Cannes known worldwide for its film and yachting festivals

Cannes (Fr. Cannes) is a French commune in the Cannes Pays de Lérins agglomeration community located in the Alpes department – Maritimes, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Part of French Riviera.

Ligurian fishing village during Antiquity, linked to the legends of Saint-Honorat and the man in the iron mask on the Lérins islands, a health resort and seaside resort on the Côte d’Azur in the nineteenth century, the city takes off with the construction of holiday residences by English and Russian aristocrats then, from the beginning of the twentieth century, luxury hotels for wealthy tourists, constituting its architectural heritage.

Equipped with a cutting-edge industry, a small business airport, several ports and a convention centre, anchored in the Bay of Cannes, bordered by the Massif de l’Esterel to the west, the Gulf Juan to the east and the Mediterranean Sea, Cannes is today known worldwide for its film and yachting festivals and for its Croisette lined with a few palaces.

Tourism and main attractions

Located on the Côte d’Azur with a mild climate, classified as a health resort since 20 February 1915, endowed with infrastructures ensuring easy access and maker of international conferences and festivals, the town has 100 hotels on its territory, totalling 6,000 rooms, 32 of which were classified as four stars or more, including renowned hotels such as the Martinez, the Carlton, the Majestic, the Grand Hotel, the JW Marriott and the Radisson blu 1835 Hotel & Thalasso. The town also has three casinos, the “3.14” managed by the Partouche group and the “Croisette” and “Les Princes” managed by the Lucien Barrière group. A three-star campsite also has more than 220 places.

16 sites and buildings are protected as historical monuments, including villas such as the Villa Domergue listed on 19 September 1990 and the Villa Romée listed on 25 March 1994. The Carlton Hotel was listed on 10 October 1984. Among other listed attractions: Allées de la Liberté, Convention battery, Suquet tower, fortified monastery of Île Saint- Honorat, royal fort of Île Sainte-Marguerite was classified on 27 July 1927.

Many villas built in the nineteenth century have been listed as seaside heritage and included in the general inventory of cultural heritage. They were surrounded by botanical gardens which still exist and which bear witness to the acclimatization movement initiated around 1850, particularly on the Côte d’Azur: Villa Bagatelle, Villa Excelsior, Villa Soligny, Villa La Cava, Villa Rothschild (listed on July 22 1991), Villa Hollandia, Villa Fiorentina, Villa Éléonore-Louise, Château Sainte Anne or Château de la Croix des Gardes. Certain botanical parks of famous villas have disappeared.

Number of public and leisure facilities, passenger hotels, residential buildings, services and shops built by architects Charles Baron, Hans Barreth, Emmanuel Bellini, Louis Cauvin, César Cavallin, Charles Dalmas, Barry Dierks, Eugène Lizero, Thomas Smith, Laurent Vianay, etc. are also listed under the seaside heritage of Cannes and registered in the general inventory of cultural heritage.

The City Hall wants to inscribe significant elements of the city of Cannes as a UNESCO world heritage:

  • La Croisette, built in the 1850s on the old coastal path, its classification as a picturesque site was ratified in 1945. Its international dimension comes from the Cannes festival since 1946. Its architectural heritage is very rich with the three hotels buildings

  • Île Sainte-Marguerite, naturally historic, with a 140-hectare national forest classified as a biological reserve since 2002 and its pond of Bateguier, a first-rate ornithological reserve, a multitude of birds stopping there each year and its Fort Royal , listed as a historical monument since 1927, famous for its prisoner the Man in the Iron Mask.

  • Île Saint-Honorat, with its Lérins abbey founded in 410, its fortified monastery listed as historical monuments in 1840 by Prosper Mérimée; and recently its agriculture carried out by the monks: olive oil and wine.

Religious building

  • Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Voyage Church, Buttura Street
  • Sacré-Cœur-du-Prado Church, rue du Prado
  • Church of Christ the King, boulevard Carnot, built around 1930
  • Saint-Joseph Church, Marius Monti Street

  • Notre-Dame-de-l’Espérance church and the Sainte-Anne chapel, a former castle chapel and current exhibition room for musical instruments from around the world at the Musée de la Castre in Le Suquet, have been classified together  under Historical Monuments 214, rue de la Castre, blessed in 1645
  • Notre-Dame-des-Pins Church, Boulevard Alexandre III

  • Sainte-Marguerite Church, rue Barthélémy
  • Saint-Jean-Bosco Church, rue Honoré de Balzac
  • Saint-Georges Church, avenue du Roi Albert I
  • Saint-Roch Church, rue Saint-Dizier

  • Bellini Chapel, avenue de Vallauris
  • Chapel of the Stanislas Institute, boulevard Guynemer
  • Chapel of Mercy or Chapel of the Black Penitents, rue de la Miséricorde, listed as Historical Monument
  • Saint-Cassien Chapel, Butte de Saint-Cassien

Beaches

All the major hotels along La Croisette have their own private beaches (like the Carlton, the Martinez, or the Marriott). Among the best public beaches are Plage de la Bocca, Plage du Midi, Palm Beach. All beaches are sandy and good for kids.

Cuisine and restaurants

Among main dishes are:

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew that locals love. It is made up of tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, aubergines, onions, and herbs. The stew is served with bread, pasta, or rice.

Bouillabaisse is a fish stew that comes from Marseille but has a hold on Cannes and the whole French Riviera. Originally, boney rockfish is cooked in a broth made of spices, herbs, onions, and tomatoes.

Pissaladiere is found in most bakeries in Cannes. A dough is topped with herbs, onions, garlic, sugar, salt, tomatoes, olives, and anchovies. It is perfect for buffets, picnics.

Socca is a pancake made with chickpeas and olives. First, the chickpeas are converted to flour then a flat dough is made before being baked. Herbs and spices are added to the pancake.

There are 11 Michelin stars restaurants in Cannes:

La Table du Château, 10 avenue Font-de-Veyre, Cannes, 45 – 95 EUR • Modern Cuisine

Table 22 par Noël Mantel, 22 rue St-Antoine, Cannes, 39 – 90 EUR • Traditional Cuisine

Da Bouttau – Auberge Provençale, 10 rue Saint-Antoine, Cannes, 24 – 86 EUR • Traditional Cuisine

Le Relais des Semailles, 9 rue Saint-Antoine, Cannes, 35 – 82 EUR • Traditional Cuisine

La Toque d’Or, 11 rue Louis-Blanc, Cannes, 30 – 75 EUR • Creative

Le Park 45, 45 boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, 65 – 125 EUR • Modern Cuisine

L’Affable, 5 rue La Fontaine, Cannes, 29 – 97 EUR • Traditional Cuisine

La Table du Chef, 5 rue Jean-Daumas, Cannes, 25 – 33 EUR • Traditional Cuisine

Au Pot de Vin, 20 rue Commandant-Vidal, Cannes, 38 – 50 EUR • Traditional Cuisine

L’Eponyme, 4 rue de Bône, Cannes, 36 – 60 EUR • Modern Cuisine, Mediterranean Cuisine

La Palme d’Or, 73 boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, 90 – 286 EUR • Creative Cuisine

Shopping

The main target for shopping is La Croisette. With the many five-star hotels, this street is the signature of Cannes, and is also the location of the haute couture shops and the deluxe clothing shops. Most famous brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana and many more are available.

Next to the Croisette the street of Antibes is more diversified, there are fashion boutiques, interior design shops, and tea salons.

Between the Croisette and the street of Antibes, there is the “Carré d’Or” with jewellery shops and chic bars. Not far, the street of Etats Unis is also a deluxe place. More convivial, the street Meynadier, a pedestrian street which is an extension to Le Suquet neighborhood.

Among the best food markets are Marché Forville, Marché de La Bocca, Marché Gambetta.

Nocturnes du Quai Saint-Pierre is a night market that takes place every Thursday during July and August. There are about 50 stalls each week selling art objects, antiques, paintings and home-made stuff.

Transport and how to get to?

In the far west of the territory is Cannes – Mandelieu airport, reserved for tourist charters and business aviation. The Suquet heliport completes it, installed at the end of the Vieux-Port jetty.

The town is located less than 20 km from international Nice-Côte d’Azur airport.

Along the coast, the Marseille – Vintimille line serves Cannes station located in the city centre, connected to the TGV, Téoz, Lunéa and TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur network. It is joined at Cannes-La-Bocca station by the Cannes-la Bocca – Grasse line served by the TER only.

In the Old Port, managed by the Nice-Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there is a ferry terminal with regular connections to the Lérins Islands and Saint-Tropez and, in summer, stopovers from cruise ships. In 2009, the Old Port welcomed nearly 289,000 cruise passengers and 333,500 coastal shuttle passengers. It is completed by the marinas of Béal, Canto and Mouré Rouge.

In association with its neighbours, the town has the Palm Bus public transport network, most of whose vehicles reach the bus station near the port.

In the past, the Super-Cannes funicular provided quick access to the California district until 1966.

Shortest distance by car:

From Menton (tolls): 1 h 5 min (63.5 km) via A8

From Monaco (tolls): 1 h (55.6 km) via A8

From Beaulieu-sur-Mer (tolls): 1 h 5 min (50.3 km) via A8

From Villefranche-sur-Mer (tolls): 1 h 6 min (49.2 km) via A8

From Nice (tolls): 53 min (33.1 km) via A8

From Cagnes-sur-Mer (tolls): 35 min (21.3 km) via A8

From Antibes: 31 min (12.1 km) via D6007

From Mandelieu-La Napoule (tolls): 20 min (12.5 km) via A8

From Fréjus (tolls): 43 min (40.2 km) via A8

From Saint-Raphaël (tolls): 50 min (42.9 km) via A8

From Sainte-Maxime (tolls): 1 h 4 min (73.5 km) via A8

From Saint-Tropez (tolls): 1 h 30 min (87.4 km) via A8

From Cavalaire-sur-Mer (tolls): 1 h 34 min (93.6 km) via A8

From Toulon (tolls): 1 h 33 min (125 km) via A57 and A8

From Aix-en-Provence (tolls): 1 h 43 min (151 km) via A8

From Nîmes (tolls): 2 h 44 min (255 km) via A8

From Marseille (tolls): 2 h 1 min (174 km) via A8

From Avignon (tolls): 2 h 30 min (236 km) via A8

From Montpellier (tolls): 3 h 9 min (301 km) via A8

From Sète (tolls): 3 h 16 min (330 km) via A8

From Agde (tolls): 3 h 30 min (355 km) via A9 and A8

From Pézenas (tolls): 3 h 32 min (357 km) via A9 and A8

From Béziers (tolls): 3 h 39 min (367 km) via A9 and A8

From Perpignan (tolls): 4 h 20 min (450 km) via A9 and A8

From Argelès-sur-Mer (tolls): 4 h 38 min (477 km) via A9 and A8

From Collioure (tolls): 4 h 43 min (484 km) via A9 and A8

From Narbonne (tolls): 3 h 47 min (390 km) via A9 and A8

From La Baule-Escoublac (tolls): 11 h 25 min (1,194 km) via A7

From Saint-Nazaire (tolls): 11 h 22 min (1,180 km) via A7

From Nantes (tolls): 10 h 5 min (1,116 km) via A62

From Saumur (tolls): 9 h 13 min (989 km) via A7

From Les Sables-d’Olonne (tolls): 10 h 24 min (1,107 km) via A62

From Cognac (tolls): 8 h 32 min (894 km) via A62

From Angoulême (tolls):  8 h 30 min (890 km) via A62 

From Eauze (tolls): 6 h 47 min (666 km) via A8

From La Rochelle (tolls): 8 h 59 min (956 km) via A62 

From Rochefort (tolls): 8 h 36 min (928 km) via A62

From Saintes (tolls): 8 h 17 min (892 km) via A62

From Arcachon (tolls): 8 h 7 min (830 km) via A62

From Royan (tolls): 8 h 39 min (895 km) via A62

From Biarritz (tolls): 7 h 48 min (838 km) via A64

From Saint-Jean-de-Luz (tolls): 7 h 51 min (844 km) via A64

From Bayonne (tolls): 7 h 38 min (826 km) via A64

From Dax (tolls): 7 h 37 min (805 km) via A64

From Lourdes (tolls): 6 h 40 min (704 km) via A8

From Pau (tolls): 6 h 52 min (721 km) via A64

From Périgueux (tolls): 7 h 41 min (806 km) via A8

From Bordeaux (tolls): 7 h 24 min (778 km) via A62

From Toulouse (tolls): 5 h 7 min (536 km) via A61, A9 and A8

From Carcassonne (tolls): 4 h 16 min (445 km) via A9 and A8 

From Andorra (tolls): 6 h 54 min (626 km) via A8

Main information

Area: 19.6 sq. km

Population: 74 000

Languages: French

Currency: euro

Visa: Schengen

Time: Central European UTC +1

Coordinates: 43°33′05″N 7°00′46″E

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