Things to Do in Cannes City-Centre: A Local\’s Guide

TLDR

Cannes crams an unusual amount into a small footprint: the Palais des Festivals, La Croisette, Le Suquet old town, Marche Forville and the Lerins Islands ferry all sit inside a 20 minute walking radius. Two days covers the headline list properly. This guide ranks what is genuinely worth your time and what is skippable.

Cannes gets more attention than most cities its size because of the Film Festival, but the 10 months a year outside festival fortnight are when the city is actually fun to visit. It is compact, walkable, sits on a proper Mediterranean beach, and has a seven hundred year old hill town on top of a film studio grade seafront.

This guide covers the main attractions in the order you would most usefully do them, with realistic time estimates, prices as of 2026, and a few honest notes on which private beach clubs are worth the money and which public beach will give you exactly the same sea for free.

Walk La Croisette End to End

The 3 kilometre Boulevard de la Croisette promenade is the spine of any Cannes visit. It runs from the Palais des Festivals in the west to Pointe Croisette in the east, with the palm trees, the iconic blue chairs, the public beaches and the Carlton, Majestic and Martinez hotel terraces along the way.

Allow 45 minutes to an hour for an unhurried end to end walk, longer if you stop at Plage Macé for a swim or at one of the beach club cafes for a drink. The seafront path has a continuous pedestrian lane, and the crossing points at Rue des Belges and Rue du Canada give you access across to Rue d’Antibes when you want to switch sides.

At the eastern end, Pointe Croisette widens into a park with the Palm Beach Casino, the Port Canto marina and its daily fish market (except Monday), and the quieter Plage du Mourre Rouge. Most first time visitors stop at the Martinez and miss this section, which is a minor mistake because it is the calmest stretch of the seafront.

The Palais des Festivals and the Walk of Stars

The Palais des Festivals is both a landmark and a working congress centre, hosting the Cannes Film Festival in May, the Cannes Lions advertising festival in June, MIPCOM in October and dozens of other industry events. The red carpet steps on the seafront side are roped off outside festival, but the Chemin des Etoiles handprints set into the pavement are free and accessible any time.

Guided interior tours run several times a week outside major festivals, last about an hour and cost EUR 6 booked at the Cannes Tourist Office next to the Palais on La Croisette. You see the Grand Auditorium and Debussy theatres, the backstage, and learn the history of how the building earned its nickname ‘Le Bunker’.

The Chemin des Etoiles is worth a proper 15 minute stop. More than 150 handprints are set into the stone along the Palais exterior including Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood, Sharon Stone, Sophia Loren and most of the palme d’or winners. It is the most photographed pavement in the city.

Marche Forville: The City’s Best Market

Marche Forville, under a covered iron canopy two streets north of the old port, is the city’s working traditional market and one of the top on the whole Cote d’Azur. It runs Tuesday to Sunday mornings roughly 7.30am to 1pm, with the best stalls packing up by noon. Mondays the space switches to a brocante flea market.

The stalls carry Provencal cheeses, olives, charcuterie, fresh fish straight off the boats at the old port, seasonal fruit, rotisserie chicken and herbs in quantities that make sense. Chefs from the better restaurants shop here from 8am, and the queue at the Laporte fish stand at 10am is your quality signal.

Either come for breakfast at 9am (half a baguette, a wedge of Comte, olives and a coffee at the counter bar for under EUR 12) or pick up a picnic for the beach. A proper picnic for two with cheese, charcuterie, olives, a baguette, fruit and a small wine comes in around EUR 20 to 25.

Climb Le Suquet for the Sunset View

Le Suquet, the medieval old town on Mont Chevalier above the old port, is the best free viewpoint in Cannes. The climb takes 8 to 10 minutes up Rue Saint Antoine from the port, which is signposted and cobbled. At the top, Place de la Castre gives a clean view over the bay, the Iles de Lerins and La Croisette.

Inside the walls, the Musee de la Castre in the medieval chateau runs an ethnographic collection donated by Baron Lycklama in 1877, with Pacific, African and pre Columbian artefacts. Entry is EUR 6.50, closed Mondays. The 11th century Tour du Mont Chevalier is visible from the square and is usually open for a brief climb up the spiral staircase.

Sunset in July and August draws a crowd to the main viewpoint, so either arrive 45 minutes before sunset to claim a spot on the low wall, or come an hour after sunrise for the same view to yourself. Stay for dinner on Rue Saint Antoine at Aux Bons Enfants, La Cave or Auberge Provencale for Provencal classics at EUR 30 to 50 a head.

Take the Ferry to the Lerins Islands

The two Lerins Islands, 15 minutes out from the Quai des Iles at the old port, are the surprise highlight for most first time visitors. Ile Sainte Marguerite is the larger island and holds the Fort Royal where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned, along with a 5 kilometre walking loop through pines and along rocky swimming coves. The ferry is about EUR 17 round trip.

Ile Saint Honorat is the smaller monastic island, run by Cistercian monks who still produce wine and Lerina liqueur you can buy at the abbey shop. The island is quieter, the walking loop is 3 kilometres, and the ferry is a separate service at about EUR 19 round trip. You cannot easily do both islands in one day.

Plan for a full day, bring a picnic, water and proper walking shoes. Ferries run every 30 to 60 minutes May through September and roughly hourly in the shoulder months. The last return is usually 6.30pm in summer and 5pm in winter, so check the timetable before you cross in the afternoon.

Rue d’Antibes and the Cannes Shopping

Rue d’Antibes, one block inland from La Croisette, is the commercial spine of the city, with more than 800 shops along its pedestrianised length. Unlike the luxury flagship strip on La Croisette, Rue d’Antibes is where locals actually shop: high street fashion, independent boutiques, pharmacies, tabacs, patisseries, bookshops and a Monoprix in the middle for everything else.

The standout stops are the patisseries. Maison Vuillermet, Ernest and Jean Luc Pele all sit on or near Rue d’Antibes and produce some of the strongest tarts, macarons and chocolates on the Cote d’Azur. Picking up a small box as a gift for the hotel team is a small gesture that goes a long way locally.

The side streets off Rue d’Antibes, especially Rue Hoche and Rue Meynadier, are calmer and have the independent clothing, stationery and artisan food shops. This is where to browse rather than on the main drag.

For the official visitor angle on this side of the Cote d’Azur, the Cannes Tourist Office keeps up to date opening hours, event listings and transport changes that are worth a quick check before you set out.

You might also find these useful: Best Day Trips from Cannes, Where to Stay in Cannes, Cannes on a Budget.

See Hotel Anna Livia for Yourself

Browse All Photos on Booking.com →

This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Frequently Asked Questions