Cannes Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Alpes-Maritimes (06400) Population: 68,680 Altitude: 6 m Nearby: [ Aix/Pvc 152 km | Antibes 10 | Marseilles 159 | Nice 32 | Toulon 121 ] Photos: [ A jazz solo on an Autumn beach (24 k) ] [ American transportation (18 k) ] [ Petanque by the flea market (31 k) ] [ The Forville covered market (26 k) ] [ The flea market at "Les Allées" (33 k) ]   Also for Cannes: [ Lerins Islands ] Below: [ History | Numbers | Shopping | Markets | Dining | Parks, Playgrounds | Swimming | Transportation | Hiking | Lodging ] Cannes is the "star" of the French Riviera, famous for the International Film Festival and the glitzy hotels, cars, beaches and visitors attracted here. Although it's probably the opposite of the Beyond type villages of the "arriére pays", it would be a shame to visit the South of France without experiencing the city for yourself. Film producers (yea, sure!) and starlets for the festival in May. Tourists year-round and crowds of tourists in the summer. Exotic people and real people, and plenty of poodles (it is France, after all). The yachts and cruise ships float in the blue water, and you can't always tell which is which by the size. Exotic cars abound: white-haired ladies drive Maseratis for shopping trips, Porsches blow through the streets like pollen, and only the very latest models of Lamborghini and Ferrari attract serious attention. This American snake (photo) is the hit of the moment. The city of Cannes is centered around the old port, with the central part quite compact. The famous "Croisette" is the boulevard and the beach that extends around the bay to the east of the port, in the protected "Rade de Cannes". Out around the point at the west side of the port, the Boulevard Jean Hibert runs along the coast to the west, with even more fine sandy beaches. The Rue d'Antibes is the main street running east-west through the center of the city, becoming the Rue Félix Faure at the bottom end, past the Allée de la Liberté and the port. The Boulevard Carnot runs north out of the city, through residential-shopping areas, to the A8 autoroute, and inland towards Grasse. The closest thing to an "old town" is "Le Suquet" overlooking the west end of the port. The 12th-century Tour de Mt. Chevalier, ramparts and 12th-16th-century church Notre-Dame-de-l'Espérence give a touch of medieval flavor to the city. The Le Suquet area has narrow streets climbing up and around the hill, with a fine view from the top. Standing on the ancient rampart wall in front of the church, you can see east across the city, the port and the bay to the Cap de la Croisette, and to the west across the Gulf of La Napoule to the Massif de l'Esterel mountains. Beaches. If you're not busy shopping, eating or ogling, there are miles of beaches along the Golfe de la Napoule or along "La Croisette" in the Rade de Cannes. The beaches are all sandy here, as in Antibes and Juan-les-Pins. Street Names. Now and again we run across street names that invoke humor, curiosity or wonderment. Rue de la Misericorde (near the Forville market): doesn't really mean you live on "misery" street as it would seem to an Anglophone; "misericorde" is mercy, named after the Chapelle de la Misericorde on the same street. Rue des Etats-Unis should make visiting Americans feel welcome; parallel to this street there's also a Rue des Belges and a Rue des Serbes. Name First record, 10th century: Canua. The name might derive from "canna", a reed. History This was probably the site of a small Ligurian port, and later a Roman outpost on Le Suquet hill. Gallo-Roman and Roman tombs were discovered here. Le Suquet housed an 11th-century lookout tower, and overlooked swamps where the city now stands. Most of the ancient activity, especially for protection, was on the Lerin Islands just off the coast, and the history of Cannes is really the history of the islands. Numbers Office de Tourisme Palais des Festivals, Bvd Croisette Tel: (33) 493 39 24 53; Fax: (33) 493 99 37 06 Place Gare (train station) Tel: (33) 493 99 19 77; Fax: (33) 493 39 40 19 Shopping Cannes is great for "upper-crust" shopping. You should be in Nice for serious or business shopping, while Cannes is a shopper's paradise for chic and expensive items. Although you might want to buy your yacht in Antibes, the Rolls-Royce dealer is in Cannes, and there's an endless collection of top-of-the-line jewelry shops, haute-couture clothing shops and art galleries. Rue d'Antibes. This long street runs the length of Cannes, from the eastern edge to Rue Félix Faure at the port. Shops of all types are along here, including clothing boutiques and many places with fine gift items. Cannes' movie theaters are along the Rue d'Antibes as well. Bvd de la Croisette. Along this famous boulevard and its many side streets are the art galleries, jewelry stores and the most exclusive clothing shops. If you're not on a budget, your hotel will probably be here as well. Zone Piétonne - Walking Street. The Rue Meynadier runs parallel to the port, one block in from Rue Félix Faure. Roughly six blocks long, this street has markets and shops with things like produce, meat, groceries, clothes and gifts. There's a Pier One Imports shop with household items. Markets Flea Market. A Marché Brocante is held every Saturday, "Sur Les Allées", opposite the old port, beneath the trees. This becomes a two-day market with the first Sunday of the month. Forville. The main daily market is at Forville, two blocks north (inland) from the Hotel de Ville on Rue Félix Faure. This is a big, active covered market, that takes up a full, long block (photo). A flower market is at the west end of the covered area. On Mondays, Forville becomes a Marché Brocante (flea market). Place Gambetta. This is a smaller, but still sizable, daily market in the covered area in the center of the square. Place Gambetta is a block north of the Rue d'Antibes and a couple of blocks east of the train station. Museums Musée de la Castre Mediterranean Archeology, ethnology and Provençale paintings. Location: on top of "Le Suquet" hill at the medieval site overlooking the port. Tel: Open: Oct-Mar, 10h-12h, 14h-17h; Apr-June, 10h-12h, 14h-18h; July-Sept 10h-12h, 15h-19h; Closed Tuesday and holidays Entry: 10F Dining There are restaurants everywhere in Cannes, and of all kinds and prices, from Pizza or Tex-Mex to multiple Michelin 5-star. Seafood. Many of the seafood restaurants are on the Quai St. Pierre (along the west side of the port) or on the Rue Félix Faure. In "Astoux & Brun" on the corner of Rue Félix Faure and Rue Louis Blanc, for example, you can enjoy oysters or large shrimp and a bottle of Cabris blanc-des-blancs any hour of the day, avoiding the normal mealtime crowds. Terrace café-restaurants abound along the "la Croisette", with great star-and-car watching. The narrow Rue Saint Antoine going up the "Le Suquet" hill has several nice, cozy restaurants. View. There's only one restaurant with a good view of Cannes' old harbor and the sea out to the Lerin islands. The Méditerranée restaurant on the top (7th) floor of the Sofitel, out at the corner of the port, has a panoramic view of the port, the town, the sea and part of the Esterel.     All the tables have a good view, but the round room at the end has the best view of the sea, especially the three 2-person tables at the outer side. The tables at the opposite end of the main room overlook Le Suquet hill and the roofs of the old town. The restaurant offers fish courses of course, and also a vegetarian menu.     They're open mid-days (180 F menu) and evenings (230 F menu). On Sundays they have a Grand Buffet (brunch) from 12h30-14h30, at 250 F including drinks. During the winter season (until April) they're closed on Sunday evenings and all day Monday. Location: Bd Jean Hibert and Rue du Port Plage de Midi 06400 Cannes Cedex Tel: (33) 492 99 73 00; Fax: (33) 492 99 73 29 There are several restaurants on Rue du Port, facing the side of the port. Most of these are ground-floor only, without much of a view. The Gaston Gastounette restaurant has a second floor (1ere étage), with four window tables that offer some view of the port and the sea. They have 130 F and 170 F menus. Tel: (33) 493 39 47 92; (33) 493 39 49 44. Parks and Playgrounds A small "square" on the Le Suquet hill, just below the tower and ramparts, and places to sit amidst large oleander bushes and beneath lovely shade trees. At the west end of "La Croisette", between the Palais des Festivals and the beach, is a shaded grassy park area with playground, including slides and things. You'll find a real carrousel there, or sometimes an even bigger one out on the esplanade in front of the "Palais". At the east end of "La Croisette", just before the new Port Canto yacht harbor, is another park and playground. This one also has carnival-type rides for the bigger kids. Beside the playground at the east end of "La Croisette" is the Jardin Alexandre III, a lovely big flower-garden park. Swimming Pools (Piscines) Cercle des Nageurs de Cannes av Pierre de Coubertin Tel: (33) 493 90 64 20; Fax: (33) 493 90 65 50 Piscine des Oliviers 10 av Bénéfiat Tel: (33) 493 99 43 43 Piscine Municipale av Pierre de Coubertin; 06150 Tel: (33) 493 47 12 94 Transportation Bus. Good bus service is provided for the suburbs and for many of the outlying towns and villages. The main bus station is very visible, outside, at the northwest corner of the port, on the Place Bernard Cornut-Gentille. Train. The main rail line goes east to Monaco, Menton, Italy and the rest of Europe, with local-line stops at Antibes and Biot. To the west, the line goes to Marseille, Lyon and Paris, with local stops at Fréjus. [Rail Map] Some typical Cannes-Paris schedules and prices are shown on the Travel-Rail page. Gare SNCF Rue Jean-Jaurès Tel: (33) 493 99 50 50; Reservations - Tel: (33) 493 90 35 50 Rentals. You can rent just about anything that moves here. For wheeled vehicles, everything from Rolls and Ferraris to motorscooters and bicycles are available. Contact the Office de Tourisme for information. Camping Hiking Maps: Michelin "green" #115 (1/100,000) - "French Riviera - Alpes-Maritimes" IGN (1:25,000) 3643 ET "Cannes-Grasse" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #26 "Pays d'Azur" Cannes is better suited for strolling the Croisette along the beaches than real hiking, although there are some possibilities not too far away. The GR 51 (Balcony of the Cote d'Azur) passes on the other side of Mandelieu La Napoule, 10 km west of center Cannes. The GR 51 goes north, through Auribeau-sur-Siagne (10 km from Cannes) and on to Grasse and points east. To the west, the GR 51 crosses Provence all the way to Marseille. Lodging Listing available