Well before Cannes became synonymous with red carpets, the Côte d’Azur city was a destination for refuge and recovery. The buzz began in the early 19th century. Legend has it that a British lord en route to Italy with his ailing daughter was derailed by a pandemic and stopped off in a sleepy fishing village. Captivated by the light and the landscape dotted with olive, orange, and fig trees, he decided to build a villa in the hills of Cannes and a wave of aristocrats followed suit.
Then, in the 1920s, an American literary celebrity decamped to the French Riviera to soak in the sunshine and finish penning The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s sejour in the “the hot sweet South” (his words) would provide a backdrop for his later work, “Tender Is the Night.” From a vantage point of nearby Antibes, Fitzgerald wrote, “In the early morning the distant image of Cannes, the pink and cream of old fortifications, the purple Alp that bounded Italy, were cast across the water and lay quavering in the ripples and rings sent up by sea-plants through the clear shallows.” Today, sherbet-hued structures still shimmer on the sea. The sun shines bright as ever 300 days annually.
While the city is best known for its star-studded film Festival de Cannes and palatial hotels, like the art deco Martinez and the belle époque Intercontinental Carlton, newer arrivals are infusing the scene with fresh energy – like the revitalised 17th-century Château de Théoule and the California-cool Maison Carla Rosa, as well as revamped iconic landmarks like Palm Beach, a Jazz Age members’ club once frequented by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. It’s the new golden age of Cannes, and the options for staying and playing are better than ever.
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Whether you’re after a restorative retreat, a raucous Riviera-style party, or a sun-soaked destination to compose the next great American novel, there are so many reasons to visit. Here are the best things to do in Cannes.
Where to eat
A rule of thumb when travelling: food markets tend to be flanked by simple, straightforward spots frequented by locals. In the heart of Cannes, just off the Marché Forville, you’ll find Poissonnerie Forville, where the Cannois crowd sips crisp whites or Provençal rosés and grazes on briny oysters and platters of fruits de mer. At nearby Da Laura, an Italian trattoria, the decor is eclectic (flamingo pink walls, verdant plant ceiling, mismatched chairs), and the housemade pasta is perfect al dente. Swing by Il Labo next door to pick up a bag of dry pasta and recreate their trofie with pesto or spicy penne arrabbiata at home. For a simple, sublime Italian dessert, Niva gelateria is a five-minute stroll away. There, the expert gelato makers use milk sourced from Italian Alps pastures, enriched with artisanal ingredients like Piedmontese hazelnut or hand-crushed dark chocolate.
On the rooftop of Hotel Belle Plage, Bella serves Mediterranean dishes that vary with the season and the chef’s daily market finds. Plates like whole sea bream with roasted tomatoes and lemons, and beef carpaccio with pine nuts and crushed pepper are meant to be shared. France may not be known for brunch, but Bella makes a case for it – late Sunday morning, the rooftop restaurant becomes a hotspot. Diners come for the crepe station and the homemade pastries and linger for the stunning sea views.
At Fred l’Écailler, a seaside restaurant in the quieter Pointe Croisette neighbourhood, owner Fred Garbellini (ever sporting his signature red beanie) is onsite to scale (or écailler, in French) and serve the daily catches, plus shellfish, oysters, crustaceans, scallops, langoustines, and more. The sun-splashed terrace is prime real estate for polishing off a plate of crispy calamari or buttery ray with fatted capers.
Just off the Croisette Beach, Le Fouquet’s, from Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, serves reimagined brasserie classics like “terre et mer” (essentially, surf and turf) tartare – an umami-rich marriage of finely chopped raw steak, smoked herring, red tuna, and Beaufort cheese. It would be a sin to skip the profiteroles, the molten chocolate poured tableside, as it should be.
From April to October, speed boats and yachts dock alongside Ile Sainte-Marguerite for La Guerite, an institution since 1902. Surrounded by Aleppo pine and eucalyptus trees, with jasmine-line paths and blond wooden tables and coco net shades, you might think you’ve arrived at a sleepy, rustic restaurant – a bait-and-switch for the party that awaits. On Athens-born Chef Yiannis Kioroglou’s menu, carefully selected products shine, with starters like seared octopus topped with flaky salt from Camargue and Greek salad with hunks of spiced feta, and mains like spiny lobster dusted with chopped chives. The DJ spins dance tracks, from La Bamba to Like a Prayer, to accompany the family-style feasts. By the end of a meal, you might find yourself dancing on banquettes and raising Ouzo shots with a neighbouring table of Los Angelinos while an excited 30-something whispers his plan to propose to the girl next to him. The vibe is decidedly celebratory.
Opening in May 2024, just in time for the film festival, Palm Beach is setting out to transform Cannes into a culinary destination. The sprawling 23,000 square meter members club underwent a four-year renovation helmed by French Riviera architect Caprini Pellerin, who restored the property’s Côte d’Azur glamour and revived its Hispano-Mauresque origins with sand-tinted facades, French Comblanchien stone, bronze-coated finishes, and plenty of marble. In addition to La Petite Maison Cannes, where Chef Kioroglou’s menu features bright Riviera specialities like grilled eggplants with pistou and roasted baby chicken with lemon confit, the roster will include France’s first Nammos Beach Club, a Mykonos-born restaurant group known for its exquisite seafood and delicious parties, and Zuma, a contemporary take on Japanese Izakaya style dining.
The best things to do in Cannes
Hit the Forville Market, a bustling marché with local specialities like black olive tapenade and still-warm socca, the Niçoise crispy chickpea flatbread, and a technicolour flower market, open daily before 1pm. Then, get lost in the hilly, cobblestone streets of La Suquet, Cannes’ millennium-old old town, where you’ll find pocket-sized bars, boutiques, and family-owned restaurants serving typical Provençal dishes like foie gras maison and grilled lamb with thyme.
The Lerins Islands, named after the eponymous monks who took control of Cannes in the 4th century AD, are just a 15-minute boat ride from Cannes’ centre. Visitors can explore the monastery on Saint-Honorat Island, where monks still live (and produce a Chartreuse-like liqueur called Lerina), or hike around the forest of eucalyptus and Aleppo pine trees on neighbouring Sainte-Marguerite Island. Several companies provide transportation to the islands and boats depart in both directions regularly.
Most Popular
For hitting reset, Cannes has several spas to choose from. Opened in October of 2022, Spa Villa Belle Plage takes a holistic approach to wellness, offering tailored programs to deliver benefits that linger well beyond your visit. Designed by Paris-based, Jerusalem-born Raphael Navot (the eye behind Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers, Le 39V, and Silencio), the space feels serene and organic, with mineral materials inspired by natural caves. Spa experts offer everything from HydraFacials© to Watsu water massages to sports concierge services. “We take care of everything—energy, muscles, and mind,” Hôtel Belle Plage director Jad Aboukhater told CNT. Be sure to book a sweat session in the sauna, outfitted with a pink Himalayan salt wall to help purge the body’s toxins while restoring its naturally occurring minerals.
At the Spa Diane Barrière, guests have a lengthy menu of signature treatments from Paris-based brands Codage (like a gentle peeling treatment and a radiance boost facial) and THÉMAÉ (including an anti-age lift treatment, a purity and radiance facial). The spa also offers traditional body massages, gommages (scrubs), hydro-massage jacuzzi treatments, and more. In the same space, you’ll also find a full fitness studio with personal training available by appointment.
Where to stay
In a city where grand hotels loom large in the visual landscape, smaller, independent properties are a welcome and much-needed addition, offering discerning travellers a stylish alternative. Opened in April of 2023, Maison Carla Rosa is a powder pink boutique hotel with a California-meets-Côte d’Azur aesthetic, set in the sleepier California neighbourhood once home to Picasso. According to the owners, the warm colour palette adheres to local building codes while capturing the breezy West Coast vibe they were after. The property features 12 one or two-bedroom apartments, each outfitted with a terrace and all but two with full kitchens. The owners chose artisans from around the world to handcraft the furniture and decor items, from the sleek rattan chairs to reclaimed wood side tables. Lined with tall cacti and shady palm trees and white midcentury loungers, the kidney-shaped pool feels straight out of Palm Springs – ideal for escaping the heat and the high-season crowds on le plage.
A former 17th-century soap factory is home to one of 2024’s most anticipated openings on the French Riviera, Château de Théoule. Opened in March, the hotel features 34 rooms and 10 suites spread across a turreted castle, a modern Art Deco villa, and a charming fisherman’s villa. Just 20 minutes from Cannes by car or boat, guests will appreciate the chateau’s relatively remote location (a definite selling point when tourism swells in the warmer months), the private La Plage Blanche beach, and the boho-chic seaside spa with products from MyBlend by Clarins and KOS Paris. Rooms are decorated with a delicate touch, with velvet seating and custom linen curtains from Maison de Vacances, as well as unique antique furniture finds. At the hotel restaurant Mareluna, guests can dine en terrace overlooking the Bay of Cannes on dishes like wild turbot with palourde clams or Provençal escargot with fresh saltwort.
Hôtel Belle Plage has been drawing travellers to the gentle slopes of the historic Suquet district since its opening in June 2022. With sweeping views of the sea and the Esterel mountains, the cream-coloured undulating building feels like a Greek island hideaway. The hotel has 45 rooms as well as eight apartments imagined as longer-term pied-à-terres (including a nearly 1200-square-foot penthouse) outfitted with fully equipped kitchens, coffee machines, and baby equipment (cots, highchairs, etc.) on request. Designer Raphael Navot’s interiors feature cool stone floors, terrazzo surfaces, smooth Scandinavian furniture, and pastel accents, like light matcha sofas and pale peach ottomans.
When it opened in 1913, the Carlton helped usher in the era of lux tourism for the little city on the Riviera. In 2023, the famed hotel reopened its rosy-marble-column-framed doors after extensive renovations led by Cannes-born interior designer Tristan Auer, known for his restoration of the Hotel de Crillon in Paris. Auer maintained the property’s Belle Epoque soul and paid homage to its history while enhancing the modern amenities. The fitness centre even has a full-size boxing ring where a champion pugilist offers private lessons. Rooms and suites are cast in bright- and off-white, refracting the luminosity that pours through the tall French windows. All told, the Carlton is one of the chicest addresses along La Croisette beach, not to mention a celebrity favourite during the annual film festival.
Opened in 1926, the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes is perched between the Croisette Beach and the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The lobby hints at the property’s history, with soaring ceilings, gilded sculptures and cascading art deco light fixtures. Rooms feel more modern, outfitted in shades of cream and taupe, with sweeping bay views. Le Majestic re-opened 60 of its rooms in early 2024 after total renovations. The hotel also offers ultra-luxe suites, each with a distinct design theme (like Riviera and Christian Dior), and a penthouse suite with a heated rooftop pool and 360-degree views of Cannes, from the hills to the sea stretching across the horizon. The bar at Fouquet’s is buzzy year-round, with a thoughtful drink menu from veteran mixologist Emanuele Balestra. Onsite restaurants include Fouquet’s and Paradiso, a Mediterranean brasserie that opens during the warmer seasons.
The inspiration for Gausse’s Hôtel des Étrangers in Fitzgerald’s “Tender Is the Night,” Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has welcomed the cultural and literary elite – and the fashionable set more generally – since 1870. Picasso, Chagall, Elizabeth Taylor, the Kennedys – they’ve all called this secluded retreat their temporary abode. For today’s travellers, hotel highlights include restaurants led by executive chef Sébastien Broda, the Dior Spa Eden Roc, and private villa rentals. Understandably, it remains a celebrity favourite when the droves descend on Cannes each May for the film festival. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc holds a certain allure, hearkening back to another golden age of Cannes while staying relevant and ever-chic for its future.
cREDIT: Cntraveller