Attractions
Antibes
Head a few miles east to visit Antibes, where you’ll browse through one of the best produce markets in the South of France. Every summer morning you can buy bushels of fresh local produce. For a bit of culture, head to Château Grimaldi, a 16th-century, seafront castle that houses a Picasso museum. Picasso lived in the castle for a few months in 1946. Most of the work on display at the Musée Picasso was completed during his stay in the castle, but there is also some other of Picasso’s work and the work of some of his contemporaries. Right next to the castle is a medieval cathedral. The choir and apse are original while the nave and façade were added later.
Hours of operation: Musée Picasso – Closed Mondays. Tuesday to Sunday 10am–6pm from 15 June to 15 September. During the rest of the year open 10am–12pm and 2pm–6pm.
Admission: €6.
Ile St. Honorat and Ile St. Marguerite
These two islands of Lerins are just a short, 20-minute boat ride from Cannes. Ile St. Honorat is the southernmost point of the Iles de Lerins. Cistercian monks are the only ones to call this tiny, forested island home. A monastery has occupied the island since the 5th century. The current, very modern monastery offers week-long retreats, or you can hop over to the island for a day and take one of the tours the monks organise for tourists. You can explore the ruins of the 11th century, seaside monastery, or buy homemade products such as wine, honey and lavender oil. Nearby Ile St. Marguerite is home to infamous fortress that once imprisoned the “man in the iron mask.”
Telephone: (04) 9299 5400 or for boat trips (04) 9298 7138.
La Croisette
Walk along Cannes’ biggest attraction, the shop-lined promenade and seven-mile-long beach of La Croisette. Palatial hotels own private beaches along this ritzy strip, which is often dotted with celebrities and paparazzi. At the end of the promenade you’ll find the Palais des Festivals, where celebrities have imprinted their handprints and signatures on the Allées des Stars. For a great overhead view of the area, head up to the Old Town’s highest point, Le Suquet. The remains of a fortified tower and the 12th-century Chapel of St. Anne offer a sense of history in this quaint neighbourhood of winding streets, restaurants and small boutiques. Walk a bit farther from La Croisette to the Vieux Port to see luxury yachts and weathered fishing boats floating side by side, and then head down to the flower market at the Allées de la Liberté. If you’d like to frolic in the sea like the locals, the free beaches are farther west down the seafront at the Plages du Midi.
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