Cannes Beyond the Red Carpet: Old Town, Islands and Coastal Trails
Most people picture Cannes as a red carpet and a film festival logo, but that's only two weeks of the year. The rest of the time it's a working Mediterranean port town with a hilltop old quarter, a covered market that locals actually shop at, and a short boat ride to two pine-covered islands that feel nothing like the glamour on the Croisette.
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Le Suquet
The old fishing village on a hill above the port, with narrow lanes, the Notre-Dame d'Espérance church and views over the whole bay.
La Croisette
The famous palm-lined seafront promenade linking the Palais des Festivals to the Port Canto, lined with grand hotels like the Carlton and Majestic.
Palais des Festivals
The building where the Cannes Film Festival happens each May; its steps and red carpet are the city's most photographed spot.
Île Sainte-Marguerite
A short ferry ride from the old port, this pine forest island holds Fort Royal, where the Man in the Iron Mask was reputedly imprisoned.
Île Saint-Honorat
A quieter, still-inhabited monastic island where Cistercian monks grow vines and make wine and liqueur sold on site.
Marché Forville
Cannes' historic covered market, the real heart of local food life, best visited early morning for Provençal produce and seafood.
Musée de la Castre
A small archaeology and ethnography museum inside a medieval castle on Le Suquet hill, with one of the best free viewpoints in town.
A Sample Day
Food & Drink
Cannes' food leans Provençal and Niçois, shaped by the market and the sea rather than festival glamour.
Late spring (May-June) and September offer warm sea temperatures and manageable crowds; avoid mid-May if you want low hotel prices, since that's festival season and rooms triple in cost.
The old town and Croisette are entirely walkable, but a bike or the free electric shuttle helps cover the seafront distance; ferries from the old port run frequently to the Lérins Islands.
Skip the crowded main Croisette beaches and walk or cycle west past the Port Canto toward Palm Beach, where the sand is quieter and locals actually swim.
FAQ
Is Cannes worth visiting outside the film festival?+
Yes, most of the year it's a relaxed Riviera town with a real old quarter, market and beaches, without the festival crowds and prices.
How do you get to the Lérins Islands?+
Ferries leave regularly from the old port (Quai Laubeuf) and take about 15-20 minutes to Île Sainte-Marguerite or Île Saint-Honorat.
Are the beaches in Cannes free?+
Some sections of the Croisette are private and paid, but there are public free beaches too, including areas near Palm Beach to the west.
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