12 Best Sights in Cannes, The French Riviera

Inaugurated in 1913, the Carlton was the first of the grand hotels to stake a claim on a superb stretch of beach and greenery along La Croisette, and, thus, is the best positioned, which explains its fashionable see-and-be-seen terrace and Bar 58. The film festival's grand banquets have returned to this iconic hot spot, which reopened as Regent hotel in 2023 after a multiyear restoration.

Head to this famous waterfront promenade—which runs for 1½ km (1 mile) from its western terminus by the Palais des Festivals—and stroll beside the palm trees and flowers and amid the crowds of poseurs (fur coats in tropical weather, mobile phones on Rollerblades, and sunglasses at night). Continue east past the broad expanse of private beaches, glamorous shops, and luxurious hotels—but make sure you are not walking in the bike path or a construction site. “La Croisette Reinvents its Legend” is the city’s slogan for a project to renovate this iconic seaside strip by 2025. The €160 million face-lift will include red pavement—an homage to the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals—as well as new facilities and amenities.

Shaded by plane trees and sheltering a sandy pétanque field, this is a little piece of Provence in a big, glitzy resort town. Every morning except Monday, a flower market paints the square in vivid colors, and, during the weekend arts-and-crafts market (10–6), you can find paintings of flowers. The antiques market shares the space on Saturday and the first Sunday of every month.

The famous Casino Barrière on La Croisette—open 10 am to 3 am (until 4 am on weekends and until 5 am during summer)—is said to draw more crowds to its slot machines than any other casino in France.

Climb up Rue St-Antoine into the picturesque Vieille Ville neighborhood known as Le Suquet, on the site of the original Roman castrum. Shops here proffer Provençal goods, and the atmospheric cafés provide a place to catch your breath. The pretty pastel shutters, Gothic stonework, and narrow passageways (not to mention the views) are lovely distractions. In July, you can hear young musicians perform free open-air concerts in the Place de la Castre during the Jeunes Talents festival.

Opened in 1934, this market still draws the chefs, connoisseurs, and voyeurs of Cannes every morning (except Monday, when there's a flea market). You'll see showy displays of still-flipping fish from some 25 local boats alongside glossy local vegetables piled high; cheeses carried down from the mountains; and sausages, olives, charcuterie, oysters, and flower stands. The whole scene gets hosed down by 1 pm, so don't linger too long over breakfast. The nearby Café de l'Horlage ( 7 rue du Marché Forville) is a good spot to relax after browsing.

Housed in an 11th-century château atop a hill, this museum has a wonderful collection of weaponry, artifacts, art, and antiques. There are temporary exhibitions here, as well, and, over the next few years, the museum will be modernized for the first time in its 40-year history. The imposing four-sided Tour du Suquet (Suquet Tower) and its 109 steps were built in 1385 as a lookout against Saracen-led invasions.

Pick up a map at the tourist office in the Palais des Festivals, the building that sets the scene for the famous Cannes Film Festival. As you leave the information center, head to your right to see the 24 red-carpeted stairs that A-listers ascend every year. Set into the surrounding pavement, the Chemin des Étoiles (Stars' Walk) enshrines some 150 autographed hand imprints—including those of Depardieu, Streep, and Stallone (the clay imprints are sent to a potter in Vallauris, before being cast in metal in Rhône). From October to April, the Palais hosts music, theater, dance, and comedy performances for surprisingly reasonable prices. And hey, If you forget to snap your own red-carpet moment, the Palais has a special Instagram filter ( www.instagram.com/ar/555964202082615) to "awaken your inner star." 

Just a couple of blocks east of the train station along Rue Jean Jaurès, you can pick up fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as clothes, shoes, belts, and bags at the city's second covered market that's a little less upscale than the Marché Forville. While in the neighborhood, visit the nearby Asian and kosher shops, or stop in for one of the creamiest cappuccinos this side of Italy at Volupté ( 32 rue Hoche Closed Sun.).

Two blocks behind La Croisette lies this attractive high-end shopping street. At its western end is Rue Meynadier, packed with trendy clothing boutiques and fine-food shops. Not far away is the covered Marché Forville, the scene of the animated morning food market. Rue Houche, behind Rue d'Antibes and down from Galleries Lafayette, has lots of boutiques and cafés.

It's hard to imagine 16th-century horse-drawn carriages being pulled down this main street of Cannes that's now home to inexpensive and trendy clothes boutiques, rare food stores, cheese and wine shops, and some of the best butchers in town. At one end of Rue Meynadier is Rue d'Antibes, Cannes's primary high-end shopping street.

At the foot of Le Suquet, this narrow, well-protected port harbors luxury yachts and slick little bateaux de plaisance (pleasure boats) that creak and bob beside weathered-blue fishing barques. From the east corner, off La Pantiéro at Quai Laubeuf (where a renovated sea wall has a panoramic promenade and heliport), you can catch a 20-minute ferry to the Îles de Lérins. The port and Quai St-Pierre, which runs alongside and has a plethora of restaurants, have emerged from their tattered and tired midlife crisis to become smartly dressed, more energized versions of their former selves.