Cannes

Cannes is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The city is known for its association with the rich and famous, its luxury hotels and restaurants, and for several conferences.

Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Department	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Grasse
Mayor (2020–2026)	David Lisnard (LR)
Area¹	19.62 km² (7.58 sq mi)
Population (2017-01-01)	73,868
Density	3,800/km² (9,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)

History

In the 10th century, the town was known as Canua. 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 closely tied to the history of the islands.

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.

During the 18th century, both the Spanish and British tried to gain control of the Lérins Islands but were chased away by the French. They had many different purposes: at the end of the 19th century, one served as hospital for soldiers wounded in the Crimean War.

At the end of the 19th century, several railways were completed, which prompted the arrival of streetcars.

In the 20th century, new luxury hotels such as the Carlton, Majestic, Martinez, and JW Marriott Cannes were built. The city was modernised with a sports centre, a post office, and schools.

The city council had the idea of starting an international film festival shortly after World War II.

Climate

Cannes has a subtropical Mediterranean climate and the city enjoys 11 hours of sunshine per day during summer (July), while in winter (December to February) the weather is mild.

Landmarks

The Promenade de la Croisette is the waterfront avenue with palm trees. La Croisette is known for picturesque beaches, restaurants, cafés, boutiques and luxury hotels. Le 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. A distinctive building in Cannes is the Russian Orthodox church.

Hotels

InterContinental Carlton Cannes
Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes
Hôtel Martinez
JW Marriott Cannes

Villas

Cannes of the 19th century 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. They are not open to the public.

Museums

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.

Theatre and music

Cannes is not known for traditional theatre. However, small venues stage productions and host short sketches during the annual International Actors‘ Performance Festival. Local theaters include the Espace Miramar and the Alexandre III.

Festivals and show events

The Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
MIPIM, the world’s largest property-related trade show.
Carnival on the Riviera
The International Festival of Games
Cannes Yachting Festival
The International Actors‘ Performance Festival
The International Luxury Travel Market
Le Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique
The Global Champions Tour
The Pan-African Film Festival

Economy

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 which takes place every year during the month of May. In addition, Cannes hosts other major annual events such as the MIPIM, MIPTV, MIDEM, Cannes Lions, and the NRJ Music Awards. 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 6,500 companies, of which 3,000 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.

Sport

Cannes is home to football side AS Cannes.

Cannes women’s volleyball team RC Cannes has been very successful.

Transport

Located 24 km (15 mi) from Cannes, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has close to 10 million passengers a year. Marseille Provence Airport is also 150 km (93 mi) away. The smaller Cannes – Mandelieu Airport is nearby.

There are several rail services including: TGVs from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nice, a TER from Marseille St Charles to Nice, a TER service from Cannes to Les Arcs, a TER service from Grasse/Cannes to Ventimiliga (Italy), and an occasional Thello (Italian train) from Marseille St Charles to Milan.

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. Local bus services are provided by Bus Azur.

Ferries are available in Nice harbour from Bastia and Calvi in Corsica, with services provided.

Cannes has 2 marinas – Vieux Port de Cannes beside the Palais des Festivals and Port Pierre Canto at the far end of the Croisette. Vieux Port is the main port and used for cruise stopovers and yacht charters.