In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · France
Cannes
Give Cannes 2 nights: one for Le Suquet and the Croisette, one for the Îles de Lérins. In festival week (mid-May) hotel prices triple — skip or book months ahead.
Cannes is a compact Riviera town of 73,000 that most travellers treat as a day trip from Nice, 30 minutes away by train. It works better as a 2-night base: the old town and market fill an afternoon, the islands fill a day, and the beaches are the point. Outside the May film festival it is walkable, mid-priced and easy to leave.
- Country
- France
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, heat, peak prices), mid-May (film festival)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €70–110 excl. bed · Mid €120–200 excl. bed · High €250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a counter | €1.50–3 |
| Pan bagnat or sandwich | €5–8 |
| Pizza or pasta, mid-range restaurant | €12–20 |
| Menu du jour, back streets | €18–28 |
| Beer: bar / supermarket can | €5–8 / €1–2 |
| Bus ride in Cannes | €1.50 |
| Train Cannes → Nice | €9.40 (check) |
| Private beach day with sunbed and shade | up to €30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NCE · Nice Côte d'Azur
- About 30 min by train or Zou! bus 620; taxi €80+
- MRS · Marseille Provence
- About 2 h by bus and train
Typical fares
- Train Nice airport → Cannes
- about €9.40, 30 min (check)
- Zou! bus 620 Nice airport → Cannes
- about €2.50, 90 min (check)
- Taxi Nice airport → Cannes
- €80+
- Ferry Cannes → Sainte-Marguerite
- about €11 return, hourly (check)
Get around
Walk: the centre from the station to Le Suquet is about 20 minutes end to end, and walking usually beats traffic. Buses (STU de Cannes / Bus Azur) run every 15 min, €1.50 a ride or a Carte 10 at the bus office. Trains along the coast are the fast option for day trips; driving in is slow and parking is easiest in the Fontville or Palais garages.
See and do
Known for
- Cannes Film Festival and the Palais des Festivals
- La Croisette and its private beaches
- Le Suquet old town
- Îles de Lérins
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Nice | Train from Cannes station, every 30 min to 1 h | About 30 min |
| Antibes | Train west, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Mougins | Bus or taxi uphill from Cannes, about 20–30 min | About 30 min |
| Grasse | Train to Grasse, about 1 h, then walk uphill | About 1 h 15 min |
| Vence | Train or bus to Cagnes-sur-Mer, then bus uphill | About 1 h 30 min |
| Menton | Train east past Nice and Monaco, about 1 h 15 min | About 1 h 20 min |
Sleep
- Le Suquet / old town
- Cobbled lanes, restaurants and the market on your doorstep; 5–10 min walk to the beach.
- Croisette / centre
- Beachfront hotels and the Palais; the most expensive beds in town.
- La Bocca
- West of the centre, 10–15 min by bus; cheaper rooms and the public beach strip.
- Le Cannet
- Hill suburb 2 km north; quiet, good-value dining, bus or taxi into Cannes.Hill suburb 1.2 mi north; quiet, good-value dining, bus or taxi into Cannes.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Bonjourbon-zhoor |
| Thank you | Mercimair-see |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-syon seel voo pleh |
| How much is it? | C'est combien ?say kom-byen |
| Can I pay by card? | Je peux payer par carte ?zhuh puh pay-yay par kart |
| Where is the toilet? | Où sont les toilettes ?oo son lay twa-let |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- Beaches are mostly private: up to €30 a day with sunbed and shade. Free public sand is at the far east and west ends.
- Festival week in mid-May: rooms sell out and rates jump; book months ahead or avoid.
- Train fines for riding without a valid ticket start around €100 — validate before boarding.
- Riviera rail and bus strikes are common; check news before buying tickets in peak season.
- August transport sells out; book seats in advance.
Cannes is a safe, well-lit resort town; the real risks are pickpockets on the Croisette and at the station in summer, beach-bag theft, and restaurant bills that climb fast on the waterfront — ask the price before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cannes yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Cannes Film Festival and the Palais des Festivals
- La Croisette and its private beaches
- Le Suquet old town
- Îles de Lérins
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ville de Cannes — official site: www.cannes.com/
- Palais des Festivals et des Congrès: www.palaisdesfestivals.com/
- Festival de Cannes: www.festival-cannes.com/en/
- SNCF Connect — Gare de Cannes: www.garesetconnexions.sncf/fr/gare/frjca/cannes
- Zou! — regional buses: zou.maregionsud.fr
- Wikivoyage: Cannes, revision 5312127 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5312127
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Cannes
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Cannes; the US consulate-general and most others are in Marseille or Paris — check before you travel.
Service is included by law in French restaurants; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cannes). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.