cannes festival | film festival | cannes france

Local Area

The Palais des Festivals on the seafront, near the old harbour, is the heart of the Cannes Film Festival but also hosts trade shows, conferences and tournaments throughout the rest of the year. A 15/20 minute walk from the apartment.

There are a number of festivals conducted at Cannes throughout the year but the most well known has to be the Cannes Film Festival. This years Cannes film festival marks its 60th anniversary making it one of the oldest film festivals in the world. The festival normally takes place in the month of May and lasts for around 10 days.

Free Beaches extensive to the west of Le Suquet along the boulevard du Midi, with plenty of kiosks selling snacks, drinks and ice creams. The kids will be happy to spend their whole holidays in Cannes here!!

Boulevard de la Croisette this beautiful broad promenade runs all the way from the Vieux Port to the Cap de la Croisette, with little blue chairs along much of the way where you can watch the world go by. In summer there are various little amusement areas for the kids with various games and activities dotted at intervals along the Croisette. The seafront is the home of some palatial hotels such as the ‘Carlton Intercontinental’ and the more modern ‘Martinez’. The beautiful ‘Malmaison’ is a former tea room which now houses temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. To the east, the Espace Miramar also hosts temporary exhibitions. After dinner in the apartment, or at one of the numerous restaurants in the area, La Croisette is perfect for a stroll to enjoy the ambience of this great city.

Rue d’Antibes and the streets surrounding it are home to the South of France’s most extensive array of luxury shops, names such as Luis Vuitton, Bulgari, Cartier, Pierre Cardin abound. It is around here also that the famous Cannes nightlife is centred. That having been said the western edge of the Rue d’Antibes houses many budget shops and 1 Euro shops where everything costs only 1 Euro. Even in the designer shops it is often possible to pick up a bargain particularly towards the end of a season.

Le Suquet is the old own, named after the hill on which it stands. In the 11th Century it became the property of the monks of the Iles des Lerins and a castle built by them in 1088, still stands. Home to the Musee de la Castre which has pictures of old Cannes and a collection of musical instruments from all over the world. Originally the home of the city’s poorer residents it has become increasingly chic, although still less overtly trendy than the streets behind La Croisette.

Iles de Lerins are a 15 minute ferry ride from Cannes and a haven from the hurly burly of daily life in Cannes. Boats for both islands leave from the Quai des Iles at the end of the Quai Max-Laubeuf and run frequently, particularly during the summer months.

Ste-Marguerite is the larger and more animated of the two islands. It has a working boatyard and despite having plenty of day trippers can still be a place of seclusion if you are prepared to move away from the port area. The main structure on the island is the Fort Ste-Marguerite. One cell in the fort has been identified as having held the Man in the Iron Mask, a mythical character taken from the writing of Alexandre Dumas author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.

St-Honorat is the smaller southern island and has been owned by monks almost continuously since its namesake, Honoratus, a Roman noble, founded it in 410 AD. The present abbey buildings are mainly 19th Century, though some medieval structures survive in one form or another. Today a small community of Cistercian monks live here and from their vineyards they produce a sought after wine, as well as making liqueurs and these can all be bought in the abbey shop. On the south facing sea edge stands an 11th Century fortress that was used to guard against invaders, particularly the Saracens. A haven of tranquillity – it is not permitted to smoke or engage in nude bathing on the island. Well worth a visit!

Cannes Restaurants are many and varied and getting a meal even into the early hours should not present a problem. Of course there are the Euros 100 or more venues, but a wide range of more easily affordable restaurants abound and finding a restaurant or café that serves good food to suit any budget will prove easy. Near to the apartments in Cannes there are numerous cafes and small restaurants on the Boulevarde de la Republique, and some of these are literally a minute or two away from your front door .