Cannes, France

Cannes. Foto: Cătălin Kislinger / Titi Tudorancea Travel Info

Cannes is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune of France located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The city is known for its association with the rich and famous, its luxury hotels and restaurants, and for several conferences.

Once a small fishing village, Cannes is now a glamorous and expensive seaside town considered to be one of the social hubs of Europe. Its moment to shine arrives in May as the venue for the Cannes Film Festival, entertaining the rich and famous.

During the festival, fans can see actors, celebrities, and directors up close and in person on the famous steps of the Palais des Festivals at the end of La Croisette.

Although its nightlife, casinos and high end restaurants give Cannes a feel of exclusivity, Cannes does have alternatives to suit all types of budgets.

Tourists can check out the beauty and architecture of Le Suquet, with its cobbled streets and breathtaking views, or sit at street side tables and enjoy the favoured hobby of people watching up and down the lovely marina.

Climate

Cannes has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa) and the city enjoys 12 hours of sunshine per day during summer (May to September), while in winter (December to February) the weather is mild. Both seasons see a relatively low rainfall and most rain occurs during October and November, when 110 mm (4.3 in) falls.

Cannes summers are long and warm, with summer daytime temperatures regularly hitting 30 °C (86 °F), while average temperatures are about 25 °C (77 °F). Temperatures remain high from June to September, the busiest time of the year.

Temperatures drop below 10 °C (50 °F) for only three months of the year (December to February). The spring and autumn are also warm, although more suited to those who prefer slightly cooler weather.

Landmarks

The Promenade de la Croisette is the waterfront avenue with palm trees. La Croisette is known for picturesque beaches, restaurants, cafés and boutiques. Le Suquet, the old town, provides a good view of La Croisette. The fortified tower and Chapel of St Anne house the Musée de la Castre. A distinctive building in Cannes is the Russian Orthodox church.

Museums

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence houses artifacts from prehistoric to present, in an 18th-century mansion. The Musée de la Castre has objects from the Pacific Atolls, Peruvian relics and Mayan pottery. Other venues include the Musée de la Marine, Musée de la Mer, Musée de la Photographie and Musée International de la Parfumerie.

The villas of Cannes

Cannes of the 19th century can still be seen in its grand villas, built to reflect the wealth and standing of their owners and inspired by anything from medieval castles to Roman villas. They are not open to the public.

Lord Brougham’s Italianate Villa Eléonore Louise (one of the first in Cannes) was built between 1835 and 1839. Also known as the Quartier des Anglais, this is the oldest residential area in Cannes.

Another landmark is the Villa Fiésole (known today as the Villa Domergue) designed by Jean-Gabriel Domergue in the style of Fiesole, near Florence, which may be visited on appointment.

See

• Old town (Le Suquet). The usual narrow winding streets filled with restaurants and souvenir shops. The view from the castle ruins at the top is excellent.

• Covered Market (Marché Forville). For a spectacular eating and viewing food experience, no other market in Cannes beats this for scale and variety. The market itself is at the west end of rue Meynardiers, one of the Cote's best gourmand streets.

• Palais des Festivals. Down La Croisette is the famous Palais des Festivals, where stars of the screen gather and watch films screened during the festival. Irresistible not to pose for a photograph on the 22 steps leading up to the entrance.

• Port— Cannes has 2 ports. Vieux Port beside the Palais des Festivals and Port Pierre Canto at the far end of the Croisette. Vieux Port is the main port and popular for cruise stopovers and yacht charter. For luxury yacht charters including the annual trade events such as Cannes Film Festival, MIPCOM, MIPTV, Cannes Lions, ILTM, MIPIM etc its advisable to make arrangements through a charter specialist familiar with port regulations.

• La Croisette. Cannes catwalk beside the sea, it is the center of the city's tourist activity and known for its luxury hotels and boutique shops.

• Beaches. The beaches are mostly private and cost up to €30 for a day's use (including sunbed and shade). The public beaches are crowded, beside the Palais des Festivals - plage Macé, or the far end of the Croisette towards Port Pierre Canto. Public beaches are also found along the seafront road heading to Mandelieu La Napoule (plages du Midi).

If you want a quieter beach, a better option is to go to the Îles de Lérins. At night the beaches can be tranquil, but watch out for spectacular fireworks displays in the bay, get to the beach early to get a good spot!

• Îles de Lérins. Two islands in the bay that are definitely worth visiting.

The smaller is St Honorat, which has a monastery and ruined castle. The monks sell monastery-made food/drink products like wine which make unique souvenirs.

The larger island is Ste Marguerite which also has a castle, shops, bars, and restaurants. Find a quiet cove, some shade from palm trees, and a cheap snorkel before you swim around the rocky coves.

An adult return ticket to Ste Marguerite is €14 (2016) with ferries departing every hour roughly from 7 in the morning until about 5:30 at night - ask for a timetable. The adult return ticket to St Honorat costs 16.50 EUR (2016), and visiting the fortified monastery costs 3 EUR.

The geography of the two islands is similar and, as a general rule, visiting one means that a visit to the other isn't then a 'must do'. Those with a particular interest in religion might prefer St Homorat; those with children in tow will probably prefer Ste Marguerite.

The timetable and information is also available in a brochure kept in most hotel lobbies. Note that the ferries stop running across lunch-time.

• Festival de Cannes. The most famous film festival in the world takes place from mid to late May every year. The worlds biggest celebrities are on hand to walk the red carpet, and thousands of films are screened in the festival and the Marché du Film, the world's biggest film market. Official website and Visitors' Guide

• Les Allées des Étoiles (Walk of Stars). At the base of the Palais des Festivals near the Tourism Office you will find handprints in concrete of film stars including Meryl Streep, Sylvester Stallone and Gerard Depardieu.

Festivals and show events

• The Cannes Film Festival founded in 1946 is held annually, usually in May, at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

• The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event and awards show for those working in advertising and related fields, held annually in June.

• Midem, the foremost trade show for the music industry.

• MIPIM, the world's largest property-related trade show.

• Carnival on the Riviera is an annual parade through the streets to mark the 21-day period prior to Shrove Tuesday.

• The International Festival of Games is festival of bridge, belote, backgammon, chess, draughts, tarot and more (February).

• Cannes Yachting Festival is an event for boating enthusiasts in the Vieux Port (September).

• The International Actors’ Performance Festival: comedy sketches and performances by fringe artists

• The International Luxury Travel Market brings together under one roof the top international luxury travel providers and suppliers from all around the world.[1]

• Le Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique is a magnificent annual fireworks competition held in the summer at the Bay of Cannes.

• The [Global Champions Tour] showjumping league has an annual event in the ports of Cannes.

• Mipcom and MIPTV, held in October and April respectively, the world's most important trade markets for the television industry.

The Pan-African Film Festival, held in early April and featuring films from the African diaspora.

Transport

• Nice Côte d’Azur Airport. Located 24 km (15 mi) from Cannes, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has close to 10 million passengers a year. Marseille Provence Airport is also 150 km (93 mi) away. The smaller Cannes – Mandelieu Airport is nearby. CannesExpress operate a regular door-to-door airport shuttle service between Nice Airport and hotels/accommodations in Cannes. Price per seat is 20 Euros.

• Rail. TGV rail services to the Gare de Cannes provide access from major French cities, including Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Paris, and Toulouse. Other cities with rail connections include Brussels (6 hours), Milan (5 hours), Basel (10 hours), Rome (10 hours), and Venice (10 hours). The minor train stations Gare de Cannes-La Bocca and Gare du Bosquet serve only regional destinations.

• Bus. Coach services arrive at the Gare Routière de Cannes, in the centre of the city, near the Town Hall. Companies from abroad include Eurolines and Agence Phoceens. Regional services are by Rapides Côte d’Azur and CTM, with services from Nice and Grasse/Mandelieu respectively. Local bus services are provided by Bus Azur.

• Ferry. Ferries are available in Nice harbour from Bastia and Calvi in Corsica, with services provided by SNCM Ferryterranée and Corsica Ferries. From Bastia, the journey is 4 hours, 45 minutes on conventional ferries and 3 hours, 40 minutes on express ferries, while from Calvi, conventional vessels take 3 hours, 45 minutes and express vessels take 2 hours, 45 minutes. An average of four ferries a day sail on these routes, with more during summer.