France, Cannes

Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, tucked away in La Napoule bay. The city is popular for its glamorous lifestyle, stunning setting, and steady climate and, of course, the world famous festivals.

Cannes is renowned for its miles of gorgeous sandy beaches along Golfe de la Napoule which are mainly open to the public for a fee, particularly the beaches to the west towards Cannes La Bocca. The famous "La Croisette" is the beach that extends around the bay to the east of the port, in the protected "Rade de Cannes" area.

History

150 years ago Cannes was nothing more than an insignificant fishing village. In the 19th century the Foreign Minister of Great Britain Lord Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, established himself in Cannes, in search of a healthy climates.

Until the early 19th century, Cannes remained a small agricultural and fishing village with the highest density of population on Le Suquet hill. Since the 1830s, foreign and French aristocrats built holiday homes in the area, gradually turning Cannes into the resort town it is today.

Cannes Film Festival is considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, and is a part of the history of Cannes.

Today, Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera. It is famous for its good climate, the luxurious hotels, glamorous villas, cars, beaches, and the "port du Cannes" and myriad of visitors. Cannes is very famous and has become well-known among jet-setters, aristocrat and famous celebrities as the city hosts many significant events including the annual Cannes Film Festival, Cannes Lions, mipim conference, and other attractions surrounding Cannes.

Geography & Demographics

Cannes is located in Southern Europe at the south eastern extremity of France. Cannes is a privileged crossroads between the Alps, Provence, Monaco and Italy. Cannes mild climate is well known for its living quality, the climate is mediterranean.

It is the third city of the department by its population. Cannes is a small city (population under 70,000) in the southeast of France.

Economy

Cannes is France's second most important city (after Paris) for business tourism. The chameleon city takes on an identity to suit the temper of each major congress, festival or season. MIDEM, the conference for the music business, takes place in January and turns Cannes into a city of young, fun, music professionals. March brings a sober, suited crowd for MIPIM (the international real-estate market) and in October, a conservative crowd for the Tax Free World Exhibition.

The Cannes enjoy the financial rewards that tourism and business travellers bring, losing patience only at the height of the film festival, when the population triples in size.

Culture

Cannes is very famous around the world for its Film Festival and also for its Cannes Lions Festival. This is a very luxurious city and has as a principal source the tourism. Cannes has an impressive selection of museums, art galleries, stunningly beautiful gardens, Phoenix Botanical Gardens greenhouse is hailed as the largest in Europe.

Cannes has varied selection of cultural events, Cannes casinos are a highly popular aspect of the evening entertainment, nightclubs appealing to all tastes can be found in the city centre. France has a reputation for excellence in its cuisine and Cannes is no exception, with restaurants across the city serving up some of the finest examples of the most popular dishes in France.

Transportation

There are several ways of travelling to Cannes: by air, by sea and by land with the quickest option being by air.

Nice International Airport is the nearest airport from Cannes, which is located at just 25 km from the city. Almost all major airlines operate regular flights to Nice from cities across Europe.

Cannes is just 2 hours by flight from London, 7 hours from New York, 13 hours from Los Angeles, 10 hours from Toronto, and 25 hours from Sydney.

Cannes is well connected by high-speed rail and road networks from cities across France and Europe, and you can easily reach to Cannes from London, Paris, Brussels, Milan, Rome, Venice and other major cities of Europe and France.