Antibes has two ports. The one on the postcards is Port Vauban, where the superyachts sit nose-to-tail like a car park for the very rich. The one we love is a ten-minute walk south along the ramparts, where the fishing boats are painted the same blue as the shutters and nobody has bothered to change the menu since 1988.
Six o'clock: the ramparts
Start at the Picasso museum — not inside, but on the wall below it, where the sea wind comes straight off the bay. This is the hour the stone gives back the day's heat and the light turns the whole town the colour of apricot. Wear something that breathes: a linen shirt with the sleeves rolled twice, trousers with a little room in the leg.
Seven o'clock: the market square
The covered market on Cours Masséna closes at lunch, but the bars around it open for the evening. Order a pastis at Le Café des Chineurs and sit facing the square. This is where the town watches itself go by.
Half past eight: dinner
Le Vauban if you have booked; La Tave Provencale if you have not. Both do a bourride worth crossing the border for. Neither cares what you are wearing, which is exactly why it is worth wearing something good.
The walk back
Take the long way, along the Plage de la Gravette. The water at night is warmer than you expect. We have never regretted a swim here, and we have never once remembered to bring a towel.
Worn: the Capri Shirt in Ivory, the Amalfi Trouser in Navy, the Anacapri Loafer.
