Côte d'Azur France Sun of a Beach

Côte d’Azur: Cannes (from Nice)

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.

See also:

Weekend in Nice, Côte d’Azur

Paris 101: Arriving & Getting Around

Marseille 101: Arriving & Getting Around


Pin this post and happy travels!
Pinterest Pin to Cannes Day-Trip from Nice, by Travel After 5



Booking.com

You Might Also Like

No Comments

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.