Cannes Travel Guide

The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès stands beside the Croisette on the Cannes seafront and is the main venue of the Cannes Film Festival, as well as a symbol of the city. Modern in style, its entrance steps are where the festival's red-carpet ceremony takes place each year, surrounded by handprints of stars for visitors to find and photograph. During the festival the place glitters with celebrities; the rest of the year it serves as a venue for conferences, exhibitions and performances. Close to the beach and the yacht harbour, with hotels and restaurants packed around it, it is an unavoidable stop on the Cannes waterfront.

La Croisette is the most famous seafront boulevard in Cannes, running along the Bay of Cannes with fine sandy beaches and the Mediterranean on one side and luxury hotels, boutiques and palm-lined pavements on the other. It is the main focus of activity during the Cannes Film Festival and the rest of the year a favourite for strolling, jogging and sea views, with the Lérins islands and the Esterel mountains visible along the way. The seafront has both public beaches and private beach clubs, along with gardens and viewing platforms. In the evening the light softens, and the sea with palm silhouettes forms a classic Mediterranean picture — the most immediate impression of Cannes.

The Abbaye de Lérins sits on Île Saint-Honorat off the coast of Cannes and is one of the oldest monastic communities in Western Europe, with roots going back to the 5th century. Monks still live on the island today, their days given to prayer, work and winemaking; the monastery's own wine and liqueurs can be bought on the island and make a distinctive souvenir. There are several chapels and the remains of a defensive tower, and a coastal path circles the whole island, with open views between pine woods and olive groves. Reach it by boat from Cannes harbour, about 20 minutes, for a half-day far removed from the bustle of the coast.

Le Suquet is the old town of Cannes, on the hill west of the seafront, its cobbled lanes climbing the slope in sharp contrast to the promenade below. The old street pattern survives, with stone walls, shutters and narrow steps forming a classic Mediterranean townscape, dotted with small restaurants, galleries and craft shops. At the top are the castle museum and a church, with open views over the Bay of Cannes and the yacht harbour. In the evening the restaurants in the lanes light up one by one, a good time to feel the local rhythm. Compared with the polish of the Croisette, Le Suquet is closer to what Cannes originally was.

The Musée de la Castre sits at the top of the hill in Cannes' old town, Le Suquet, in the remains of a medieval castle and monastery now used as the city museum. Its collections span archaeology, ethnography and art, including ancient Mediterranean objects, ethnographic pieces from Oceania and the Americas, and a group of 19th-century landscape paintings, those depicting Cannes and the Lérins islands especially tied to local history. The tower and terrace are an excellent spot to look out over the Bay of Cannes, the Croisette and the rooftops of the old town — the climb and the view are a major reason to visit.

Antibes is a quaint, charming ancient Mediterranean town near Cannes, famous for its old walls, the Picasso Museum and one of Europe's largest yacht harbors—blending long history, rich art and Côte d'Azur flair, an unmissable day-trip from Cannes. Antibes sits on the Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice, a historic town with roots tracing to Greek and Roman times, one of the oldest towns around. Strolling the old town of Antibes is quaint and charming: ancient stone walls by the sea defy the Mediterranean waves; inside, narrow winding alleys, ochre old houses, the lively Provençal market and squares radiate a strong Mediterranean old-town flair. Most famous is the Picasso Museum in the seaside castle (Grimaldi Castle)—the master Picasso lived and created here for a time after World War II, and the museum holds many of his paintings and ceramics made during this period, a precious temple to understand this chapter of his work, with a stunning seaside location. Besides, Antibes has one of Europe's largest yacht harbors (Port Vauban), with many top luxury yachts at anchor, spectacular. Stroll the old town, visit the Picasso Museum, overlook the spectacular yacht harbor, and feel Antibes' charming blend of history and art. Explore near Cannes, tour the quaint charming old town of Antibes, and enjoy the beauty of history and art—a unique and moving sight.