Côte d’Azur: Cannes (from Nice)

Posted on June 9, 2018

Marina and Beach Cannes, Cote d'Azur, France

With your base established in Nice (explained in this post), you can easily explore many cities in the Côte d’Azur. Worldwide famous for the film festival, it’s also a solid choice for the summer. Cannes’ main attraction then is a sandy beach ― a welcome alternative to the beautiful to the eyes, but painful to the feet, beaches of Nice.

best cost/benefit: TGV

Taking only 25-26min and costing (as little as) €9.80, the best way to reach Cannes is taking the TGV from Gare de Nice-Ville.

Another good ― and slightly cheaper ― option is the TER (regional) train. It runs much more frequently than the TGV and takes 25-40min to arrive in Cannes. And you can choose to take it from Nice Ville or Nice Saint-Augustin (close to the airport). Naturally, the cost/benefit improves the faster the particular train you get is.

Finally, taking the regular bus #200 is the cheapest option ― €1.50, which you can pay directly to the driver ― but I emphatically advise against this. The bus schedule shows a whopping 1h40 total journey time, from Nice Albert 1er to Cannes Gare. This is way too long to be on a regular city bus, even if you have all the time in the world. Add a little more and take the TER if you’re on a budget.

choosing your beach

When it comes to choose where you’ll settle for the day, Cannes actually has three options:

the private beaches (with reclining chairs, umbrellas, restaurant and waiter service);
the public ones; and
the regie municipal, beaches that are managed by the municipality.

There are two regie municipal in Cannes (on the western and eastern end of the Blvd de la Croisette) and they can be described as halfway between private and public. So for less than half the price of a private, you get a (non-reclining) chair, umbrella, restroom facilities, and shower. Another difference is that they prohibit food, but you can simply go up to the promenade and you’ll find many options. Open from June 1 to September 30.

If you can manage to get away from the beach and want to do some sightseeing, the Tourism Office is right on 1 Blvd de la Croisette, between the promenade and Port. The Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière, the center of the Cannes Film Festival, is also in this area.