the South of France and we absolutely love it. Last year we stationed ourselves in Nice and following recommendations on here, this year we spent 3 nights in Menton and are spending 6 nights in Antibes.

This holiday isn’t even over yet and I’m already thinking of next years holiday. Out of all the towns/villages we have visited in the south of France Antibes is our favourite. We love the busy side streets, the market, the historic buildings, the beach (also the beach in Juan Les Pins) and we like that other resorts are so easily accessible by train.

With this in mind, what other resorts might we enjoy? We love the beach so it must be coastal. I’m fed up of package holidays and this is the first holiday in years that we have truly loved, as well as last year

Ah we adored Antibes last year and the beach on the southern side looking towards the old town was amazing. We were determined to go back this year but couldn’t find any suitable accommodation for our dates, and then ended up in Corsica, where the beaches are truly amazing…there are some nice towns too - Porto Vecchio, Bonifacio (on a cliff top!) - and incredible scenery. Nowhere quite as glitzy and as built-up as the French Riviera, but it terms of beaches… incredible.

Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll definitely look in to them! We had actually considered adding Corsica on to this trip but I’m glad we didn’t as we adore Antibes and can try Corsica another time.

Our air bnb is more or less next to that beach. It’s a stunning location!

I've really liked the look of Antibes, where are you staying?

Ste Maxime / St Tropez are lovely (if not cheap) but no train. I too love Antibes/Juan Les Pins. Villefranche Sur Mer is nice - but tiny beach. I would recommend travelling along into Italy. Loano has a fab beach and lovely old town. Or we stayed in Sestri Levante last year - 2 beaches (though maybe not up to JLP standard) but gorgeous scenery and easy to get train up and down the coast to the Cinque Terre villages and Portofino. Portovenere and Lerici are also beautiful but you'd need a car. As PP mentioned - Bonifacio is stunning.

This year we have been to Ischia - which I would highly recommend. And in September - Ortigia / Taormina in Sicily.

Came on to say Taormina and I’ve been beaten to it!

Ortigia/Syracusa seems to be very Antibes like, loads of history - v small beach area though. I am looking forward to it.

I am like a one woman tourist board for the place but I think you'd love Sete.

It is a beautiful town between the sea and an enclosed lagoon. The town straddles a number of canals.

There are a number of lovely sandy beaches about 3KM from the town (an easy walk or short bus ride).

The town itself is lively as it is a working fishing port that also hosts a number of music and cultural events over the summer - including the always entertaining water jousting.

It is near Montpelier and a little more gutsy and rough and ready than the resorts near Nice - but none the worse for it. It is not too far from the Spanish border and with waves of Italian immigration to work in the port it has its own distinctive culture.

@Ginmonkeyagain just googled Sete and it looks great! I’ve visited the east/south east of France extensively (also loved Antibes!) as my mum and dad have a holiday home in Provence but we haven’t ventured west much at all. How long would you suggest staying there for?

I reckon a week. The town is fairly small but there are a few museums and galleries. It is well connected by public transport (buses and trains) so you can visit nearby towns and villages - Montpelier is jsut 20 mins away by train.

We like to take it easy and just follow the rythmn of the town

There are a lot of beach resorts nearby if you are more beach minded.

Thanks!

Biarritz? Or the towns nearby. San Sebastián is a lovely town/city with a great beach too.

Thanks for all your recommendations, I’ll certainly have a look. Are there any towns in Croatia that would fit what I’m after? Or even Portugal? We just love the feel of the old town at night, then having the nice beaches and cafes etc during the day. Resorts such as Paphos and Corralejo where we went last year really weren’t great for us so hopefully we can discover some places similar to Antibes

Reading this with interest as currently thinking about next summer and craving something pretty, authentic and French or Italian