Cannes

Cannes - the jewel in crown that is the Cote d'Azur.

Cannes is usually associated with the glamour of its International Film Festival, which takes place over two weeks in May each year and when images of the stars descending the red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals are flashed across TV screens worldwide and hordes of star-spotters, celebrities and paparazzi descend on the seaside town.

However, there is more to Cannes than this film festival; it is an elegant city and a lively and exciting destination which attracts an international clientèle year round: with the long, curvaceous, sandy beaches, the luxury yachts moored in the Old Port, the palatial hotels, the designer shops lining the famous promenade of La Croisette, and the gastronomic delights of the Cote d'Azur.

General

The city of Cannes is centred around the old port, with the central part quite compact. The famous La Croisette is the boulevard and the beach that extends around the bay to the east of the port.

The area around the old port is perhaps the most interesting part of Cannes. All along the Quai St Pierre in the old port one can find fishing boats and pleasure boats side by side. The fisherman in their little wooden boats still go about their business despite being overshadowed by some enormous private yachts. The old town, known as Le Suquet, rises steeply from the port and is crowned by an 11th century tower.

The Rue Saint Antoine leads up to the top of Le Suquet and is lined with restaurants. It’s well worth not giving into the temptation to dive into one of the many excellent establishments as the views from the top of the street in the Place de la Castre are breathtaking. From here, you can truly appreciate the glorious setting of Cannes surrounded by its luxurious residential suburbs.

The square is an excellent vantage point to watch the fireworks that take place in July and August and is also the setting for numerous musical events that take place in the summer. Walking back down towards the port, spend some time exploring the narrow streets filled with many interesting little shops.

For details of restaurants and bars in Cannes please visit the restaurants page.

For details of shopping in Cannes please visit the shopping page.

If you have never visited Cannes before visit 360cities.net for some panoramas which will give you a wonderful feel of Cannes.

To see a live web cam courtesy of seecannes.com.

Cote d'Azur

Whether or not you have a car the whole of the Cote d'Azur is accessible using the local train. Monaco, for example, is only an hour and ten minutes away.

Children

For children there are an ocean of things to do. Obviously there are the beaches but also:

• Toy shops
• Merry Go Round, arcade and model boats for hire.
• At the far end of the Croisette is a larger playground for younger children, trampolines and other amusements
• If your children speak French why not enrol them in a sailing course with Cannes Jeunesse.
• There is kayaking and bike hire. See the activities page for more details.