For couples · Cannes · France
Romantic things to do in Cannes
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Cannes suits couples looking for Riviera glamour in small doses: sunsets over the Esterel, island walks and dinners on old-town terraces. Visit outside the festival weeks for a calmer town. Couples tend to stay in La Croisette.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- La Croisette
- Best months
- June and September
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset from Le Suquet
Climb to the terrace by Notre-Dame d'Espérance as the sun drops behind the red Esterel hills across the bay.
2.Island picnic
Take an early boat to Île Sainte-Marguerite and walk the shore path to a quiet cove for a picnic under the pines.
3.Drinks at a palace hotel
An evening cocktail on the terrace or beach of one of the Croisette's palace hotels is the classic Cannes splurge.
4.Dinner on Rue Saint-Antoine
Book a terrace table in Le Suquet and walk down to the old port afterwards.
5.Corniche d'Or drive
Drive the red-rock coast road west to Théoule and stop at viewpoints and small coves along the way.
Sights couples love
Street · La Croisette
Boulevard de la Croisette
Grab one of the free blue chairs along the promenade at sunset, when the light turns the Esterel hills across the bay red.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Couples
- Views
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Le Suquet
Le Suquet old town
Climb up via Rue Saint-Antoine and come down the stairways on the seaward side towards the Plage du Midi.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
Religious site · Lérins Islands
Île Saint-Honorat and Lérins Abbey
Dress modestly and keep noise down; this is a working monastery, and the island is calmest on weekdays.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for luxury, couples, beach and first-timers
La Croisette
The Boulevard de la Croisette is the Cannes of postcards: the Carlton, the Martinez and the Majestic face the sea across a palm-lined promenade, with private beach clubs on the sand below and luxury fashion houses on the ground floors. It runs from the Palais des Festivals east towards Pointe Croisette and is the place to stay if you want to step straight onto the beach.
- Good
- Sea views and beach access; Walkable to the Palais and old port; Smartest hotels in town
- Watch out
- Very expensive, especially in May; Traffic along the boulevard
- Nearby
- Palais des Festivals, Plage Macé, La Malmaison, Rue d'Antibes
Romantic day trips
- Antibes and Juan-les-Pins (About 10–15 minutes by train) — Antibes has ramparts above the sea, a morning Provençal market on Cours Masséna and the Picasso Museum in the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso worked in 1946.
- Grasse (About 30 minutes by train) — The hill town above Cannes has been the centre of the French perfume industry for centuries.
- Esterel coast and Théoule-sur-Mer (About 30 minutes by car) — West of Cannes, the red volcanic rocks of the Esterel massif drop into the sea along the Corniche d'Or, one of the most scenic roads in France.
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence (About 40 minutes by car) — A walled medieval hill village of galleries and cobbled lanes where Marc Chagall is buried.
- Mougins (About 20 minutes by car or bus) — A circular hilltop village just north of Cannes where Picasso spent his last years.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Bouillabaisse, Salade niçoise and Petits farcis. Weekday lunch set menus (formules) in the centre are much cheaper than dinner menus.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Cannes romantic?
Cannes suits couples looking for Riviera glamour in small doses: sunsets over the Esterel, island walks and dinners on old-town terraces. Visit outside the festival weeks for a calmer town.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Cannes?
Sunset from Le Suquet: Climb to the terrace by Notre-Dame d'Espérance as the sun drops behind the red Esterel hills across the bay.
+Where should couples stay in Cannes?
La Croisette: Palace hotels, beach clubs and designer boutiques along the seafront boulevard.