The Neighbourhoods of Cannes Area Guide

Cannes is a much-loved seaside town that steals the hearts of all who have the opportunity to visit it. From film stars to holiday makers, property investors to congress goers and of course those who choose Cannes as their home, it has been the destination of choice on the Côte d'Azur, for centuries.

Located half an hour from Nice International Airport, an hour from St Tropez and Provence; Cannes is the jewel in the French Riviera's crown.

Cannes is made up of various neighbourhoods. Find out more about each neighbourhood, below, listed in alphabetical order.

Basse Californie

As the name implies this suburb, composed largely of prestigious luxury villas and apartments, is situated on the lower slopes of the elegant and historic suburb of La Californie.

It is less treed and leafy than La Californie just above it but has the advantage of being closer to the centre of the city, the famous “La Banane”, so named because of its shape, wrapping itself around the Bay of Cannes as it does.

It is a highly prized residential area of Cannes for the multiple advantages of its easy access to town, its proximity to the beaches and the sea, to the shopping Mecca, which is the Rue d’Antibes, the famous and glitzy Croisette, and all the conveniences and pleasures that make Cannes what it is. In Basse Californie you are not far from anywhere!

Forville (and Forville Market)

At the base of ancient Le Suquet and just a hundred metres from the Quai Saint Pierre is the famous Marché Forville, open six days a week for fresh local ‘produits provençaux’; produce which is prized by the residents of Cannes and “star” restaurateurs from all over the valley and further afield.

Only on Mondays is it does not open for produce but transforms itself into a wonderful and colourful antiques market that many visitors to Cannes take great pleasure in visiting.

Marché Forville is entirely covered and open sided, extending across an entire city block, and a visit to Cannes without a visit to Marché Forville is without doubt an opportunity missed. Fresh fruit and vegetables, pastas, preserves, charcuterie, cheeses, fish and shellfish, speciality meats and flowers all so mouth-wateringly fresh are on offer and the place is a buzz of activity and ablaze with local colour. A good measure of its quality and the value to be found here are that locals flock here in their thousands every week, most especially at weekends. It is for many a family day out, for all ages.

Surrounding the market on all sides are more specialist stalls, bakers and patisseries, coffee shops and vintners, butchers and poissonnières, and it is a local tradition to gather round the tables on the pavements and enjoy a glass of wine or champagne with some fresh oysters shucked on the street, or olives from the region, and talk. To bask in the sunshine and watch the colour and the activity in and out of the market, while the children play in complete safety, and a local professional jazz band plays for free, is something close to heaven. This is what is meant when people talk of the quality of life on the Cote d’Azur.

It is a further feature of Cannes that the ancient and the traditional sit comfortably with the ultra modern and the chic. One only has to sit at a well worn square of rough and dusty gravel atop Le Suquet and watch the locals excitedly partake in a match of pétanque (boules) in age-old fashion, and then walk down the hill to see some of the world’s most expensive super-yachts in the Old Port not five minutes away, or wander past the state-of-the-art Palais des Festivals, along the Croisette or the Rue d’Antibes with their super-modern touches amongst the ancient, and finish in the un-missable Marché Forville, to realise that the ancient is preserved while the modern is all around.

There is a surprising harmony, a real quality of life, and a complete absence of conflict. And Marché Forville at the heart of it is not to be missed.

La Banane, Cannes

Cannes is made up of various neighbourhoods. The area in the very centre of Cannes, clearly contained within the “Voie Rapide” and Boulevard de la Croisette, is known as "La Banane". The Voie Rapide is a ring road just a few blocks inland of the seafront, and Boulevard de la Croisette is the famous seafront which runs along the shore. La Banane is the glittering centre of Cannes; beautifully maintained and always perfectly presented, "La Banane" is home to multiple luxurious 5* hotels, boutiques on the shopping street called the "Rue d’Antibes", fabulous homes and apartments, and trendy gastronomic restaurants and bars. Within the Banane is an inner niche location called the “Carré d’Or” or "Golden Square". This is a lively area of boutique shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, well known for the chic atmosphere, located only a minutes walk from the beaches of the Croisette, and a few minutes more from the Palais des Festivals.

Property is at a premium in La Banane. It is the area most sought after by property investors, especially if they have apartment rentals in mind or want a super second home within walking distance of all Cannes has to offer; its proximity to the Boulevard de la Croisette and the Palais des Festivals ensures that its properties are booked to capacity for the many congresses and events, and its beautiful beaches, famously easy-going lifestyle and easy accommodation in hotels or apartments attracts holiday-makers in droves.

La Californie

La Californie, one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in Cannes, shares many characteristics with its namesake across the Atlantic: the climate, upscale residential property, luxury villas and apartments, and residents and visitors from all over the world.

Situated towards the eastern side of Cannes, perched within a screen of greenery whilst enjoying close proximity to the sea, La Californie is the secret hide-away of places with names borrowed from history such as Villa Fiesole, La Résidence du Château de Thorenc, La Villa Fiorentina, Le Château Louis XIII, La Villa Rothschild, and La Villa St Prieste.

La Californie is also known as ‘la colline des milliardaires’ or the ‘hill of billionaires’, being home to large estates and boasting splendid and panoramic views from the snowy Alps in the east to the red Esterel Mountains in the west, with Nice clearly visible in the distance. The Cap d’Antibes, Juan les Pins and Cannes lie just below and the wonderful Isles de Lérins lie just offshore; Isle St Honorat with the oldest working monastery in Europe and Isle St Marguerite home to the fort in which the Man with the Iron Mask was imprisoned for 14 years.

The views are simply breath-taking and obviously the prices of property in La Californie are at prestige levels, similar to those on La Croisette.

If you already know that you want to live in La Californie, you might also know you want to live in the Avenue Roi Albert. It is one of ‘the’ addresses in La Californie, and some would say in all of Cannes. But there is strong competition for that claim to fame – so suffice to say that some of the most historic buildings and some of the most beautiful properties in Cannes, built there by the Russians, the Americans, and the English long ago, are still there today. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert enjoyed many of their most treasured moments there over many years, Edward and Wallis Simpson, the Rothschilds, and the Russian aristocracy all lived, holidayed and socialised there, and most importantly, recent additions to the architecture in La Californie have respected the tradition and the quality of their forebears.

La Croisette

This unique and world-famous Boulevard la Croisette follows the ancient seaside road known as the ‘chemin de la petite croix’ or the ‘road of the little cross’, from whence it derives its name.

It is best known in recent times for the many congresses that take place at the Palais des Festivals and in particular the ‘Festival International du Film’, and the countless stars that crowd the stairs and the red carpets. The frenzied invasion of the Croisette each May at Film Festival time lends notoriety to the hot spots of Cannes and luxury is omnipresent through the high-end boutiques, the star chefs, the five-star hotels, and the luxury apartments and residences so popular with the cognoscenti of Europe and the world.

However, there is much more to it than that. The sandy beaches are meticulously cared for and cleaned both onshore and off, and the beach bars and restaurants are of a quality and gastronomic appeal to rival any in the world, welcoming and elegant. The very extensive gardens and walks along its 3km length from the Old Port and the Palais des Festivals in the west, past some of the most impressive real estate in the world, to the Pointe Croisette at the eastern end, in the suburb of Palm Beach, are beautifully gardened. There is street art on display, there are sections given over to roller skaters, to pavement artists, to exceptional rose gardens and in winter a fabulous kaleidoscope of cyclamen; there are no less than three ports with yachts and boats of all sizes, some of them amongst the most elegant in the world, and amongst which one is free to wander if one wishes. There are fairs, country markets, and world beating fireworks displays set to music, enjoyed by thousands who turn out from far and wide, and many more who are more comfortable watching from their apartment balconies and homes.

For the resident or the holidaymaker there is little to beat a leisurely stroll along the Croisette in the warm evening sun in winter or in summer, to watch the magnificent sunsets across the bay lighting up the sky beyond the bright red Esterel Hills in the west, and to stop for a glass of chilled rosé and a plate of olives while quietly observing the world go by. Hundreds turn out, children on their scooters and parents with their pushchairs, and yes, the occasional face you may recognise from a magazine or a film.

Not quite as popular but every bit as enjoyable are the mornings when the Croisette wakes up to the cadence of early joggers, and the footsteps of those who prefer a brisk walk to get the circulation going, before a busy day.

La Croix des Gardes

The area comprises just 80ha of hillside that was some of the most sought-after real estate available when Cannes was being developed more than 100 years ago. Its luxury residences enjoy magnificent views south and westward over the Bay of Cannes, the Iles de Lérins, and the Massifs of the Esterel and the Tanneron.

The leafiest suburb of Cannes, La Croix des Gardes exudes a great feeling peace and quiet although it is less than a kilometre as the crow flies from the emblematic Boulevard de la Croisette and the lively centre of Cannes. The neighborhood also benefits from a protected natural forest park.

Residents of La Croix des Gardes generally wouldn’t wish to live anywhere else, and there are some extremely elegant apartment blocks, luxury homes, and classic villas, many of them retained as second homes. Residents and visitors alike adore it for its easy access to everything that they require.

Many of the stately villas and quality residences, classic, bourgeois and protected, are spacious with sweeping lawns and large gardens for Cannes, some with private access to the beaches.

La Croix des Gardes allows for an enviable quality of life, the best kept secret for the connoisseurs of the area.

Palm Beach, or Pointe Croisette

Moving eastward along the seafront is the peninsula-suburb of Palm Beach or "Pointe Croisette", where Cannes presents an entirely different atmosphere. Like a small village, Palm Beach is surrounded by sandy beaches on both sides, and easily walkable into the center of Cannes "La Banane". The roads are quiet, the suburbs are leafy and green, and most importantly they are safe, with local shops, restaurants and a delightful Boules court called the "Place de l'Etang".

In addition, 100 million euros have been invested in the Palm Beach for its rehabilitation, with the construction of the largest upscale entertainment center ever built in the Mediterranean basin, combining gastronomy, leisure and well-being.

Palm Beach is a sought-after neighbourhood, with property prices being similar to those of the Banane, due to the desirable lifestyle, easy access into the center, and sandy beaches on all sides. Residents include Cannois who live and work locally, as well as international property owners with second-homes, who enjoy the unique lifestyle that Cannes has to offer, as well as the 300 days of sunshine per year.

Le Suquet

Le Suquet is the historic centre of Cannes and winds its way up the hill from the Old Quai Saint Pierre which served as the port for the Old Town in days gone by, and still does so today. The Palais des Festivals (a symbol of an entirely different era – and ultra-modern) sits heavily on the opposite side of the Quai from Le Suquet.

With buildings and architecture dating back to the 10th century, climbing, winding, cobbled streets, past apartments of character, shops, stalls, and traditional restaurants, and sitting at the western end of ‘chic’ Rue d’Antibes, Le Suquet is predominantly pedestrian, offering a genuinely historic hill-top-village ambiance, within the city.

At the summit is an ancient church (not a cathedral so Cannes cannot be called a city) topped by a clock tower visible from almost everywhere in the valley – a genuine landmark.

The mediaeval protective wall still encircles parts of the summit, and the original fishermen’s houses tumble across and around one another, inside and outside the old walls, and spill down the hill towards the Old Port. Many of the old houses have been transformed into the most charming luxury apartments to suit the needs of people today, whilst retaining the character of the old.

This charming and multi-coloured Provencal fishing village which is Le Suquet is highly sought-after real-estate today. Its proximity to the heartbeat of the Riviera, the Palais des Festivals, La Coisette, and the Rue d’Antibes, and its profusion of world class restaurants and apartment accommodation make it an international attraction in its own right.