If you love to watch the wealthy at play, Cannes presents a gilded opportunity. It is impossible to stroll the strip between the golden beach and the Boulevard de la Croisette without seeing pricey cars, designer clothes and little cafes with spendy offerings. Welcome to sunny Cannes -- the unofficial capital of the French Riviera.
Celebrity Cannes
- Cannes is a stars-in-your-eyes kind of city, the site of the Cannes Film Festival and one of the top vacation choices among stars and millionaires. Walk down the fabled Promenade de La Croisette and enjoy palm trees beside an azure Mediterranean. Peek into hotels and restaurants frequented by the rich and famous. Look for the adjacent Allee des Etoiles, or pathway of the stars, and find your favorite screen star's handprint. Don't forget to turn toward the sea for great views over the bay to the Esterel mountains.
Buildings Famous and Infamous
- The architecture in Cannes epitomizes its glittering history. Raise your eyes from the beach to admire the art deco hotels and villas lining the seafront and waltzing up the hills of the city. Don't miss the Carlton InterContinental, an inn of legend on the Croisette, with twin cupolas modeled after the bosoms of Caroline "La Belle" Otero, a Spanish actress who became the leading femme fatale of Europe during the end of the 19th century. At the far western end of the Croisette is the Palais des Festivals, or palace of the festivals, the site of the glamorous Cannes Film Festival every May. The tour is worth the time and money, and allows you to strut down the red carpet, make an entrance into the auditorium and learn some inside information.
Le Suquet
- Walk west, past the Palais des Festivals, to view the yachts in the Vieux Port, or old port. Leaving behind the celebrity atmosphere, follow the rue Saint-Antoine as it climbs away from the beach and leads you into Le Suquet, Cannes's original town center. Here, you'll find ordinary citizens going about their daily lives, plus fabulous views of the magical bay. Visit the bustling town market, Marche Forville, for a coffee and pastry, and fill your picnic basket with fruit and French cheese at a reasonable price.
Island Hopping
- Get out of town, at least for the afternoon, by catching a ferry to one of the nearby Lerins Islands on the other side of the bay. The boats depart just across the street from the Hotel 1835. At only a mile in length, the Ile Saint-Honorat is the perfect size for exploring. The small island houses a working monastery and the Abbaye Notre Dame de Lerins, with a history that goes back to the fifth century. Visit the old medieval structures as well as the current community of monks who produce wine and liqueurs. The beaches are lovely and less crowded than those in Cannes. Alternatively, sail away to Ile Sainte-Marguerite to visit Fort Royal, the 17th century prison that was used by Hollywood in "The Man in the Iron Mask," a 1998 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
