An Afternoon in Cannes, France (French Riviera)

In April, we escaped the seemingly endless rain England was showering us with and, for a few days, sought sanctuary on the French Riviera. We based ourselves in Nice, but travelled to other areas along the coast line each day. We took in the sights of Monaco to Menton, Éze, Antibes, Cannes and Ventimiglia, Italy.

© 2024 Cher Tavernier-Nicholas

Now, talking of Cannes, this glorious, glamorous city was by far my favourite. We enjoyed a holiday there about 24 years ago, so it was great to go back. Despite it being a place of glamour and pizzazz, it’s also a real, working city that doesn’t just come alive for the iconic film festival every May. This is a city where regular people live, not just the extremely wealthy.

© 2024 Karis Tavernier-Nicholas

What I loved about Cannes was that everything was easily accessible. You didn’t have to walk for ever from the train station to get to the beach or the city centre. Walking along the promenade was just delightful, and is reminiscent of Beverly Hills or Palm Springs in the States: tall palm trees line the street, the buildings are sparkling white in the glorious sunshine and against the perfect blue sky. Coming as we did from Nice, Cannes was a welcome break as Nice can be a bit too busy and a bit rough round the edges (we were told more than once to be aware of pickpockets). Despite this, it’s still a lovely city in itself; you can read more about our time in Nice here.

©2024 Cher Tavernier-Nicholas

Cannes has a great main shopping street, Rue d’Antibes, with over 800 stores. These included independent boutiques and everyday high street stores as well as Galleries Lafayette. Running parallel to Rue d’Antibes is the Croisette which hosts high-end designer stores such as Hermés, Cartier, Chanel and Dior.

There are a lot of eateries around Cannes, running off the main street. We found a little bakery which seemed quite popular with the locals so decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed as our lunch was delicious! Washing it down with a nice café au lait was just what we needed, and for being in the middle of Cannes, it didn’t break the bank; all in, lunch and coffees cost us less than 15 euros, and that was adding a few patisseries we bought on our way out. So you can enjoy Cannes on a budget.

So, if you enjoy eating, shopping, beach clubs, blue skies, sparkling blue sea, palm trees and a calm, chilled vibe then this is the place for you.

Cher Tavernier-Nicholas