Sightseeing

Cannes is not the first French destination that you would think of if planning a holiday in which sightseeing was a priority; however, this is not to say that the city is lacking in attractions of this nature. To the contrary, the city is blessed with historic landmarks, spectacular exhibition halls and sites of significant natural beauty. Must-sees during any holiday in Cannes are the beautiful Lérin Islands.

Île Saint-Honorat

Of the two Lérin Islands that are populated, Île Saint-Honorat is the smaller but by no means the less interesting. Named after the French monk Honoratus, who constructed the first abbey there, the island is home to a variety of sights of interest including Notre Dame de Lérins, the 17th century abbey and a variety of other beautiful church buildings. The island offers some excellent scenery with the views of the bay among the most striking.

Île Sainte-Marguerite

This is the biggest of the four Lérin Islands and is similar to Île Saint-Honorat in that its primary appeal is its significant natural beauty. There are manmade attractions to appreciate as well and these include the 17th century fort and the Maritime Museum. The island has some wonderful beaches from which some of most picturesque sights of the bay and the surrounds can be best enjoyed.

Tour du Masque

The ‘Tower of the Mask' is so named because it's believed that the infamous Man in the Iron Mask (L'Homme au Masque de Fer) spent his remaining days incarcerated here. After admiring the tower's exterior, visitors can take a self-guided tour of the historically interesting interior. With local legend telling of the ghost of the masked man haunting the tower, you never know what spooky sights you might encounter.

Fragonard Perfume Museum

Established in 1926, Fragonard is one of France's oldest perfumeries and hence a place of significant historical interest from a visitor's perspective. Take a guided tour of the facility to see exactly what is involved in the various stages of scent production before checking out the excellent museum located inside the magnificent 19th century mansion.

Chapelle Bellini

Built in the Italian baroque style, Chapelle Bellini is a building that once provided home to the Princess of Serbia and then later became an art studio for Emmanuel Bellini, the celebrated Cannes painter. Bellini's daughter currently resides in the property so it's not open to the public for viewing, but appreciating it from the outside is enough for many visitors.

La Croisette

La Croisette is the city's most lavish shopping area and the place where you are most likely to spot Hollywood actors out and about during the Cannes Film Festival. At other times of the year, this upmarket shopping strip is worth a visit if only to watch in sheer bemusement as affluent shoppers spend the equivalent of your monthly salary on a single pair of shoes.

Palais des Festivals et des Congrès

The current palace was completed in 1982 although a smaller and more modest building had existed at the same site since 1949. The newer building was erected in response to the growing popularity of the Cannes Film Festival and the subsequent requirement for a larger exhibition space. Illustrating the architectural talents of Bennett & Druet, the building, with its 25,000 squares of space, is suitably impressive.

Overview

For some, the ideal holiday is about doing the least possible while exerting the minimum amount of effort, though for others it's about packing in as much as possible and engaging in lively and energetic activities. Cannes is a destination that appeals to both parties, the former being able to while away sunny days on the sand and the latter to pursue sports such as waterskiing, sailing, golf and rock-climbing or leisure pastimes such as bowling and go-karting.

Bowling

Bowling de Cannes is the city's state of the art bowling alley that comes with a total of 16 lanes as well as 21 pool tables and a remote control car racetrack. Enjoy a game of ten-pin bowling in the afternoon when the weather's wet or too hot or in the evening when there's a DJ spinning tunes and the atmosphere is lively.

Golf

Cannes has a number of golf clubs in and around the city and, with the great Mediterranean climate at work all year, visitors can be sure that the courses are well carpeted and come with some lush green surroundings. The 18-hole Golf de Cannes-Mougins course is within easy driving distance of the city (handicaps are required to play there), while the Golf de la Grande Bastide, also with 18 holes, is similarly easy to reach.

Go-karting

Just five kilometres outside of the city is the Buggy Cross go-karting complex, an outdoor karting centre that has facilities to cater to visitors of all ages including children as young as five. Aside from the go-karts, the complex has quad-bikes and a mini-motor racing circuit. No experience is necessary to ride any of the vehicles and safety is given the utmost consideration.

Fun on the beach

Cannes has some excellent beaches where soft sands and clear ocean waters present visitors with a myriad of leisure activity opportunities. A variety of water sports can be enjoyed across the seasons including snorkelling, surfing and windsurfing, sailing and water skiing, while come the warmest months, you'll find locals and visitors alike soaking up the sun or enjoying games such as beach volleyball and boules.

Climbing

For visitors wanting to climb in a controlled environment under the supervision of qualified instructors, the Mur d'Escalade indoor climbing centre (phone +33 4 9347 0633) in Cannes is the ideal place to head to. Meanwhile, experienced climbers preferring to try out the city's best outdoor climbing locations can get advice on the best crags in the area from staff at the centre.

Dining and shopping

Any city that attracts visitors in such large numbers, and especially affluent ones, is likely to have an impressive dining scene and indeed Cannes is no exception to this rule. The city caters to the hungry with a huge selection of dining establishments offering cuisine of an exceptionally high standard. With the sea on its doorstep, the city has easy access to fish and crustaceans, ensuring that seafood is a prevalent feature on many restaurant menus.

If you're keen to taste the best of Cannes' seafood creations, then don't miss out on the delicious escalope de mérou au citron, a dish of sea bass cooked in lime, or fruits de mer, a seafood platter that's as much a treat for the eyes as it is the tastebuds. As Cannes is a part of the Provence region, you can be sure also that there will be plenty of venues offering the famous dish of fish with onions, tomatoes, and saffron known as bouillabaisse.

Restaurants are spread across the length of the city and with regard to the cost of dining, the sky is the limit. A meal at one of the city's most upmarket establishments can easily set you back over €200, while dining at even a mid-range venue is likely to err on the high rather than the low or moderate sides. If you're used to standard European prices, however, you probably won't be too surprised when the bill arrives.

Should you wish to take a break from the local cuisine for an evening or two, then you'll find Cannes has a good selection of international eateries to offer. Cooking up authentic traditional dishes are venues representing Mexico, Spain, Italy, China and Thailand among others.

Prior to an evening meal why not take a stroll around some of Cannes' best shopping locations? The city has a huge selection of retail areas and several exceptionally classy ones at that. Rue d'Antibes and La Croisette are the most up-market streets in the city and where you'll find big names such as Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent.

If your budget doesn't quite stretch to the prices that exclusive designer labels demand then try the city's waterfront area, where the shops are still chic but the price tags are a little bit more down to earth. Cheaper still are the outlets on Rue Meynadier, a shopping street with a more traditionally French ambience that offers less in the way of branded goods and more in the way of locally made ones.

For an authentic traditional Provencal atmosphere, the city's lively market, Marché Forville, is the place to head to. Here you'll find the locals going about their daily business selling fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and flowers oblivious to the presence of movie stars or the affluent jet-set brigade over on La Croisette.

Though dining out in Cannes is usually a fairly expensive affair, one thing you can be sure of is the high standard of cuisine on offer. If it's local fare that you desire, then the city has an abundance of venues to suit, with fish and seafood restaurants being especially prevalent. There are foreign eateries available too, with Asian, European and Armenian among the choices available.

Overview

The primary international gateway to Cannes is Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and for a good many overseas visitors, this is the means by which they will arrive in the city. Europeans can take advantage of bus and train connections, while for UK and Corsican citizens, ferries combined with land travel provide an economical option. The local transportation infrastructure in Cannes is a little restricted in terms of options but getting around is still relatively easy all the same.

Airports

Nice Côte d'Azur Airport lies approximately seven kilometres west of the centre of Cannes and is a busy aviation facility that caters to the travel needs of close to 10 million passengers per year. The airport maintains connections with a large number of European cities plus a good selection of transatlantic and international destinations. From the UK there a regular flights operated by British Airways, easyJet and Bmi and easyJet, while from the US there are flights from several major cities operated by Northwest Airlines.

The airport has two terminals across which all essential passenger facilities are available. Terminal 2 is the largest building, serves the most passengers and consequently comes with the widest selection of amenities. Banks, ATMs and bureau de change counters are on offer, as well as cafés and restaurants and a good selection of shopping outlets.

The chief ground transportation option from the airport to the city is the train, which can be caught from the Gare Nice St Augustin train station, situated just 500 metres from Terminal 1. Buses are also available from outside the terminal building running a total of 20 different routes to destinations in the city. Taxis are available from stands located outside the terminals Arrivals areas and operated on metered fare bases.

Public transportation

From cities across France, visitors can make use of speedy rail connections to Cannes using the TGV service. There are regular connections from Paris and the journey time is just 5 hours 30 minutes. From London via a combination of the Eurostar service and the TGV, the journey time (not including the time between connections) is around 8 hours, 30 minutes. It's possible to take the train from a variety of other major European cities, including Brussels, Milan, Basel, Rome and Venice.

The Eurolines bus service connects France with destinations across Europe, while national and regional bus services make the ongoing connections with Cannes; the latter is operated by Rapides Côte d'Azur and CTM. By ferry, there are services to the Port of Nice from Corsica and to Calais from ports in England. From either port public transport can make the connection to Cannes but visitors should be warned that the journey from Calais is a long one.

Cannes' public transport system is limited to buses only and though the network is extensive and services are efficient, many visitors choose to rent cars during their stay. The buses are operated by a number of different companies including CTM Cannes La Bocca, STU de Cannes Bus Azur, Beltrame and Bus Azur. All services are from or terminate at one of the city's two main bus stations.

Taxis are easily found for visitors wanting convenience and extra comfort and are government regulated so fares are reasonable, relatively speaking. Cabs can be hired from stands, by telephone or hailed in the street.