Things to do in Cannes
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Z Plage
Lunch at the beach restaurant-bar of Hôtel Martinez is an unforgettable experience. Languish on white-cushioned teak seating beneath white colonial-style umbrellas and sip unusual freshly squeezed juices (fancy a pineapple, litchi and raspberry juice? or how about strawberry, lemon, basil and pineapple, Madame?) and fusion frappées (smoothies). The Zen orange and peach purée with Chaï spices is Zen indeed.
Swedish massages and reflexology sessions (cost involved) can be indulged in before or after lunch. In July and August, tapas is served in the company of cocktails and electro lounge jazz with DJ Max Léonidas & Sax from 18:00.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Cannes Cinephiles
Tickets to the Cannes Film Festival are governed by a complex system of passes and unless you're a high-flyer in the film industry, you're unlikely to get one. What you can get are free tickets to selected individual films, usually after their first screening. Look for the Cannes Cinephilesticket booth outside the Palais des Festivals. For the film festival programme, consult the official website, www.festival-cannes.org.
reviewed
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Vieux Port
reviewed
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Le Palais
This ephemeral nightclub (it’s open only for 50 nights each year) has become the hottest ticket in DJ land, a combination of the most happening names in music and its spectacular setting at the heart of the Palais des Festivals. It’s the VIPs’ favourite spot so door policy is pretty tight: no guys without girls and only fabulous-looking people.
reviewed
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Le Riad
At the end of an alley in the Carré d’Or nightlife district, Le Riad imports Moroccan hospitality and authentic cooking, with classics such as tagine (stews cooked in conical-covered earthenware), méchoui (spit-roasted lamb) and a real pastilla (pigeon pie) – rare even in Morocco. On weekend nights a belly dancer sets a party mood. Excellent service.
reviewed
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Palais Club
'Dance your life' with the world's best DJs is the buzz at this summer club which has taken Cannes by storm for the past couple of seasons - let's hope it's around next year. Electronic music and dance is the sound. A 2600-sq-metre dance floor inside and 1500-sq-metre rooftop lounge terrace with glittering Med view is the space. An affluent crowd of 2500 clubbers is the set.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Cannes Shore Excursion: Private Day Trip to Monaco and Eze
by Viator
For cruise passengers arriving in Cannes with only a single day to see the French Riviera, this privately guided, fully narrated shore excursion to Monaco and…Not LP reviewed
from USD$99.75 -
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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.
reviewed
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Le Bâoli
This is Cannes’ coolest, trendiest and most selective nightspot. So selective in fact that your entire posse may not get in unless you’re dressed to the nines. The Bâoli is part club, part restaurant, so the only way to ensure you’ll get in is to book a table and make a night of it.
reviewed
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Palm Beach Casino
This architecturally hip casino boasts a range of facilities including restaurants, a reception venue, a lounge bar, a private beach and, surprisingly, slot machines. Indulge in all the pleasures of gambling and soak up the carefree atmosphere that comes with throwing money away on the Riviera - all with the convenience of helicopter access.
reviewed
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Monaco and Eze Small Group Day Trip from Cannes
8 hours (Departs Cannes, France)
by Viator
Spend a day on the beautiful French Riviera with a small-group day trip from Cannes to Monaco and Eze. See the changing of the guard at the palace in Monte…Not LP reviewed
from USD$133.86 -
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L'Atelier
Anyone who's anyone heads to this spectacular club within the Palm Beach Casino. The interior - a minimalist mesh of Byzantine, Greco-Roman and Oriental - has a restaurant and lounge bar. Recently saved from bulldozers and spectacularly restored, it's well worth a nosey. DJs spin jazz and lounge music early on and R&B later on.
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Le Sun 7
An unpretentious, happening place, Le Sun 7 attracts a pretty young crowd keen to knock down a few drinks and shake their stuff at the weekend. It's more laid-back on weeknights.
reviewed
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Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze Private Tour
8 hours (Departs Cannes, France)
by Viator
Enjoy panoramic view over Nice from Mt. Boron as you drive on this private tour to the Middle Corniche stop at Eze. Eze is a perched medieval village with…Not LP reviewed
from USD$88.54 -
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La Discoteca
La Discoteca has all the bells and whistles you might expect from a club in Cannes, but with considerably less class. If you want that casting director to notice you, ordering a jeroboam of champagne sees your table spot-lit as a gong goes off. On the off-chance Hollywood doesn't beckon, at least you can get very drunk.
reviewed
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Le Mesclun
The menu here titillates tastebuds: wild turbot baked in champagne with summer truffles and mushrooms; langoustine roasted in coriander-flavoured butter and spiced with tomato, courgette, olive and mango; or roast duck breast with spiced honey, a pear in red wine and a peach in olive oil. Dining is refined and artful.
reviewed
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Provence Countryside Small-Group Day Trip from Cannes
8 hours (Departs Cannes, France)
by Viator
Be transported to quaint towns and splendid countryside of Provence on a small group tour, picking up from Cannes. With your transport taken care of, you can…Not LP reviewed
from USD$133.86 -
French Riviera Small-Group Day Trip from Cannes
9 hours (Departs Cannes, France)
by Viator
From Antibes to Monte Carlo, you'll see all the glamorous towns of the French Riviera on this small-group day trip from Cannes. Traveling along the famous…Not LP reviewed
from USD$155.95 -
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Plage du Midi
reviewed
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Small-Group Evening Tour and Dinner in Monte Carlo from Cannes
5 hours (Departs Cannes, France)
by Viator
Spend a glamorous evening in Monaco, where elegant architecture, amazing cars and beautiful people collide on the Mediterranean coast. On a small-group evening…Not LP reviewed
from USD$161.15 -
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Le Méditerranée
On top of the portside Sofitel hotel, adjoining the rooftop pool, it's hard to say which makes more of an impression - this contemporary French restaurant's culinary prowess or its 360-degree views across the Med to the red Massif de l'Estérel mountains. It's worth it, if your pocket allows.
reviewed