Things To Do in Cannes

Far and away, Cannes’ most famous street is the promenade de la Croisette—or simply La Croisette—which curves along the coast. It’s lined by grand hotels (some dating from the 19th century), boutiques, and exclusive beach clubs. It’s also home to temporary exhibition space La Malmaison, 47 La Croisette (tel. 04-97-06-44-90), but check that it's open before heading over. Above the harbor, the Old Town of Cannes sits on Suquet Hill, where visitors can climb the 14th-century Tour de Suquet.

The best new cultural space? Snorkel offshore to the Iles de Lérins. Here British underwater artist Jason deCaires Taylor has deposited six subsea monoliths. His subaquatic museum is made from marine-friendly materials, which will become host to algae and corals, thereby creating living sculptures. Rent a kayak or solar boat (see below) then jump right in. 

Organized Tours of Cannes

One of the best ways to get your bearings in Cannes is to climb aboard the Petit Train touristique de Cannes (tel. 06-22-61-25-76). The vehicles operate daily from 10am to 8pm,. The three itineraries offered are: Modern Cannes, with a ride along La Croisette and its side streets (35 min.); Historical Cannes, which weaves through the narrow streets of Le Suquet (35 min.); or the Big Tour, a combination of the two (1 hr.). All trains depart from the Palais des Festivals every 30 to 60 min. Shorter tours cost 9€ for adults and 5€ for children 3 to 10; the Big Tour costs 14€ for adults and 8€ for children 3 to 10.

Day Trips

Grasse, Golfe-Juan & Vallauris, and Mougins all make excellent day trips from Cannes.

Cannes achieves a blend of resort-style leisure, glamour, and media glitz more successfully than many of its neighbors. You’ll see every big-name designer you can think of, plus a legion of one-off designer boutiques and shoe stores. There are also real-people shops; resale shops for star-studded castoffs; flea markets for funky junk; and a fruit, flower, and vegetable market.

Books — Autour d'un Livre, 11 rue Bivouac Napoleon (tel. 04-93-68-01-99), is a combination bookshop and cafe with a small selection of English language novels and travel guides.

Designer Shops — Most of the big fashion names line promenade de la Croisette, the main drag along the sea. Among the most pricey are Dior, 38 La Croisette (tel. 04-92-98-98-00), and Hermès, 52 La Croisette (tel. 04-93-39-08-90). The stores stretch from the Hôtel Carlton almost to the Palais des Festivals, with the top names closest to the Gray d’Albion, 38 rue des Serbes (www.lucienbarriere.com; tel. 04-92-99-79-79), both a mall and a hotel (how convenient). Near the train station, department store Galeries Lafayette has all the big-name labels crammed into one smallish space at 6 rue du Maréchal-Foch (www.galerieslafayette.com, tel. 04-97-06-25-00).

Young hipsters should try Bathroom Graffiti, 52 rue d’Antibes (tel. 04-93-39-02-32), for sexy luggage, bikinis, and designer houseware. The rue d’Antibes is also brilliant for big-brand bargains (Zara and MaxMara), as well as one-off boutiques like budget fashion mecca Future (around the corner on 10 rue Macé). If you can afford it, JP Art (also on rue Macé) sells sailing boats made from deconstructed Hermès luggage and pop art homages to Serge Gainsbourg and Steve McQueen.

Food — The Marché Forville (see below) and the surrounding streets are unsurprisingly the best places to search for picnic supplies. For bottles of Côtes de Provence, try La Vinothèque, 14 rue Marceau (tel. 04-93-99-94-02) where knowledgable staff can select the right bottle.  La Compagnie des Saumons, 12 pl. Marché Forville (tel. 04-93-68-33-20), brims with caviar, bottles of fish soup, and slabs of smoked salmon. Local cheese shop Le Fromage Gourmet, 8 rue des Halles (tel. 04-93-99-96-41), is a favorite of celebrated chef Alain Ducasse.

Markets — The Marché Forville, in place Marché Forville just north of the Vieux Port, is a covered stucco structure with a few arches but no walls. From Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 1pm, it’s the fruit, vegetable, and flower market that supplies the dozens of restaurants in the area. Monday (8am–6pm) is brocante day, when the market fills with dealers selling everything from Grandmère’s dishes and bone-handled carving knives to castaways from estate sales. Tuesdays to Sundays, 8am to 12:30pm, the small Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market) takes place outdoors along the edges of the allée de la Liberté, across from the Palais des Festivals.

Bars & Clubs — A strip of sundowner bars stretches along rue Félix Faure. Most are chic, some have happy-hour cocktails, and several have DJs after dinner. Wine bar La Belle Époque, 6 rue des Frères Pradignac (tel. 06-41-39-97-90), is a late-opening gem with killer cocktails. Happen, 26 rue du Suquet (tel. 06-03-02-32-26), also opens until 2am to serve Provence wines and light bites with great music. Continue the party at Chrystie, 22 rue Macé (www.chrystie.com; tel. 04-93-99-66-91), with a choice of dozens of impeccably created cocktails on offer luxurious nibbles (try the truffle pizza), plus live pop, international DJs, and cabaret. At Le Bâoli, Port Pierre Canto, La Croisette (www.baolicannes.com; tel. 04-93-43-03-43), Europe’s partying elite, from Prince Albert of Monaco to Jude Law, dance until dawn. Dress to the nines to slip past the über-tight security and into this Asian-inspired wonderland.

Casinos — Cannes is invariably associated with easygoing permissiveness, filmmaking glitterati, and gambling. If the latter is your thing, Cannes has world-class casinos (you must present a passport for entry) loaded with high rollers, voyeurs, and everyone in between. The better established is the Casino Barrière Cannes Le Croisette, in the Palais des Festivals, 1 espace Lucien Barrière (www.lucienbarriere.com; tel. 04-92-98-78-00). A well-respected fixture in town since the 1950s, a collection of noisy slot machines it is most certainly not.  All Cannes casinos maintain slots that operate daily from lunchtime to around 4am. Smarter dress is expected for the salles des grands jeux (blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, and chemin de fer), which open nightly 8pm to 4am.