Antibes or Villefranche for 1 yr old?

[Mufflette]

We're off to Nice next month with our (just turned) 1 yr old. I know the pebbly beach in Nice won't be the best for him so was thinking of a day in Antibes at the little town beach there, but now am quite tempted by Villefranche instead as we've never been there. Does anyone know which would be better? We'd get the train there. He's currently crawling, may just be walking when we go so soft crawling surface is the main consideration!

Antibes or Juan Les Pins definitely. The hill in Villefranche is a killer, and lots of steps are a pain with a pushchair - i speak from experience. The beaches are much nicer in Antibes. Villefranche is quite small.

Saying that Juan Les Pins probably has the nicest beach. Dd was about 18 months the first time we went there. It's really gently shelving. Recommend the Ruban Bleu beach club (and the cocktail of the same name) if you want sunbeds and an umbrella.

Thanks @MissAmbrosia that's exactly the info I needed! We'll avoid the steps til he can manage them himself and check out Juan les Pins too.

I do love Antibes itself for the market and the old town and a bit of yacht spotting but if you just want the beach Juan Les Pins hands down. We did a nice open top mini bus tour round the Cap last year - hop on hop off thing. I used to love Helios Plage but last year they were really snooty so we went next door.

Villefranche. A lot closer to Nice (it’s only 10 minutes by train). The beach is literally directly outside the train station. Unlike the beach at Nice which steeply slopes into the sea and is dangerous for small kids, Villefranche beach is a gentle incline and partially sandy.There is a lovely view across the bay when you get into the water and swim out. The old town is up a hill but with apologies to the PP, we didn’t find it that strenuous & our DD walked it without moaning when she was 5. There are meandering streets in the old town, nice restaurants etc.

PS - if you know this already then apologies but if not, whether you decide on Antibes or Villefranche it’s simplest to book your train tickets on Trainline.com - Nice Ville (the main train station in Nice) is usually pretty busy and rather than queue up for the machines, just book the tickets on Trainline. They are the same price and are emailed to you and you then scan them at the gate to get through to the platforms.

We we’re there last month & have been a couple of times. Beautiful part of the world - have a great time!