Where to stay · Cannes · France
Where to stay in Cannes
7 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in La Croisette. Palace hotels, beach clubs and designer boutiques along the seafront boulevard. Best alternatives — families: Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach; budget: Centre and Rue d'Antibes.
Key facts
- First visit
- La Croisette
- Families
- Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach
- Budget
- Centre and Rue d'Antibes
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | La Croisette | Palace hotels, beach clubs and designer boutiques along the seafront boulevard |
| Families | Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach | The quieter eastern tip of the bay with a marina, casino and public beaches |
| Couples | La Croisette | Palace hotels, beach clubs and designer boutiques along the seafront boulevard |
| Budget | Centre and Rue d'Antibes | Shopping streets, bakeries and mid-range hotels one block back from the sea |
| Luxury | La Croisette | Palace hotels, beach clubs and designer boutiques along the seafront boulevard |
| Food lovers | Le Suquet | Steep cobbled lanes, the old castle and terrace restaurants above the port |
| Solo travellers | Centre and Rue d'Antibes | Shopping streets, bakeries and mid-range hotels one block back from the sea |
| Shopping | Centre and Rue d'Antibes | Shopping streets, bakeries and mid-range hotels one block back from the sea |
| Quiet stays | Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach | The quieter eastern tip of the bay with a marina, casino and public beaches |
| Beach | La Croisette | Palace hotels, beach clubs and designer boutiques along the seafront boulevard |
Cannes neighbourhoods in detail
$$$$ · Best for luxury, couples, beach and first-timers
La Croisette
The Boulevard de la Croisette is the Cannes of postcards: the Carlton, the Martinez and the Majestic face the sea across a palm-lined promenade, with private beach clubs on the sand below and luxury fashion houses on the ground floors. It runs from the Palais des Festivals east towards Pointe Croisette and is the place to stay if you want to step straight onto the beach.
- Good
- Sea views and beach access; Walkable to the Palais and old port; Smartest hotels in town
- Watch out
- Very expensive, especially in May; Traffic along the boulevard
- Nearby
- Palais des Festivals, Plage Macé, La Malmaison, Rue d'Antibes
$$$ · Best for couples, food lovers and culture
Le Suquet
Le Suquet is the original fishing village on the hill west of the Vieux Port, crowned by the Tour du Suquet, the castle museum and the church of Notre-Dame d'Espérance. Rue Saint-Antoine climbs past small restaurants with terraces, and Marché Forville and the bars of Rue du Docteur Monod sit at its foot. Accommodation is mostly small hotels and apartments.
- Good
- Old-town character; Restaurants and the market on the doorstep; Views over the bay
- Watch out
- Steep streets and steps; Few hotels with lifts or parking
- Nearby
- Marché Forville, Musée des Explorations du Monde, Vieux Port, Plage du Midi
$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping, budget and solo travellers
Centre and Rue d'Antibes
The grid between the station and the Croisette holds Rue d'Antibes, the main shopping street, and the pedestrian Rue Meynadier with its delis and cheap fashion. Hotels here cost noticeably less than on the seafront but are still five minutes from the beach, and the train station is close for day trips along the coast.
- Good
- Close to the station for day trips; Better-value hotels; Shops and cafés on every corner
- Watch out
- No sea views; Busy traffic on the main roads
- Nearby
- Gare de Cannes, Rue Meynadier, Palais des Festivals
$$$ · Best for families, beach and quiet stays
Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach
At the far end of the Croisette, the Port Pierre Canto marina and the Palm Beach casino sit on the headland, with public beaches along Boulevard Gazagnaire looking back across the bay to Le Suquet and the Esterel hills. It is calmer than the central Croisette and suits families who want space on the sand, though it is a 25–30 minute walk to the old town.
- Good
- Quieter beaches; Sea views across the bay; Easier parking
- Watch out
- Long walk to the old town and station; Fewer restaurants open out of season
- Nearby
- Port Pierre Canto, Plage Gazagnaire, Palm Beach
$$$$ · Best for quiet stays, luxury and couples
La Californie
The residential hill of La Californie was built up with grand villas for 19th-century winter visitors, and its winding roads still hold Russian and English-era mansions and the Orthodox church of Saint-Michel-Archange. Hotels and apartment rentals here are quiet with sea views, but a car or bus makes life easier given the climb back from the beach.
- Good
- Peaceful and green; Views over the bay; Grand historic villas
- Watch out
- Steep walk from the seafront; Little to do in the evening without transport
- Nearby
- Pointe Croisette, Le Cannet, Boulevard Alexandre III
$$ · Best for budget, families and beach
La Bocca
West of Le Suquet, La Bocca is everyday Cannes: a residential district with supermarkets, its own train station and long public beaches that continue the Plage du Midi towards Mandelieu. It is the best-value base for beach holidays and for drivers heading to the Esterel coast, with a 10-minute bus or train ride into the centre.
- Good
- Lower prices; Long free beaches; Easy access to the Esterel
- Watch out
- Little character compared with the centre; Need transport for the evenings
- Nearby
- Plage du Midi, Gare de Cannes-La Bocca, Mandelieu-la-Napoule
$$ · Best for quiet stays, culture and budget
Le Cannet
Le Cannet is a separate commune on the slopes directly above Cannes, where Pierre Bonnard lived and painted for more than 20 years. Its old quarter around Rue Saint-Sauveur has painted murals and small restaurants, and the Musée Bonnard occupies a Belle Époque villa there. Buses connect it with central Cannes in about 15 minutes.
- Good
- Quieter and cheaper than central Cannes; Village atmosphere; Views over the bay
- Watch out
- Bus or car needed for the beach; Few hotels
- Nearby
- Musée Bonnard, Rue Saint-Sauveur, La Californie
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| La Croisette | $$$$ | Palais des Festivals, Plage Macé, La Malmaison, Rue d'Antibes |
| Le Suquet | $$$ | Marché Forville, Musée des Explorations du Monde, Vieux Port, Plage du Midi |
| Centre and Rue d'Antibes | $$ | Gare de Cannes, Rue Meynadier, Palais des Festivals |
| Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach | $$$ | Port Pierre Canto, Plage Gazagnaire, Palm Beach |
| La Californie | $$$$ | Pointe Croisette, Le Cannet, Boulevard Alexandre III |
| La Bocca | $$ | Plage du Midi, Gare de Cannes-La Bocca, Mandelieu-la-Napoule |
| Le Cannet | $$ | Musée Bonnard, Rue Saint-Sauveur, La Californie |
Getting to your hotel
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is about 27 km east of Cannes. Express coaches run from the airport to Cannes in about 45–60 minutes depending on traffic, and regional trains from the station near the airport reach Cannes in about 30 minutes. Taxis and private transfers take about 30–45 minutes.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Cannes for first-time visitors?
La Croisette. The Boulevard de la Croisette is the Cannes of postcards: the Carlton, the Martinez and the Majestic face the sea across a palm-lined promenade, with private beach clubs on the sand below and luxury fashion houses on the ground floors.
+Where should families stay in Cannes?
Pointe Croisette and Palm Beach: Quieter beaches.
+Which area of Cannes is best for a budget stay?
Centre and Rue d'Antibes ($$): Shopping streets, bakeries and mid-range hotels one block back from the sea.