Itinerary: Paris (II) and Antibes

This is the second installment in my Paris series with a jaunt down to the South of France added on. I was just in Antibes this past May and it was an incredible spot. It was my second time in Antibes – the first visit was a 10 minutes stop during a tour I did with my family in 2005. During that tour, along with Nice, Monaco, Eze, and St. Paul de Vence that we visited in one day (it was quite the jam-packed day) we made a quick stop in Antibes and it made a strong impression on me. I never forgot Antibes and made a note in my travel journal with many underlines and exclamation points that I needed to go back one day. So I did, with a friend of mine, 12 years later in May 2016. Antibes did not disappoint! Maybe it was the time of year (May) or maybe it’s always like that, but our trip to Antibes had gorgeous warm weather, people sitting outside in the cafes till late a night, and a certain buzz that was just intoxicating. We were there during the Cannes Film Festival which is not too far away so that may have contributed to how pleasantly busy the town was. We stayed in a beautiful AirBnB right in the heart of the old town and it was stellar.

The Paris part of this itinerary is how I would spend my days the next time I go to Paris, and the Antibes part is exactly what we did during May 2016’s trip to Antibes.

Day 1 – Paris: A Beautiful way to spend a day in Paris

• Morning: Wander through my favorite neighborhoods
  • Le Marais
  • MontMartre
• Afternoon: Lunch or Afternoon Tea & Cake at the Musee de la Vie Romantique
  • An old glass-house that used to be commissioned by artists is now a lovely tea room serving lunch and fantastic iced tea, I hear.
  • 16 Rue Chaptal, 9eme, 10-6pm, closed on Mondays. Open Mid-March to Mid-October.
• Evening: Dinner experience
  • Book Dinner at a Parisian’s home through VizEat.com — kind of like the AirBnb of dinner.

Day 2 – Reims: Day Trip to Reims to visit Champagne Houses

• Morning: Take the train from Paris (Gare de l’Est) to the main Reims station (Reims Gare)
  • The quickest route is 40 minutes. The first train leaving Paris is at 06:36, the last at 22:36. There is an average of 22 trains a day between Paris and Reims, leaving approximately every 37 minutes.
• Afternoon: Champagne Tasting – Some options:
  • Pommery Champagne House– 30 Euro Tasting + Tour
  • Ruinart – Oldest Champagne House – 70 Euro Tasting + Tour
  • Family Run Champagne House – Ridoux-Cousin in the town of Venteuil-Arty
  • There are several “routes de champagne,” labeled with brown signs so they are easy to follow in your car.
    • One option that seems to be popular: Route touristique de la Montagne de Reims (about 70km)
  • Other Champagne Houses: Mumm, Veuve Cliquot, Taittinger, G.H. Martel
  • Explore underground champagne cave system

Day 3: Loire Valley – Day Trip with Fat Tire Bike Tours –  Loire Valley Bike Tour

• ((NOTE: – it doesn’t seem that Fat Tire does this trip anymore – so i would do another Fat Tire Day trip, or perhaps find another way to explore the Loire Valley and chateaus))
• Visit castles, wine tasting, farmers market and picnic, bike ride through the countryside (Check which days this tour is provided and plan your time accordingly)
• https://www.fattiretours.com/paris/tours/loire-valley-bike-tour

Day 4: Antibes – Fly to Antibes

• Morning: Fly into Nice’s Airport and take a 20 minute taxi to Antibes or a 40 minute public bus.
  • Transportation:
    • Bus: Takes about 45 minutes from the airport to Antibes on the bus. Tickets can be bought on the bus or at a ticket office just outside the airport terminal. Turn right as you exit Terminal 1 or turn left as you exit Terminal 2. One way bus ticket is 11 Euro.
    • Uber is also an option and is affordable – about 30 Euro.
    • Taxis are super expensive – avoid them.
• Afternoon/Evening: Get settled at your hotel or AirBnB and walk around old town to find a little spot that suits your fancy for dinner. There are plenty of touristy but fun places around the Place de la Republique and near the water just inside the city walls.

Day 5 : Antibes and Juan Les Pins – Beach Day 

• Morning: Wander through old town Antibes, visit the farmer’s market and pop into the little shops, grab a pastry for breakfast
• Late Morning: Take a scenic ride on the “Petit Train” to Juan Les Pins (20 min slowly driving along a cliff-side road with gorgeous views) and rent a day bed on the beach at one of the many beach side restaurants. Where the Petit Train drops you off is right near the beach where all the beach side restaurants are lined up along the water. Stay all day. Soak up the sun. Put your feet in the water. Order lunch. Read your book. Try not to stare all confused-like at all the topless French ladies (As much as I’ve traveled, it still doesn’t compute in my American brain.)
  • We spent the day at La Voile Blanche. Don’t feel bad about staying all day –  they expect you to. The food and service were great.
  • Details and Timetables for the Petit Train to Juan Les Pins
• Late Afternoon: When you’re done beaching (where did the past 6 hours go?!?!), take a walk around Juan Les Pins, get an ice cream, and then board your Petit Train back to Antibes.
• Evening: Find a cafe to sit outside and have dinner and enjoy the French-ness in the night air.

Day 6: Provence – Explore

• Morning: Take a guided Tour around Provence (or rent a car and go yourself!).
  • I found one that I haven’t tried because I ran out of time but sounded like a lot of fun with provencesightseeing.fr’s “Authentic Back Country” Tour. The tour consisted of:
    • Visiting Provence villages
    • Visiting a goat farm to make cheese and meet the goats
    • Wine tasting at a family run winery
  • They seem to have a lot of fun tours that I’d be interested in trying.

Day 7: Fly Home