Cannes

La Croisette, Le Suquet and a boat to the Lérins islands

Cannes and its two offshore islands make a two-day trip. Start at the Palais des Festivals and walk La Croisette, then climb Le Suquet to the Musée de la Castre. Take a boat from Quai Laubeuf to Île Sainte-Marguerite in the afternoon, and give day two to the abbey island of Saint-Honorat.

Morning. Start at the Palais des Festivals before the crowds and pose on the 24 red-carpet steps, then walk along the Allée des Étoiles in front, where stars have pressed their hands into the pavement. Follow La Croisette east past the white façades of the Carlton and the Martinez, glancing at the private beach clubs below, as far as you like; the Pointe Croisette and the Palm Beach casino mark the far end.

Late morning. Double back to the old port and climb the lanes of Le Suquet. At the top, the Musée de la Castre occupies the old castle; its tower gives the best view in town over the port, the bay and the Esterel's red hills. Notre-Dame d'Espérance stands next door. Come down by Rue Saint-Antoine for lunch in one of its small restaurants.

Afternoon. Catch a boat from Quai Laubeuf to Île Sainte-Marguerite. Walk the pine and eucalyptus paths, swim from the rocks on the southern shore, and visit the Fort Royal, where the cell of the Man in the Iron Mask is still shown.

Second day. Take the abbey's boat to Saint-Honorat, home to a Cistercian community who tend vines and make liqueurs, and walk the island loop past its fortified monastery tower. Back in town, finish with an evening stroll past the yachts in the old port and dinner off Rue d'Antibes.

Rue Meynadier, Le Suquet and the Forville market for eating in Cannes

The best-value food in Cannes is on Rue Meynadier, where bakeries sell pissaladière, pan bagnat and tourte de blettes. For a sit-down meal, Le Suquet and Rue Saint-Antoine serve bouillabaisse and bourride. The Marché Forville closed in 2026 for a renovation lasting several months, so check that it has reopened before you go.

Cannes eats Provençal and Niçois food, and the best of it is cheap. Rue Meynadier, the narrow shopping street at the foot of Le Suquet, is lined with bakeries, delicatessens and cheese shops; pick up pissaladière (onion tart with anchovies and olives), pan bagnat, the olive-oil-soaked tuna sandwich, and slices of tourte de blettes, the sweet chard pie of the Riviera, for a picnic on the islands.

The Marché Forville, the covered market at the western end of the street, has long been the place for local vegetables, flowers and fish straight off the boats, but the town hall closed it in 2026 for a renovation lasting several months, so confirm it is trading again before you go.

For a sit-down meal, the restaurants of Le Suquet, especially along Rue Saint-Antoine, serve bouillabaisse and bourride (a garlicky fish soup thickened with aïoli), grilled sea bream, and daube with ravioli in winter. The seafront restaurants on La Croisette charge mainly for the people-watching; the food is acceptable but rarely more. Back streets north of Rue d'Antibes have better-value bistros where locals eat at lunch.

To drink, rosé from Provence is the default on a terrace, and the monks of Saint-Honorat sell their own red and white wines and a herbal liqueur, Lérina, at the abbey shop.

Cannes festivals, events and weather across the year

For a beach trip, aim for June or late September, when Cannes sits at 25 to 26C and the sea is warm. The Festival de Cannes runs for about two weeks in mid-May, Cannes Lions comes in June and the Yachting Festival in September. October and November are the wettest months.

Cannes runs on an events calendar as much as on weather. The Festival de Cannes takes over the Palais for about two weeks in mid-May; screenings are for accredited guests, but anyone can watch the evening red-carpet arrivals from the barriers. In June the Cannes Lions advertising festival fills the hotels again. Through July and August, the Festival d'Art Pyrotechnique stages fireworks competitions over the bay on several evenings, best watched from the beach or the Croisette. In September the Cannes Yachting Festival moors hundreds of boats in the old port. Trade fairs such as MIPIM in March and MIPCOM in October can fill rooms just as completely.

The weather is classic Riviera. July and August average 28 to 29°C with almost no rain, and the sea is warmest in August. June, at 26°C, and September, at 25°C, are the best balance, with warm water and fewer people. Autumn is the wet season and arrives with force: October averages about 134 mm and November around 145 mm, often in short, violent storms. Winter days stay mild at about 14°C, and the light is clear, but many beach clubs close and the town feels like a conference venue.

For a beach holiday, aim for June or the second half of September, after the yachting show.