From our base in Nice it was easy to visit Cannes by public transport as it’s possible to travel there either by bus or train. We chose to take the train (final destination Marseilles) departing from Nice Ville central station (single tickets € 7.20). Do try to sit on the left hand side of the carriage on the outward journey to enjoy the best of the coastal views.
The station was just a few minutes walk from the centre and being ready for a coffee, we stopped off at one of the pavement cafes overlooking the Mediterranean. As with the previous day, it was still quite windy but remained dry and sunny which was the main thing.
Re-fuelled with caffeine and an irresistible pain-au-chocolat each, we sauntered through the pedestrianised shopping streets until we reached the large red entrance arch to the market (Marche Forville).
With our visits to other town’s along the coast we had learnt not to leave it too late in the day to visit the market as they all close around lunch time. We always love a continental market as stallholders seem to have developed the art of displaying their produce in the nicest way possible to entice people to buy from their stalls.
The market was attractively laid out and we enjoyed strolling along the aisles taking in the sights and aromas of locally produced cheese, juicy citrus fruits and freshly cut flowers. The market is open daily 7.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. and replaced each Monday by an antique market.
Close to the market hall and overlooking the old port stands the elegant neoclassical town hall, one of the most beautiful buildings in the town. This grand structure was opened in 1876 to house the Natural History Museum which remained there until 1941 before becoming the civic centre and town hall. The coat of arms of a white feather on a blue background can be seen in two places above the main entrance.
From there we headed up the hill to Le Suquet (old town). The path is quite steep but relatively easy with a mixture of steps and slopes, I counted 109 so it wasn’t all that many. For the less energetic a land train operates from the port which just arrived outside the Notre Dame church on the Place de La Castre shortly after us.
Le Suquet was the original site of the town when it started out as a Roman fort. The Romans actually occupied the entire area for five centuries and numerous Roman remains are still in evidence today. By the 12th century monks had taken over the area and built a castle on the top which is now the Musée de La Castre. Its galleries contain an art collection, musical instruments and artefacts covering the history of the town.
The castle itself is a historic monument and there is no charge to walk around its walls and enjoy the views from the top of its turrets with commanding views visible from all sides.
Having looked around the old town we then made our way back downhill and along Rue Meynadier, a narrow alleyway lined with charming old buildings, most of them now small shops and galleries.
We soon arrived at the old port, (Vieux Port) which is located at the foot of the old town we had just admired from the hilltop viewpoint. Berthed in the marina we viewed a mixture of small yachts and traditional wooden craft beside a fleet of fishing boats.
Some window shopping then followed along Rue d’Antibes with its designer stores, perfumeries and jewellers. As it was a Saturday the streets were filled with people but it wasn’t too crowded to feel uncomfortable. After popping into the Cannes branch of the Galeries Lafayette department store we turned onto the palm tree lined Boulevard de La Croisette with its grand art-deco hotels that overlook the seafront. Along here we found more high-end designer stores and even an Armani cafe.
We then crossed the road for a walk along the Promenade de La Croisette. Walking along the seafront is a must when visiting Cannes ogling at the vast array of gleaming yachts and the glitzy private beach clubs built out over the sand. One of these clubs, the Carlton Beach featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film ‘To Catch a Thief’ starring the actress Grace Kelly who married Prince Rainier of Monaco the following year and became a princess.
The marinas are the focal point of the town and although not quite as vast as those in Antibes they can accommodate a large number of boats, some of which can be up to 70m in length. The largest and most luxurious yachts are to be found along Albert Edward Pier and Quay Saint Pierre and as we wandered by there seemed to be a great deal of activity with crews preparing the boats ready for sailing trips. Not only are these boats tremendously expensive to buy, they also cost eye watering amounts of money to maintain, service and berth.
The Palais des Festivals et des Congrés is a huge building located on the waterfront alongside where many of the super yachts are moored. The festival hall is in use for most of the year holding exhibitions and conventions but each May the world’s attention turns to Cannes as the venue hosts the famous Cannes Film Festival. During this time Hollywood film stars descend on the French Riviera bringing with them their glitz and glamour. Embedded into the pavement on the side of the building we were able to see handprints of celebrities who have starred in films featured at the film festival.
After continuing our walk slightly further along the coast we turned inland to find somewhere to eat before returning to the station for our return train to Nice.
This was our last full day of our week’s stay on the Côte d’Azur which had passed by all too quickly. With so many interesting places to visit, all easily accessible from our base in Nice we’d enjoyed a lovely week on the French Riviera.
If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may also like:
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A beautiful place, such a lovely mix of modern glamour and historical touches. Some of the yachts in the harbour are jaw dropping. Oh for a look onboard!
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Cannes is very glamorous especially around the harbour. I think I preferred the narrow streets of the old town best! Thanks do much for commenting Helen.
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I have enjoyed this series of posts about Nice, and beyond, so much. I especially like the possibility of visiting so many interesting local places by public transport. You have put Nice, and the surrounding area, firmly on my travelling agenda! I think I will opt to visit out of season to avoid the crowds, if possible. My brother adores Nice and has wanted to buy a ‘lock-up and leave’ property, in the area, for ages. I imagine he would have to spread his net quite far to find an affordable place but I do hope he does – mainly for selfish reasons, haha!
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Old Port looks so beautiful with all of the boats and coastal views!
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Visiting Cannes on our last day was lovely. The old town is beautiful but the promenade views are blocked by so many private beach clubs which is a shame.
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Good timing, the post on Cannes comes at the same time as the festival starts, maybe it is intentional.
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Purely coincidental! But good timing nonetheless! Thanks for your welcome thoughts.
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Cannes looks like another beautiful day trip, and I particularly love the view of the old port.
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Cannes is a very pleasant place to visit Hannah and I liked the old port views best too.
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Lovely tour of Cannes! Ive only heard of this city and the film fesitval so it was fun to see so much more of it with you! 🙂
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Thank you for your kind words Meg. I’m so pleased you enjoyed my day in Cannes. It’s another lovely place to easily visit from Nice.
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Sounds like another amazing day Marion, Cannes looks very luxurious and exclusive. Lovely for a day trip.
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Cannes was another great day trip from Nice and so easy with the train as we didn’t have to worry about parking etc.
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I really want to go to Nice, having read lots about it
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I’m sure you’ll make it there one day !
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Cannes looks like another fun day-trip. I must say, public transportation in Europe is fantastic, especially compared to what we have here in North America. It’s amazing how easy it is to travel between places. I love all the old buildings and narrow streets. Sounds like a great spot to end your vacation on the Côte d’Azur.
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Cannes was a very pleasant town to visit with its harbour, castle and quaint streets. The only downside was that you couldn’t really get to see the beach from the promenade as there are so many private beach clubs blocking the views.
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Cannes looks like a beautiful place to explore! The market, lovely Town Hall and a castle … that’s probably three of the best, isn’t it? Everything is so beautiful – there is definitely glitz and glamour in Cannes, but I like the beautiful white beach the most! Thank you Marion for introducing me to the French Riviera with your lovely photos.
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It’s my pleasure Corna. We very much enjoyed our week on the French Riviera and it was so easy to get around everywhere using public transport.
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Fantastic post, Marion 🙂 You got to love a place where leafy palm trees grace the streets, and subtropical flowers flourish throughout the city, giving visitors the impression of being in paradise. I would love to spend some time in Cannes as it is a gorgeous city on the French Riviera with so much to offer to visitors. We never went while staying in Nice, so thanks for the tour around it. Cheers 🙂 Aiva xx
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I hope you get an opportunity to visit Cannes sometime Aiva as it is a very pleasant town with beautiful flowerbeds and swaying palms.
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I’ve only heard of Cannes from its eponymous film festival held every year. Even though I’ve visited numerous southern French cities and towns surrounding it, I’ve never properly been to Cannes. Heard good things about it, and your visit there looks lovely! Bon voyage. 🙂
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Thanks Rebecca, Cannes is an interesting town to visit along the French Riviera although I found its seafront promenade somewhat disappointing as there are so many private beach clubs it’s hard to actually see much of the beach itself!
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This is such an amazing site you visited in Cannes . We loved visiting this market there. Great images. Anita
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Thank you for your kind words Anita.
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A trip to Nice is on my list now. Between your posts and Allan’s, I am dying to go. Paris has never been too high on my “France list”, except for the Louvre, but the Cote d’Azur is now at the top. I have enjoyed tagging along with you on this great trip, Marion.
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I’m so pleased you’ve enjoyed reading my series of posts on the French Riviera. Allan’s posts give a different perspective and are really good too. Coincidence we both posted at the same time! Marion
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Awesome Marion. This is likely the most affordable way to see Cannes. We never went, so thanks for the tour. The market looks worth a visit and there is always time for coffee and a pain au chocolate. Happy Monday. Allan
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Thank you for your interest in this series of posts on the French Riviera. I’m glad you enjoyed reading them and found them to be of interest Allan.
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Loving your French riviera posts. A great walk down the memory lane for me. There is also a tourist train that goes up the hill to old town for those who dont want to walk. I remember the beautiful views from up there
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Thanks so much for your interest in this series of posts on the French Riviera. We spent a lovely week there.
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Another lovely day trip from Njce. You guys were able to see so many towns. Cannes looks as beautiful as my mind envisioned. Maggie
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Thanks for your continued interest in this series of posts on the Côte d’Azur. Maggie. Cannes was a lovely place to visit on our final day and it was great to be able to travel everywhere so easily by public transport.
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Ps I absolutely love the photography
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That’s so kind, thank you!
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Super post. I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing. Take care Dr E
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So pleased you enjoyed this series of posts. Thanks for commenting.
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Great job Marion!
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Thanks so much Sheree. We enjoyed a lovely week exploring the coast.
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Good to read
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All Cannes. Lovely city. Usually where I get the train to Nice from Mougins. The market is my fave.
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We spent a lovely day in Cannes. Thanks for your interest Candy.
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Is this the month of the film festival? Where is the venue for those film presentations?
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The Cannes Film Festival takes place in May at a huge congress building on the seafront Ian.
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Thank you 🙂
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