The city of Cannes is mainly known for its famous Film Festival, which takes place every year in May (in fact, I have several articles on the Cannes Film Festival topic if that interests you). But whether you are coming to Cannes for the Festival (as I have done for several editions) or visiting on other occasions, I offer in this article a little city guide of things to do in this Alpes-Maritimes city, located on the French Riviera in the PACA region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur). And as usual, I also offer a selection of gourmet addresses that I also had the opportunity to test during my various visits to Cannes.
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What to see and do in Cannes?
The city of Cannes is quite easy to explore on foot, even if walking the entire length of the Croisette will take you a bit of time… I suggest several visiting ideas below to do in Cannes, which I experienced during my various stays in the city.
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Visit the Le Suquet neighborhood
If you come to Cannes, I highly recommend taking a trip through old Cannes in the neighborhood called Le Suquet, which is a place with a truly charming atmosphere. At the top of this district, you will discover the old Notre-Dame-de-l’Espérance church and the Musée des Explorations du Monde, formerly the Musée de la Castre (which I talk about just below). In any case, the walk as well as the magnificent viewpoint over the Croisette are definitely worth a look.
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Visit the Musée des Explorations du Monde
This very beautiful ethnography museum located in Le Suquet, on the heights of the historic district of Cannes, in the remains of the medieval castle of the monks of Lérins (a listed historic monument), contains collections from all over the world. Formerly the Musée de la Castre, it is now the Musée des Explorations du Monde in connection with the travel that its collections invite. The museum offers a beautiful permanent exhibition with collections of art and objects from Oceania, the Himalayas, the Arctic, as well as a rich collection of Mediterranean antiquities and pre-Columbian ceramics.
During the visit, you can also climb to the top of the 12th-century square tower which is in its center and offers a magnificent panorama over the city, the most beautiful in Cannes, without a doubt.
Musée des Explorations du Monde
6 Rue de la Castre, 06400 Cannes
Prices: €6.50 / €3.50 reduced / free for all on the 1st Sunday of each month from November to March inclusive + for under-18s, students under-26, job seekers
Link to the museum’s website
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Visit Cannes by electric bike
During our stay in Cannes in October 2022 with my favorite photographer, we went on a small guided tour on electric bikes with YouRent Cannes. This shop, which offers bike, Vespa, and scooter rentals, also offers a guided bike tour service which is quite nice. Indeed, the very comfortable electric bikes from YouRent allow you to get a bit away from the city center and, above all, to go up into lesser-known neighborhoods like La Californie and to gain some height to have a very beautiful view of Cannes.
YouRent Cannes
22 Quai Saint-Pierre, 06400 Cannes
Duration of the electric bike guided tour: 2 hours 30 minutes
Price: €59 per person
Link to the shop’s website
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Visit the island of Saint-Honorat
This island is part of the Lérins Islands, located just a stone’s throw from the Cannes coastline and easily accessible by boat from the port of Cannes. It is the smaller of the two islands (the larger one being Sainte-Marguerite). On-site, there remains a monastery still in operation with monks of the Cistercian order who live from their production and tourism activity. Indeed, the monks are very good producers of wine, but also olive oil. It is also possible to visit the island to go on a spiritual retreat.
The iconic building is the Lérins Abbey, majestic while remaining sober. The first monastery dates back to the beginning of the 10th century with Saint-Honorat who founded a monastery there which became a major place of pilgrimage in the centuries that followed. Many religious figures have stayed there over the centuries, giving it an aura of prestige.
I recommend going with a guide or, as I did, with a “greeters” (a concept I have already told you about in several articles), those locals who show the gems of their place of life for free (you can actually visit the Cannes Greeters website which offers many free tours). In addition to what one learns about the abbey and its history, we have the opportunity to meet the monks in the company of a person who knows them well.
Île de Saint-Honorat
Price for the boat trip: €18 round trip
Link to the Lérins Abbey website
My great addresses in Cannes
As usual, you will find below my selection of great addresses in Cannes that we had the opportunity to test during our various stays with my favorite photographer. These addresses often offer the chance to discover local products and some regional specialties to taste if you come to the French Riviera. Be careful though, like many cities on the French Riviera, but this is particularly true for Cannes, restaurants are very expensive and we are at prices equivalent (or even higher) to Parisian prices for example.
If you want to eat more cheaply on the go and/or buy good products from the south, I advise you to take a trip to the Forville market, which is held every day (except Monday) from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It is located a few streets behind the west side of the old port basin and also offers many local products.
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Where to buy Italian products in Cannes? Aux Bons Raviolis
This small address located on a pedestrian street in Cannes offers good Italian products (fresh pasta, cheeses, deli meats, quiches, and cakes…) that we tested during our visit to the city in 2022.
Aux bons Raviolis
31 rue Meynadier 06400 Cannes
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Where to buy cheese in Cannes? Ceneri Fromager
This family of cheese makers and refiners for 3 generations has a beautiful shop right in the heart of the pedestrian zone of Cannes and offers more than 350 varieties of cheese refined in their cellars.
Ceneri Fromager
22 Rue Meynadier, 06400 Cannes
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A nice coffee shop in Cannes? The Copenhagen Coffee Lab
This nice little coffee shop overlooks the Forville market. You can taste sandwiches and pastries there, accompanied by a good cappuccino for example. The place has a few tables inside but also a few tables on the terrace with a view of the market.
To taste: the French Riviera cinnamon brioche (€2.60); the special milk bread sandwich (€4.50); cappuccino (€4.20).
Copenhagen Coffee Lab
5 Marché Forville 06400 Cannes
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Where to eat on the go in Cannes? La Malle
This stand that we discovered by chance at the Forville market is run by a young couple who offer quality snacks and some sweet treats as well (a crush on their cookies). At lunch, they offer a set menu for €13.50 with a snack + a cookie + a homemade drink. If you want to eat on the go but have good products, I recommend you take a look!
La Malle Cannes
5 days out of 7 at the Forville market in Cannes
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Where to brunch in Cannes? At the Hotel Martinez
The legendary Hotel Martinez, on the Croisette in Cannes, emblem of Cannes chic, offers a Family Brunch every weekend during the beautiful season. Depending on the weather, brunch is offered at the La Plage du Martinez restaurant facing the Mediterranean Sea or at the Le Jardin du Martinez restaurant when the weather is more fickle. During our brunch, we were lucky enough to enjoy beautiful weather, even in October, and we were able to brunch on the hotel’s beach.
The culinary show is provided by the team of Michelin-starred chef Christian Sinicropi to offer a gargantuan brunch where a salad bar with colorful vegetables, a seafood counter, various culinary animations such as risotto in the parmesan wheel, a selection of deli meats and refined cheeses, and for the sweet touch, varied desserts all come together.
Hotel Martinez
The Family Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday during the beautiful season and only on Sunday the rest of the year, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the restaurant La Plage du Martinez (or at the restaurant Le Jardin du Martinez depending on weather conditions)
Price of the Family Brunch: €95/person including a glass of Champagne, natural fruit juice, mineral water & hot drink included
The great tip: -50% for children from 6 to 12 years old – free for children under 6 with free access to the kid’s club
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Where to drink a cocktail in Cannes? Harry’s Bar
The legendary Harry’s Bar in Paris, the first cocktail bar in Europe (since 1911), celebrates Cuban cocktail culture with a second chic address in Cannes. The opportunity to discover iconic cocktails created by this institution more than a century ago, but also original creations imagined by bartender David Palanque, Meilleur Ouvrier de France. At the origin of this second address, we find Franz-Arthur MacElhone, great-grandson of the founder Harry MacElhone.
This Cannes address was imagined as a celebration of South American cocktail culture, and in particular Cuba. It offers a wide selection of Cuban recipes (Daiquiris, Frozens, Juleps, etc.) and also creations based on rum, Tequila, or even Mezcal. For the Harry’s Bar Cannes, David Palanque worked on a sharp and inventive menu of South American cocktails, bathed by the sun of the French Riviera.
Harry’s Bar Cannes
Port Canto, Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes
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I hope that with all this I will have made you want to visit Cannes and if you also have your great addresses and tips for this destination, do not hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Find all my articles on Cannes and the Film Festival below:
⇒ All my articles on Cannes
⇒ All my articles on the PACA region
MY ARTICLES ON CANNES
⇒ The Cannes Film Festival
⇒ Visit the city of Cannes
Photo credits: Melle Bon Plan and Nicolas Diolez Photos not copyright-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
