A lot of sights nearby
Even though lying on the beach, taking strolls in the shopping streets and looking at the people from a sidewalk café is nice, sometimes it’s nice to go out and train the cultural muscles. Besides the many exciting festivals during the year, it is worth exploring the glorious French history, experiencing the lavish upper-class villas, visiting one of the numerous museums or walking in the footsteps of the famous movie starts. For your convenience and inspiration, we have here selected a couple of Cannes’ greatest cultural experiences.
Île Sainte-Marguerite
A little more than half a mile of water separates the small island of Île Sainte-Marguerite from the main land. People have lived on the island ever since Roman times, but it is mostly famous for housing the fortress of Fort Royal, which kept the Man with the Iron Mask incarcerated for eleven years.
Explore the old prison cells, Roman remains and visit the island’s Museum of the Sea. The boat trip to Île Sainte-Marguerite takes fifteen minutes.
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La Croisette
La Croisette is the famous and inevitable beach promenade and boulevard in Cannes. With the soft sand of the Mediterranean on one hand and the majestic luxury hotels and beauty parlours on the other, this is the place where the rich and the famous checks in when on holiday.
A stroll down promenade is a must for everyone and from here it is possible to experience the beautiful architecture and the mighty Estérel mountains rising in the horizon.
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The Cannes villas
In many ways Cannes is quite a modern city but the 19th century Cannes still stands in all its glory. The big and impressive villas – also known as Quartier des Anglais (The English District) – form the oldest still existing residential area and was built by wealthy men with architectonic inspiration from medieval castles and Roman villas.
Most of these impressive villas still stand and are extremely well-preserved. Unfortunately, they are not open to the public, but even the sight of them from outside is enough to make anyone speechless.
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Palais de Festival
During May, the world’s biggest movie stars walk down the red carpet, but when Cannes International Film Festival is over, it is the tourists’ turn to bathe in the flashes from the cameras and climb the stairs to Palais de Festival at the end of La Croisette.
It is here – in this special concrete and glass building – that the The Golden Palm each year is given to the most significant film. Outside the festival building, you’ll find the Cannes “Walk of Fame”, where the stars have put their hand print in the asphalt.
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