One of the French Riviera’s most legendary beaches, Plage Keller, reopens on Tuesday 11 March 2025.
The famous beach at La Garoupe bay, which is under new ownership since last year, is loved by locals and visitors alike for offering a slice of heaven between the sea and sky. The Cap d’Antibes destination is the perfect spot to celebrate a birthday, wedding or anniversary. Or simply to laze in the sun all day, gazing at the panoramic view of the Baie des Anges and the Riviera coastline that stretches to Italy, with the majestic Alps creating the perfect backdrop, and super yachts glistening in the foreground.
The beach where Picasso and Fitzgerald would picnic
Adding to the natural appeal is La Garoupe’s rich cultural history. Before Plage Keller was created, this is the golden strip of sand where American couple Sara and Gerald Murphy (credited with establishing the Riviera as a glamorous destination) entertained their famous friends in the 1920s – people like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso, Dorothy Parker, Cole Porter and more. In 1994, the Murphy’s daughter Honoria Murphy Donnelly shared boxes of photos from the era with a New York Times journalist. The journalist wrote: “There is a photo of Gerald Murphy raking seaweed on La Garoupe, near the primitive beach cabanas that Sara had decorated with curtains of her own making. And another of Picasso in his black bathing suit and matching hat pointing to his wife, Olga Koklova, in her tutu, pirouetting at the water’s edge.”
It was a magical time. And 100 years later, it still is.
According to ILoveCapDantibes, it was musician and cook Joseph Keller who started Plage Keller in 1931 as a place to party. His clientele allegedly included Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill, amongst others. The beach was transformed in 1988 by the Bensimon family who spent the next 35 plus years welcoming guests from near and far, and ensuring we all had a magical time. Now it is the turn of new owners, DB Group, to continue the legend. (DB Group already own a host of high-end venues on the French Riviera from La Guérite on Ile St Marguerite to Mamo Michelangelo in Antibes and Gina in Nice.)
Overlooking Plage Keller’s private beach and the breathtaking bay is César, a gourmet restaurant which also reopens on 11 March, according to an email sent from Plage Keller to its regular clients.
Valet parking is available, and swimming in the azure waters is a pure delight (when it’s a little warmer perhaps!) as a net protects swimmers from visiting jellyfish or méduse as they’re known locally. (Btw, it’s a good idea to always pack vinegar – along with suntan lotion – when you visit the Mediterranean as it helps soothe a jellyfish sting.)
If you feel like a stroll after lunch, the stunning Sentier du Littoral (coastal path around the Cap) beckons just on the right of Plage Keller, if you’re facing the ocean. It’s known as the ‘tire-poil‘ (pull-hair) because of the wind that sometimes blows off the sea, ruffling hikers’ hair.
The municipality of Antibes-Juan-les-Pins is currently renovating the bay to restore as much of its natural beauty as possible, but work is being paused for the busy summer season. So come, relax and soak up some Riviera magic.
Plage Keller Address: 1035 Garoupe Road, Cap d’Antibes, 06600 Antibes
