There’s something rather lovely about arriving on the French Riviera by train.
We travelled from Paris to Cannes in June, watching the scenery change as we headed south through the French countryside. Along the way, we passed beautiful landscapes and fields of lavender, and by the time we reached the Mediterranean, it really felt like summer.
Cannes sits on the Côte d’Azur in the South of France and is, of course, famous for the Cannes Film Festival and all the glamour that surrounds it. But beyond the red carpets, designer boutiques and enormous yachts, it’s also a wonderful place for a relaxed beach holiday and a very convenient base for exploring more of the French Riviera.
I’d visited Cannes years earlier, spending ten days travelling around the area with a friend while I was living in London. This time, I was returning with my family for a week, and although the experience was quite different, I loved it just as much.
Where We Stayed: Plage du Midi
We booked a three-bedroom, two-bathroom VRBO apartment opposite Plage du Midi, with a kitchen, plenty of space for everyone and a beautiful view across the Mediterranean.
The location turned out to be one of my favourite things about our stay. We could sit and watch the boats and ships coming and going throughout the day, the beach was directly across the road, and there were several beach restaurants nearby, including L’Alba and Maema. We were also close to a park and within walking distance of the marina and central Cannes.
It gave us a really nice balance. We could walk into the busier part of Cannes whenever we wanted restaurants, shopping or a little more action, but our immediate surroundings felt much more like a beach holiday.
Having extra family travelling with us was lovely too, particularly because it meant my husband and I could occasionally disappear for happy hour, walk to the shops or go in search of something delicious for dinner without needing to bring our daughter along every time.
Beach Days, Seafood and Champagne
One of the things I particularly like about Cannes is that it has sandy beaches, unlike many of the pebble beaches you find elsewhere along the French Riviera.
For me, that made our stay feel like a proper beach holiday. We spent plenty of time swimming and enjoying the water, with our days punctuated by good food, cocktails, Champagne and rather a lot of French cheese.
The seafood was fantastic. A few times we walked out to buy fresh prawns – or shrimp, depending on which side of the world you’re from – and brought them back to eat at the apartment.
We also discovered Ernest Traiteur on Rue Meynadier, a wonderful local pâtisserie and traiteur where you could pick up pastries, breads, chocolates and all sorts of delicious things to take home. Places like this are one of my favourite things about travelling in France. Even a simple trip out to buy something for breakfast or afternoon tea can turn into an opportunity to discover another beautiful pastry or local specialty.
That’s one of the reasons I enjoy staying in an apartment when we travel as a family. I love going out for dinner, but I don’t necessarily want to eat every meal in a restaurant. Wandering through local shops and markets, choosing cheese, seafood, bread and fresh produce, and then bringing everything home is part of the experience for me.
I also love being able to wash our clothes when we travel, which is perhaps not quite as glamorous as Champagne on the Côte d’Azur, but makes me disproportionately happy.
Exploring Cannes
Cannes has plenty of places to eat, drink and shop, and it’s an easy town to explore without much of a plan. There is, of course, the glamorous side – the yachts, beautiful hotels, designer boutiques and the legacy of the film festival – but I think the people-watching is almost as entertaining as anything else.
That’s something I love about the South of France in general. There’s all the glitz and glamour you expect from the Côte d’Azur, alongside those quintessentially French scenes of people walking their dogs, sitting outside cafés smoking cigarettes or sunbathing topless on the beach without giving anyone else a second thought.
They seem to know how to enjoy life.
From our location at Plage du Midi, we could take or leave the busier side of Cannes. If we wanted to shop, go out for drinks or wander around the marina, it was all within easy reach, but we didn’t have to be surrounded by the hustle and bustle all day.
For a family trip, I thought that worked particularly well.
A Day Trip to Saint-Tropez
We hired a car and drove to Saint-Tropez for the day, although the drive itself ended up being rather more memorable than anticipated.
My husband was a little rusty with the gears in the small manual car we’d rented. He’d approach a roundabout in entirely the wrong gear, coast his way around it, attempt to correct himself and then jerk us forward while occasionally grinding the gears for good measure.
By the time we reached Saint-Tropez, I was feeling slightly queasy and increasingly irritated.
We’ve requested automatic rental cars ever since.
Thankfully, Saint-Tropez itself was as fabulous as I remembered. We ate at L’Opéra, which had a fun atmosphere, quirky signage and great food, and spent some time exploring the town before making our way back to Cannes.
On my earlier visit to the French Riviera, my friend and I had travelled to Saint-Tropez by boat. Given the choice next time, I think I’d be inclined to do that again. It’s a rather more glamorous way to arrive – and considerably easier on the gears.
Nice and the Cours Saleya Market
We also visited Nice during our stay and spent some time exploring the Cours Saleya market in the Old Town. It’s a lovely place to wander around, browse the stalls and pick up souvenirs, and the surrounding streets are worth exploring too.
Nice has quite a different feel from Cannes, so I think it’s worth experiencing both if you have the time. The coastline is beautiful, although the famous pebble beaches are a noticeable contrast to the sandy beach we’d been enjoying back in Cannes.
A Day in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo was another easy day trip from Cannes and one of those places that feels instantly familiar, even if you’ve never visited before.
There are plenty of iconic sights, including the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco and the Oceanographic Museum, but part of the fun is simply walking around and taking everything in.
With the harbour, yachts, dramatic coastline and famous streets surrounding you, it’s difficult not to imagine what Monte Carlo must be like during the Monaco Grand Prix. Even outside race weekend, there’s an unmistakable sense of glamour about the place.
Why Cannes Works So Well as a Base
One of the things I appreciate most about Cannes is its location. There is so much to explore along the French Riviera, and Cannes puts you within relatively easy reach of places like Nice, Monaco and Saint-Tropez.
The region is also well connected by train, Italy is surprisingly close, and Nice Airport makes it easy to incorporate Cannes into a longer European trip.
At the same time, you really don’t need to go anywhere. You could quite happily spend several days in Cannes doing little more than swimming, walking, eating, drinking and watching the boats go by.
Sometimes that’s exactly what I want from a holiday.
Mrs Globetrotter Tips
- Consider staying around Plage du Midi. We loved being opposite the beach while still having central Cannes within walking distance. It allowed us to enjoy the quieter side of Cannes without feeling removed from everything.
- An apartment works particularly well for families. Having multiple bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities gave us much more flexibility, particularly when we wanted to buy local seafood, cheese and produce rather than eating every meal out.
- Use the train where it makes sense. The French Riviera is well connected, and travelling by train means you can enjoy the scenery without worrying about parking or negotiating busy coastal roads.
- Consider the boat for Saint-Tropez. Driving gives you flexibility, but having now visited by both car and boat, I’d be very tempted to arrive by water again next time. My husband would probably agree.
- Don’t turn every day into a day trip. Cannes is such a good base that it’s tempting to spend the entire stay exploring somewhere else. Leave yourself time to actually enjoy Cannes, particularly the beach.
- Make the most of the local food. Even if you’re eating out most of the time, visit the markets and food shops, buy some French cheese, fresh bread, fruit or seafood and enjoy a simple meal at home or by the beach.
Would I Go Back?
Absolutely. I love the South of France, and Cannes gives you a wonderful combination of beach holiday, city break and base for exploring the wider French Riviera.
What I particularly like is that you can participate in as much or as little of the glamour as you want. You can drink Champagne overlooking the Mediterranean, wander past enormous yachts and beautiful boutiques, then walk home carrying groceries and laundry detergent.
That combination suits me rather well.
Next time, I’d love to slow things down and make Cannes part of a longer food and wine trip through the South of France, perhaps continuing on to Aix-en-Provence and spending more time discovering the markets, vineyards and smaller towns along the way.
And, naturally, we’ll be renting an automatic.
