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Coordinates: 43°33′05″N 7°00′46″E / 43.551347°N 7.012753°E
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Commune of Cannes |
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| Location | |
  Cannes
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-Maritimes |
| Arrondissement | Grasse |
| Mayor | Bernard Brochand (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0–260 m (0–850 ft) |
| Land area1 | 19.62 km2 (7.58 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 71,790 (2006) |
| - Density | 3,659 /km2 (9,480 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 06029/ 06400 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Cannes (French pronunciation: [kan], in Occitan Canas) is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Communes of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department.
The city is also famous for its various luxury shops, restaurants, and hotels.
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By the 2nd century BC the Ligurian Oxybii established a settlement here known as Aegitna. Historians are unsure what the name means. The area was a fishing village used as a port of call between the Lérins Islands.
In 69 AD it became the scene of violent conflict between the troops of Othos and Vitellius.[1]
In the 10th century the town was known as Canua[citation needed]. The name may derive from "canna", a reed. Canua was probably the site of a small Ligurian port, and later a Roman outpost on Le Suquet hill, suggested by Roman tombs discovered here. Le Suquet housed an 11th-century tower which overlooked swamps where the city now stands. Most of the ancient activity, especially protection, was on the Lérins islands and the history of Cannes is the history of the islands.
An attack by the Saracens in 891, who remained until the end of the 10th century, devastated the country around Canua. The insecurity of the Lérins islands forced the monks to settle on the mainland, at the Suquet. Construction of a castle in 1035 fortified the city by then known as Cannes, and at the end of the 11th century construction was started on two towers on the Lérins islands. One took a century to build; the other, three.
Around 1530, Cannes detached from the monks who had controlled the city for hundreds of years and became independent.
During the 18th century, the Spanish and British both tried to gain control of the Lérins Islands, but were chased away by the French. The islands were later controlled by many, such as Jean-Honoré Alziary, and the Bishop of Fréjus. The islands had many different purposes; at the end of the 19th century, one was a hospital for soldiers in the Crimean War.
Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux bought land at the Croix des Gardes and constructed the villa Eleonore-Louise. His work to improve living conditions attracted the English aristocracy, who also built winter residences.
At the end of the 19th century, several railways were completed. This prompted the arrival of streetcars. In Cannes, projects such as the Boulevard Carnot, the rue d'Antibes and the Carlton Hotel on the Promenade de la Croisette were carried out. After the closure of the Casino des Fleurs (hôtel Gallia), a luxury establishment was built for the rich winter clientèle; the Casino Municipal next to the pier Albert-Edouard. This casino was demolished and replaced by the new Palace in 1979.
With the 20th century came new luxury hotels such as the Miramar and the Martinez. The city was modernised with a sports centre, street cars, a post office, and schools. There were fewer British and German tourists after the First World War but more Americans. Winter tourism gave way to summer tourism and the summer casino at the Palm Beach was constructed.
The city council had the idea of an international film festival shortly before World War II. The first opened on 20 September 1946, held in the Casino Municipal.
The climate is Mediterranean and the city enjoys 12 hours of sunshine per day during summer (May to September), while in winter (December to February) the weather is mild. Both seasons see a relatively low rainfall and most rain is during October and November, when 110 mm falls.
Cannes summers are long and warm, with summer daytime temperatures regularly hitting 30°C, while average temperatures are about 25°C. Temperatures remain high from June to September, the busiest time of the year. Despite the hot daytime temperatures, a Mediterranean breeze keeps summer evenings comfortably cool.
Temperatures drop below 10°C for only three months of the year (December to February). The spring and autumn are also warm, although more suited to those who prefer slightly cooler weather.
La Croisette is the waterfront avenue with palm trees. La Croisette is known for picturesque beaches and for restaurants, cafés and boutiques. La Suquet, the old town, provides a good view of La Croisette. The fortified tower and Chapel of St Anne house the Musée de la Castre. The Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned on the Île Sainte-Marguerite.
The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence houses artifacts from prehistoric to present, in an 18th century mansion. The Musée de la Castre has objects from the Pacific Atolls, Peruvian relics and Mayan pottery. Other venues include the Musée de la Marine, Musée de la Mer, Musée de la Photographie and Musée International de la Parfumerie.
Nineteenth-century Cannes can still be seen in its grand villas, built to reflect the wealth and standing of their owners and inspired by anything from medieval castles to Roman villas. Lord Brougham’s Italianate Villa Eléonore Louise (one of the first in Cannes) was built between 1835 and 1839. Also known as the Quartier des Anglais, this is the oldest residential area in Cannes. Another landmark is the Villa Fiésole (known today as the Villa Domergue) designed by Jean-Gabriel Domergue in the style of Fiesole, near Florence. The villas are not open to the public. Villa Domergue may be visited on appointment.
It took "The Man in the Iron Mask" 11 years to leave this tiny, forested island. The mysterious individual was believed to be of noble blood, but his identity has never been proven. His cell can be visited in the Fort of St Marguerite, now renamed the Musée de la Mer (Museum of the Sea). This museum also houses discoveries from shipwrecks off the island, including Roman (first century BC) and Saracen (10th century AD) ceramics.
Cistercian monks are the only inhabitants of the smaller, southern St Honorat Island. Monks have inhabited the island since AD410 and, at the height of their powers, owned Cannes, Mougins and Vallauris. Medieval vestiges remain in the stark church, which is open to the public, and in the ruins of the 11th-century monastery on the sea’s edge. The monks divide their time between prayer and producing red and white wines.
Cannes is not renowned for traditional theatre. However, small venues stage productions and host short sketches during the annual International Actors’ Performance Festival. Popular theaters include the Espace Miramar and the Alexandre III.
The area around Cannes has developed into a high-tech cluster. The technopolis of Sophia Antipolis lies in the hills beyond Cannes. The Film Festival is a major event for the industry. There is an annual television festival in the last week in September.
The economic environment is based on tourism (business fairs), trade and aviation. Cannes has 6500 companies, of which 3000 are traders, artisans and service providers. In 2006, 421 new companies were registered.
Cannes hosts the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, headquarters of Thales Alenia Space, the first European satellite manufacturer.
Located 24 km (15 mi) from Cannes, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has close to 10 million passengers a year. The smaller Cannes - Mandelieu Airport is also nearby.
From Paris, the journey takes 8 hours via the A8 motorway; from Monaco and Nice, the same road provides access from the opposite direction.
TGV rail services provide access from major French cities. Other cities with rail connections include Brussels (6 hours), Milan (5 hours), Basel (10 hours), Rome (10 hours) and Venice (10 hours).
Coach services arrive at the Gare Routière de Cannes, in the centre of the city, near the Town Hall. Companies from abroad include Eurolines and Agence Phoceens. Regional services are by Rapides Côte d’Azur and CTM, with services from Nice and Grasse/Mandelieu respectively. Local bus services are provided by Bus Azur.
Ferries are available in Nice harbour from Bastia and Calvi in Corsica, with services provided by SNCM Ferryterranée and Corsica Ferries. From Bastia, the journey is 4 hours, 45 minutes on conventional ferries and 3 hours, 40 minutes on express ferries, while from Calvi, conventional vessels take 3 hours, 45 minutes and express vessels take 2 hours, 45 minutes. An average of four ferries a day sail on these routes, with more during summer.
Cannes is twinned with:
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Cannes twinning |
Friendship pacts |
 The aerial view of Cannes |
 The marina at Cannes |
 The Croisette gardens |
 St Honorat Island |
 Hôtel de Ville (The City Hall) |
 The rocky beaches in Cannes |
Once a small fishing village, Cannes is now a glamorous and expensive seaside town considered to be one of the social hubs of Europe. Its moment to shine arrives in May as the venue for the Cannes Film Festival, entertaining the rich and famous. During the festival, fans can see actors, celebrities, and directors up close and in person on the famous steps of the Palais des Festivals at the end of La Croisette. Although its nightlife, casinos and high end restaurants give Cannes a feel of exclusivity, Cannes does have alternatives to suit all types of budgets. Tourists can check out the beauty and architecture of Le Suquet, with its cobbled streets and breathtaking views, or sit at street side tables and enjoy the favoured hobby of people watching up and down the lovely marina.
Most visitors bound for Cannes will arrive first at Nice International Airport. From here there are a number of travel options, the most cost effective being the half-hourly Express Coach to Cannes Centre via the A8 motorway, at a cost of around €15. Not the cheapest way in, but a lot less than Nice's notoriously expensive taxis at around €80. The cheapest way in is the TAM 200 bus that runs from Nice to Cannes via Nice Airport Terminal One ( a free shuttle operates to link Terminals One and Two). The journey is frustratingly long - it takes about 2 hours and stops every few hundred yards and has no special luggage facility. However the cost at only €1 is so low it attracts many travellers even though it may involve standing the whole journey.
As with Antibes, Monaco and other towns on the French Riviera, access by road at popular times can be slow and frustrating. The coast roads are generally packed, and there are few ways to descend from inland. Locals do have some tricks, like the one described below, but they are complex and do not always work. Using the train to get in is probably better. You can park in Mougins or Mouans Sartoux and take the train to Cannes.
The obvious way to Cannes from the A8 Cannes/Grasse exit is often extremely slow; you end up descending the Boulevard Carnot, which has an endless stream of traffic lights. The simplest way to avoid this congestion is to bear right immediately after you have left the A8 at the first traffic light. Then, once you are off the main road, get into the right hand lane and stay there as the road turns into a normal two-way road.
After a sharp bend there is a traffic light. Continue straight on at the light. At the next major intersection (about 1km further), turn left following signs to Cannes.
You are now on the N85; you should stay on it, and not follow misleading signs to other bits of Cannes until you are at the bottom (a T junction with a French Telecom building on your left). Probably the easiest thing to do at this point is to turn left at this T junction and almost immediately left again. Then go into the first parking garage you can (Parking Fontville).
Another way down to the coast (this works for both Cannes and Juan les Pins/Antibes) is to go to Vallauris and descend to the coast on the D135 and then turn right (for Cannes) or left (for Antibes) when you get to the N7.
By foot Walking can quite often be the fastest mode of transport in Cannes. It also gives you the chance to stumble upon hidden sights that you may miss whilst being anchored to a bus or car.
Bus Getting around Cannes is not a problem at all. The city is well equipped with an efficient bus system (the only public transportation available in town) that provides service not only in the city but also to neighboring La Bocca, Le Cannet and Mandelieu-La Napoule. The bus companies include STU de Cannes Bus Azur, Bus Azur, CTM Cannes La Bocca and Beltrame. They all have scheduled services with a frequency of a bus every 15 minutes. Tickets can be purchased on the bus or at the bus stations and cost €1.25 per ride or you can purchase a Carte 10 which gives you 10 reduced-rate tickets.
Taxis can be hailed on the street or you can order them by phone calling Taxis de Cannes at +33 (04)929 9272. Fares are pre-established with an opening charge of €2.35 and subsequent charges of about €3.00 per mile.
Parking in Cannes Cannes has all the usual hire car rental establishments (Hertz, Avis, Budget) where you can rent a car if you wish. Parking is generally not an issue. Although you will have to pay, it is recommended that you use one of the off street parking garages as this is far better than searching fruitlessly for a parking lot on the street. Moreover Cannes has a truly horrible one-way system and it is much easier to walk. The Fontville parking gives good access to the port and old town.
If you are more interested in the Croisette and/or dislike walking, then there are other parking garages that are available, like the one by the station - one of the best is the one underneath the Palais des Festivales, and the one under the Grey d'Albion hotel in Rue des Serbes.
Residential camps for teens in Cannes (vacation courses) are proposed by ESL-Ecole Suisse de Langues during the Summer. International students from 14 to 17 years follow sessions of 1 to 5 weeks. [2]
Renowned for its luxury boutiques and designer fashion, forgetting your credit card would be a big mistake when visiting Cannes.
The shops in Cannes are concentrated between La Croisette and rue d'Antibes - a distance easily covered on foot. Here you'll find all the luxury boutiques you could possibly desire as well as other shops selling products at a more affordable price range. The old town has any number of shops selling souvenirs as well.
Stroll, or stop by, the wide array of international designer shops that line La Croisette, which include Chanel, Dior, and Gucci. Check out the l`enfant terrible of French fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier in the Gray d'Albion arcade at number 17.
For those with a sweet tooth, get your fix on Rue d'Antibes, which has the best chocolatiers and delicatessens, including Chez Bruno, 51 rue d'Antibes (crystallised fruit and marrons glacés), and Maiffret, 31 rue d'Antibes (chocolates made on the premises).
If you are getting desperate to read something in English then the Cannes English Bookshop (11 rue Bivouac Napoléon, just by the Palais des Festivals tel: +33(04) 9399-4008) can help.
A great street to grab yourself a bargain is on the Rue Meynadier, with a vibrant market atmosphere. Taste some sharp cheese at Ceneri, on 22 rue Meynadier, while quality wines are found at La Cave Forville, at 3 Forville Market.
A souvenir from the monastery on Ste Honorat is a good way to distinguish yourself from the other tourists toting bags of the same souvenirs.
Standard shopping hours are Monday to Saturday 10AM-12PM and 2:30PM-7:30PM. In high season, many shops do not close for lunch. Sales tax varies between 5.5% (food) to 19.6% (luxury goods).
Although it tends to get pretty pricey to eat out in Cannes, it is possible to get a delicious meal incorporating the mouth-watering, fresh regional produce sourced from the markets.
The most popular restaurants to eat at are all along the riverfront, although they are they are not particularly value for money. While the food is ok, it's overpriced, however the people watching and posing-potential is an important compensation.
The best areas for dining are the rue Meynadier, in the beautiful old district of Le Suquet, where you can dine outdoors with a stunning view of the town below, and in the backstreets of the Rue de Antibes, you can find some reasonable dining options.
Vegetarians have a bit of a rough time in France generally, in that most menus classify things as fish, meat and nothing else, and the French pride themselves in eating some fairly esoteric parts of animals not found in supermarkets back home - "testicules de mouton" for example. Traditional French cuisine is expensive at best, you could consider eating in some of the more Italian places.
The most romantic setting for dining in Cannes is away from the conference/ expense account circuit of central Cannes, in the historic quarter of Le Cannet, a northern suburb of Cannes some two kilometers away. Accessible by taxi or local buses, Vieux Le Cannet looks down over Cannes, and at its best vantage point is the large tree lined open square of Place Bellvue, tables alfresco, bounded by four or five quality restaurants patronized mainly by French "in the know". The Place Bellvue is on the main street rue St Sauver, home to artists ateliers and picture-postcard old French scenes. Well worth the extra effort.
Returning to the airport you are advised not to rely on the TAM 200 bus. The traffic between Antibes and Cagnes sur Mer is imfamous for snarl-ups, jams, and nose-to-tail queues which regularly put travellers at risk of missing flights. When running seriously late, the 200 drivers are sometimes inclined to miss out that part of their schedule which involves dropping of travellers at the airport terminus itself, instead dropping them off at the roadside passing the airport.
The more costly express coach bypasses the local roads for the toll-paying motorway, which is generally a good and reliable service, but nothing is 100% reliable. It is best to leave a good healthy margin of time for safety. Note driving to drop off car-rentals is prone to the same traffic problems as the bus.
Though trains have their own issues, like ocassional strikes and late running, it is possible to avoid roads altogether in favour of the SNCF train service, choosing a "arret toutes les gares" train (not a TGV or semi-direct to Nice)and get off at the little station, Nice St Augustin, the stop before Nice Gare Ville. This is situated about a half kilometre from the airport and you can access the airport on foot from there, or pick up the T1/ T2 free Navette to take straight into the terminals from a bus stop nearby.
If you fancy a change of scenery from Cannes or just want to make the most of its location then you can make a day trip to other beautiful and famous cities. A few to note are:
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CANNES, a seaport of France, in the department of the Alpes Maritimes, on the Mediterranean, 1 9 m. S. W. of Nice and 120 m. E. of Marseilles by rail. Pop. (1906) 2 4, 53 1. It enjoys a southern exposure on a seaward slope, and is defended from the northern winds by ranges of hills. Previous to 1831, when it first attracted the attention of Lord Brougham, it mainly consisted of the old quarter (named Sucquet), and had little to show except an ancient castle, and a church on the top of Mont Chevalier, dedicated in 1603 to Notre Dame du Mont Esperance; but since that period it has become a large and important town, and is now one of the most fashionable winter resorts in the south of France, much frequented by English visitors, the Americans preferring Nice. The neighbourhood is thickly studded with magnificent villas, which are solidly built of a stone so soft that it is sawn and not hewn. There is an excellent quay, and a beautiful promenade runs along the beach; and numerous sheltered roads stretch up the valleys amidst groves of olive trees. On the north the modern town climbs up to Le Cannet (2 m.), while on the east it practically extends along the coast to Golfe Jouan (32 m.), where Napoleon landed on the 1st of March 1815, on his return from Elba. From Cannes a railway runs north in 122 m. to Grasse. On the top of the hill behind the town are a Roman Catholic and a Protestant cemetery. In the most prominent part of the latter is the grave of Lord Brougham, distinguished by a massive stone cross standing on a double basement, with the simple inscription - "Henricus Brougham, Natus MDCCLXXVIII., Decessit MDCCCLXVIII."; and in the immediate vicinity lies James, fourth duke of Montrose, who died December 1874. The country around is very beautiful and highly fertile; orange and lemon trees are cultivated like peach trees in England, while olives, almonds, figs, peaches, grapes and other fruits are grown in abundance, and, along with the produce of the fisheries, form the chief exports of the town. Essences of various kinds are manufactured, and flowers are extensively cultivated for the perfumers. The climate of Cannes has been the subject of a considerable variety of opinion, - the preponderance being, however, in its favour. According to Dr de Valcourt, it is remarkable by reason of the elevation and regularity of the temperature during the height of the day, the clearness of the atmosphere and abundance of light, the rarity of rain and the absence of fogs.
Cannes is a place of great antiquity, but its earlier history is very obscure. It was twice destroyed by the Saracens in the 8th and the 10th centuries; but it was afterwards repeopled by a colony from Genoa. Opposite the town is the island of Ste Marguerite (one of the Lerins), in the citadel of which the Man with the Iron Mask was confined from 1686 to 1698, and which acquired notoriety as the prison whence Marshal Bazaine escaped in August 1874. On the other chief island (St Honorat) of the Lerins is the famous monastery (5th century to 1788), in connexion with which grew up the school of Lerins, which had a wide influence upon piety and literature in the 5th and 6th centuries.
See L. Alliez, Histoire du monastere de Lerins (2 vols., Paris, 1862); and Les Iles de Lerins, Cannes, et les rivages environnants (Paris, 1860); Cartulaire du monastere de Lerins (2 vols., Paris, 1883 and 1905); de Valcourt, Cannes and its Climate (London, 1873); Joanne, special Guide to Cannes; J. R. Green, essay on Cannes and St Honorat, in the first series of his Stray Studies (1st ed., 1876); A. CooperMarsdin, The School of Lerins (Rochester, 1905). (W. A. B. C.)
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Categories: CAM-CAN
Coordinates: 43°33′05″N 7°00′46″E / 43.551347°N 7.012753°E
|
Commune of Cannes | |
| Location | |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Arrondissement | Grasse |
| Canton | Chief city of two cantons |
| Mayor | Bernard Brochand (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | Template:Convert/– |
| Land area1 | 19.62 km2 (7.58 sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 06029/ 06400 |
Cannes (IPA: [kan]) is a city and commune of the French department of Alpes-Maritimes.
It is most famous for the Cannes Film Festival, which takes place every summer. Many famous people come to the film festival from around the world to promote their films and to see other peoples' movies too.
   | Official website - www.cannes.com - Accueil |
| | Official Cannes International Film Festival website - Festival de Cannes - Du 13 au 24 mai 2009 |
| | Official Cannes Lions Advertising Festival website - Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival |
| | Official website of the ´Palais des Festivals et des Congrès´ - Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes |
| | Resources, accommodations and recreational links for visitors to Cannes - Cannes Apartments | Fully Serviced |
| | Virtual visit of Cannes with fullscreen panoramas - Visite virtuelle de Cannes sur la Côte d'Azur |
| | Street map of Cannes - Map of Cannes. Map with satellite views of Cannes - Provence on ForumForUs |
| | Official site of International Luxury Travel Market, held at the Le Palais des Festivals et des Congrès - International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) 7-10 Dec 09, Cannes, France. |
| | Cannes photo gallery - France - Cannes photo gallery, pictures, facts and information on Cannes - 1/1 |
| | Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide - Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide | Festival and travel advice for filmmakers and film industry professionals visiting the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Unofficial site. |
| | Cannes - The Old Town - Old Town in Cannes on the French Riviera |
| | Real Estate in Cannes - Cannes : real estate homes for sale by owners - FSBO - houses for sale by owner |
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