Sights in Cannes
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Plage du Gray d'Albion
Cannes is blessed with sandy beaches, although much of the stretch along blvd de la Croisette is for guests of top-notch hotels or those prepared to pay for the luxury of having a strip of carpet leading to the water's edge: rates range from around €15/around €19 per half-/full day for a mattress and yellow-and-white parasol on Plage du Gray d'Albion - it has a water-skiing school - to around €30/around €38/around €44 for a back-row/front-row seat/spot on the pier of exclusive Carlton Beach.
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Marché du Film
The vast majority of films are 'out of competition'. Behind the scenes the Marché du Film (Film Market; www.marchedufilm.com) sees around €150 million worth of business negotiated in distribution deals. And it's this hard-core commerce combined with all the televised Tinseltown glitz that gives the film festival its special magic. For a concentrated dose, don your glad rags, stand up tall and strut into the bar of one of the posh hotels as if you own the place.
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Vieux Port
The Vieux Port (Old Port) is literally in the centre of town. It is bordered by the Gare Maritime (Marine Railway Station), the pretty Allées de la Liberté where the morning Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market) is held, the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) and the main shopping streets. For boating enthusiasts, it has 750 mooring berths and 150 stopover berths.
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Île Ste-Marguerite
Just 20 minutes away, the tranquil Île Ste-Marguerite feels far from the madding crowd. Only 3.25km (2mi) wide, the enigmatic Man in the Iron Mask was incarcerated in the fort during the 17th century. Immortalised in Alexandre Dumas' novel Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (The Viscount of Bragelonne), the identity of the masked man (or woman?) remains a mystery.
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Museum of the Sea
As you get off the boat at Île Ste-Marguerite, a map indicates a handful of rustic restaurants, trails and paths through the cool eucalyptus and pine forest. It also directs you to the 17th-century Fort Royal, which now harbours the 'Musée de la Mer'. Make sure you explore the old state prisons, built under Louis XIV, and see exhibits of the fort's history.
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Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
The first Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built in 1949 to host the Cannes Film Festival. As the festival grew, more space was needed, so the current Palais was constructed on the site of the municipal casino and opened in 1982. Today, the space (25,000 sq km/9650 sq mi) is used for exhibitions, screenings, shows, receptions and conferences.
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Plages du Midi
The central, sandy beaches along blvd de la Croisette are sectioned off for hotel guests, where sun worshippers pay by the day to stretch out in a lounge chair with a parasol. You'll find one of the best public (aka free) beaches, Plages du Midi, stretching westward from the Vieux Port along blvd Jean Hibert.
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La Malmaison
Walk a few blocks along La Croisete to La Malmaison, a seaside pavilion in the former games and tea room of Cannes' grandest hotels of the 1860s, the Grand Hôtel (opened in 1864, shut in 1950, demolished and rebuilt in the 1960s). Modern art exhibitions fill part of La Malmaison today.
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Musée de la Mer
The Fort Royal, built in the 17th century, now harbouring the Musée de la Mer. Exhibits interpret the fort’s history, with displays on shipwrecks found off the island’s coast.
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Allée des Étoiles du Cinéma
Just near the Palais des Festivals is the Allée des Étoiles du Cinéma where you can browse a path of celebrity hand imprints in the pavement.
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John Taylor & Son
Walk west along La Croisette and pick yourself a dream mansion (to buy or rent) in the windows of 140-year-old estate agency John Taylor & Son.
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Palais des Festivals
At the western end of La Croisette, this concrete bunker is the unlikely host of the world’s most glamorous film festival. The tourist office runs 1½-hour guided tours, where as well as climbing the red carpet you’ll walk down the auditorium, tread the stage and hear many anecdotes about the festival. The tours take place several times a month, except in May. Check with the tourist office for dates and book, as the tours are extremely popular.
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Musée de la Castre
The fascinating Musée de la Castre has beautifully presented ethnographic collections.
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Église Notre Dame d'Esperance
Perched at the top of La Croisette is 12th-century Église Notre Dame d'Esperance.
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Le Suquet
Predating the glitz and glam of the town’s festival days, Cannes’ historic quarter has retained a quaint village feel with its steep, meandering alleyways. There are wonderful views of the Baie de Cannes from the top of the hill, and the fascinating Musée de la Castre. The museum has beautifully presented ethnographic collections.
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Beaches
The central, sandy beaches along bd de la Croisette are sectioned off for hotel patrons. Many accept day guests: rates range from €19 per day for a mattress and yellow-and-white parasol on Plage du Gray d’Albion – it has a waterskiing school – to €51 for the pearl-white lounges on the pier of the super-stylish Z Plage, the beach of Hôtel Martinez.
A microscopic strip of sand near the Palais des Festivals is free, but you’ll find better free sand on Plages du Midiand Plages de la Bocca, west from the Vieux Port along bd Jean Hibert and bd du Midi.
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