Cannes: More than a celebrity playground
Glamorous Cannes sets camera flashes popping at its film festival in May, when stars pose in tuxes and full-length gowns on the red carpet. But the glitz doesn’t end there. Throughout the year, as you walk among the designer bars, couture shops and palaces of La Croisette, the wealth and glamour of this city cannot fail to impress. Admiring Ferraris and Porsches and celebrity-spotting on the chic sunlounger-striped beaches and liner-sized yachts moored at the port are perennial Cannes pastimes.
Whether Cannes’ soul has managed to survive its celebrity-playground status is another question, but there’s still enough natural beauty to make a trip worthwhile: the harbour, the bay, the clutch of offshore islands and the old quarter, Le Suquet, all spring into life on a sunny day. And with the city’s famous beaches benefiting from a serious facelift in 2019, there’s suddenly lots more space to lay your towel!
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Posing for a selfie on the 22 steps leading up to the main entrance of this concrete bunker – unlikely host to the world’s most glamorous film festival – at the western end of La Croisette is an essential Cannes experience. Afterwards, wander along the Allée des Étoiles du Cinéma, a footpath of 46 celebrity hand imprints in the pavement; it begins with the hands of Meryl Streep in front of the tourist office.
La Croisette
The multi-starred hotels and couture shops lining the iconic bd de la Croisette (aka La Croisette) may be the preserve of the rich and famous, but anyone can enjoy strolling the palm-shaded promenade – a favourite pastime among Cannois at night, when it twinkles with bright lights. Views of the Baie de Cannes and nearby Estérel mountains are beautiful, and seafront hotel palaces dazzle in all their stunning art deco glory.
Musée Bonnard
Easily recognisable by their intense, vivacious colours, the works of neo-impressionist painter Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) form the backbone of the colourful permanent collection at this lesser-known art museum. Housed in a restored belle-époque villa with a striking contemporary extension, the museum is in the hillside suburb of Le Cannet, about 3km north of downtown Cannes.
Le Suquet
Follow rue St-Antoine and snake your way up through the narrow streets of Le Suquet, Cannes’ oldest district. Up top you’ll find the site of Cannes’ medieval castle, place de la Castre, flanked by the 17th-century Église Notre-Dame de l’Esperance. Climb the adjacent ramparts for great views of the bay.
La Malmaison
On La Croisette, La Malmaison is a seaside pavilion in the former games and tea room of Cannes’ grandest hotel of the 1860s, the Grand Hôtel (opened in 1864, shut in 1950, then demolished and rebuilt in the 1960s). Modern art exhibitions fill part of La Malmaison today; admission price varies depending on the exhibit.
Under construction January 2023 until scheduled reopening December 2024.
Plage du Midi
This urban beach just west of Vieux Port enjoys gorgeous sunset views across to the red rock formations of the Corniche de l’Esterel. Cannes has some of the best beaches on the Coté d’Azur with fine sand and crystal blue water.