Cannes travel guide, Cannes vacations

Cannes is famous for its glamorous International Film Festival, which is held every May and attracts film stars, critics and fans from all over the world. Cannes is also one of the most beautiful areas in France, with gorgeous sandy beaches, crystal clear warm waters and mild Mediterranean climate, and designer shops and fine dining restaurants are clustered all along the famous La Croisette beach front.

Cannes marina is a wide concentration of high luxury yachts belonging to stars and millionaires

History
Cannes started life as a small fishing town, and most of the land was owned by monks in the 11th Century, who expanded their monastery buildings right out to the nearby Island of St Honorat. The monks also built a square look out tower to warn the town of pirates, and this is still standing and is situated next to the Castre Museum in the Old Town area of modern Cannes. Tourism in the area began to take off when the town became a fashionable health retreat for wealthy members of both the British and French elite, and soon the dry, warm climate, stunning coastline and rapidly developing facilities were attracting wealthy visitors from all around the world.

Island St Honorat by Cannes is the city's quietest place, being inhabitated by the monks

Top Attractions
The impressive beach front at La Croisette is Cannes’ top attraction, and here there are over 7.5 miles (12KM) of private sandy beaches, designer boutiques, restaurants, cafes and coffeehouses. During the International Film Festival this area is packed with TV crews, journalists, millionaires and stars from around the world, and this is a great place to people watch and soak up the glamorous Cannes atmosphere. The Old Town is also a lovely area, full of winding streets, interesting shops and cafes and is a relaxing, pleasant place to spend the day.

Jardins de la Croisette might be breathtaking, but not the city's best attraction

The Musée de la Castre is on the hilltop over looking the Old Town, and is housed in a château that once belonged to the monks of the Lérins Isles and also the chapel of St Anne (12th Century). There are a number of excellent 19th Century paintings on display from local artists as well as interesting collections of musical instruments and Mediterranean antiquities.

St Marguerite Island is just a 15 minute boat trip from Cannes harbour, and is the site of the imprisonment of the mysterious ‘Man in the Iron Mask‘, who was thought to have been of the highest noble blood, but whose real identity has never been proved. You can visit his cell in the Musée de la Mer, which is housed in the former Fort of St Marguerite, and also see some interesting artifacts recovered from shipwrecks around the coastline including ceramics dating back to the Roman Empire.

City Hall of cannes is so spectacular as the rest of the city

Ile St Honorat is another small island within easy reach of Cannes, and has been inhabited by monks almost continuously since AD410. Part of the current monastery is open to the public and you can see medieval relics from the monastery’s history, and also buy some of the white wines, lavender oil, honey and herbal liquor (Lérina) that the monks produce.

Nightlife
Cannes has a vibrant and of course glamorous nightlife and at the centre of this are the fine restaurants, which serve the very best foods and wines, and also the amazing casinos where wealthy patrons go to relax and socialize. Throughout the city there are plenty of good bars and clubs, and on the whole people dress up to go out, and evening wear is suitable for the casino and higher class restaurants and bars, and smart casuals for the less formal establishments. The legal age for purchasing alcohol in France is one of the lowest in Europe at 16 years of age, which does surprise some visitors but as you will see the majority of people in France have a very sensible attitude to alcohol, and quality is often much preferred over quantity.