3 days in Cannes

Day by day

1. Day 1: Boulevard de la Croisette and Palais des Festivals et des Congrès

   Boulevard de la Croisette, Palais des Festivals et des Congrès and La Malmaison, then Vieux Port and Quai Saint-Pierre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Boulevard de la Croisette

      The seafront boulevard curves for about 2 km from the Palais des Festivals to Pointe Croisette, with palm trees and blue chairs on the promenade, beach clubs below and the façades of the Carlton, Martinez and Majestic hotels across the road.

   2. Late morning

      Palais des Festivals et des Congrès

      Ask at the tourist office inside about guided tours of the Palais, which take you behind the scenes of the Lumière auditorium on certain dates.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Socca

      Stalls around Marché Forville in the morning; eat it straight from the paper while it is hot.

   4. Afternoon

      La Malmaison

      The last remaining part of the 19th-century Grand Hôtel on the Croisette is now a municipal art centre that stages temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, often focused on artists linked to the Riviera such as Picasso or Matisse.

   5. Evening

      Vieux Port and Quai Saint-Pierre

      Watch the evening pétanque games on the Allées de la Liberté before dinner on the quay.

2. Day 2: Le Suquet old town and Musée des Explorations du Monde

   Le Suquet old town, Musée des Explorations du Monde and Marché Forville, then Rue du Docteur Monod and Forville in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Le Suquet old town

      Climb up via Rue Saint-Antoine and come down the stairways on the seaward side towards the Plage du Midi.

   2. Late morning

      Musée des Explorations du Monde

      Housed in the old castle of the monks of Lérins at the top of Le Suquet, this museum (long known as the Musée de la Castre) holds ethnographic collections from the Pacific, the Himalayas and the Americas, antiquities and Riviera landscape paintings.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Pan bagnat

      Bakeries in the centre and around Marché Forville; buy one before catching the boat to the islands.

   4. Afternoon

      Marché Forville

      Go before 11am, when the fish stalls are at their fullest, and buy picnic supplies for an island trip.

   5. Evening

      Rue du Docteur Monod and Forville

      A strip of small bars beside Marché Forville that fills with a local crowd on summer evenings and spills onto the street.

3. Day 3: Île Sainte-Marguerite and Île Saint-Honorat and Lérins Abbey

   Île Sainte-Marguerite, Île Saint-Honorat and Lérins Abbey and Underwater eco-museum, then La Croisette in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Île Sainte-Marguerite

      The larger Lérins island, about 15 minutes by boat from the old port, is covered with eucalyptus and Aleppo pine and ringed by footpaths and small rocky coves.

   2. Late morning

      Île Saint-Honorat and Lérins Abbey

      Dress modestly and keep noise down; this is a working monastery, and the island is calmest on weekdays.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bouillabaisse

      Seafood restaurants on Quai Saint-Pierre and around the Vieux Port; ask whether it is made to order.

   4. Afternoon

      Underwater eco-museum

      Off the southern shore of Île Sainte-Marguerite, six large sculpted heads by artist Jason deCaires Taylor rest on the seabed in shallow water, inspired by portraits of local residents.

   5. Evening

      La Croisette

      Palace-hotel bars, beach clubs with evening DJs and the Casino Barrière in the Palais des Festivals.

If it rains

• Swap in Musée Bonnard (Le Cannet): Combine it with a wander through the old streets of Le Cannet and lunch on Rue Saint-Sauveur.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, La Croisette keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Le Suquet ($$$) suits couples, food lovers and culture. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 14–19 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Cannes
• 2 days in Cannes
• 5 days in Cannes

Questions travellers ask