Ah, Cannes!
Come rub shoulders with actors, sports stars, crazy celebrities, because here, together with St Tropez and Monte Carlo, is where you’ll find the glitz and glamour of the Mediterranean. If that’s your thing, of course… 🙂
From its earliest days as a small fishing village, this glittering city, located on the French Riviera, has been famous for the well known Cannes Film Festival.
It is also a popular tourist destination in Europe with great weather, interesting tourist spots, museums and beautiful Mediterranean beaches.
Carlton Hotel – the favorite hotel of movie stars
This city boasts exclusive and immaculate seafront hotels, glamorous yachts, beaches and designer boutiques. It is a fantasy land where appearances count, especially during the Film Festival.
It is located on a large bay, which attracts sailboats and yachts from around the Mediterranean. It is on the main railway line that runs from Marseille to Nice, Monte Carlo and into Italy.
Nice International Airport is the nearest airport and it is 27 kilometers (16.7 miles) east from the city.
A Little Bit of History
Cannes was first inhabited by the Ligurians in the 2nd century BC and then the Romans took over.
In 891 the Saracens conquered it, destroyed it, and it remained pretty much in shambles until the end of the 10th century.
It was first mentioned by its current name in the 11th century, and this is when the two towers in the Lerins islands were built. The monks constructed a castle in 1035 and fortified the city.
Marina with the Promenade de la Croisette
It became independent from the monks in 1530. In the 18th century the British and the Spanish tried to capture the city, but they were driven off by the French.
Later it was controlled by many rulers and the city began to rise in prominence in the 19th century.
Henry Brougham constructed the villa Eleonore-Louise and improved the living conditions in the city. This prompted many English aristocrats to build their winter residences here.
Since 1946 Cannes Film Festival is held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, every spring.
Movie stars from Hollywood, New York and Europe visit this glamorous place for this festival and tourists throng the place to get a glimpse of their favorite stars.
Along the promenade La Croisette outside the Film Festival venue you can see the hand prints of dozens of movie stars like Julie Andrews, Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg and Gregory Peck.
Some other festivals and celebrations here are Carnival of the Riviera, International Festival of Games, Festival de la Plaisance and the Pan-African Film Festival.
Famous people from this city are Jean Sobieski, Karina Testa, Gerard Philipe, Giselle Pascal, Pierre Jourdan, Francesca Petitjean, Yann Collette and Jean Vinci.
There are many elegant boutiques and shops that sell designer merchandise such as fine furniture, expensive jewelry and unique pieces of art.
Where is Cannes?
- 34.1 miles/ 55 km from Monte Carlo, Monaco
- 185.1 miles/ 298 km from Montpellier, France
- 10.5 miles/ 17 km from Antibes, France
- 74.5 miles/ 120 km from Toulon, France
- 21.1 miles/ 34 km from Nice, France
- 562.3 miles/ 905 km from Paris, France
- 3.1 miles/ 5 km from Cannes-Mandelieu Airport, France
- 16.7 miles/ 27 km from Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport, France
- 106.8 miles/ 172 km from Marseille Provence Airport, France
Things to See
- Palais des Festivals
- La Croisette
- Musee de la Castre
- Rue d’Antibes
- Museum of the Sea
Beaches
- Plage du Casino
- Plage Mace Publique
- Plage du Square Verdun
- Plage du Midi
Excursions
- Cruise to Corniche d’Or
- The Croisette
- Saint Marguerite Island
This glamorous place is an immaculate, fantasy land with seafront hotels, glamorous yachts and fabulous designer shops.
It’s a great hub for exploring nearby hot spots as well such as Nice, Monte Carlo, St Tropez and Marseille – plenty of reasons to visit this bustling port city.
We wish you a fantastic Mediterranean cruise!
