Car Hire Cannes - Mini guide to Cannes

One of the Cote d’Azure’s jetset locations, Cannes is best known for its annual fringe film festival, and has become increasingly popular for hosting conferences, tournaments, festivals and shows. It’s also a good place to moor your million-dollar yacht, flash your platinum amex card and beat off the paparazzi.

Le Suquet is the old town, perched on a hill, from where you can enjoy excellent vistas. Here you’ll find the remains of the fortified twelfth-century priory chapelle Ste-Anne, as well as the Musée de la Castre.

Cannes main streets – rue d'Antibes, rue Meynardier and the promenade de la Croisette are a good place to spot the rich and famous, but ruinously expensive for shopping.

La Croisette, The palm tree lined waterfront avenue, gives Cannes its exotic, high class appeal and you can’t miss the tacky façade of the film festival auditorium. Wandering around the mariner admiring the jaw dropping luxury yachts is fun, but finding a non-paying beach in this area is a little frustrating, many belong to the expensive sea front hotels, but there are a few west of Le Suquet, along the plages du Midi and just east of the Palais des Festivals. A popular, down to earth, escape is the Îles de Lérins, a short boat ride offshore, with good walking and cycling trails, a few curious fortifications and several small, quieter beaches.

Eating at any venue along waterfront is out of most people’s league but the Forville covered market, two blocks behind the Mairie, has cheap fresh food, in typical French style.