Cannes cruise port guide

Cannes is famous for its film festival each May, but outside festival week it’s a polished seaside town with palm-lined boulevards, designer boutiques, sandy beaches and a hilltop old quarter that predates all the glamour. The whole center is flat, compact and easy to cover on foot.

Many cruisers spend the morning in Le Suquet and the Forville market, then take the short ferry to the Lérins Islands for a quiet walk among pines and monastery vineyards. Others head to the perfume houses of Grasse, Picasso’s Antibes or Nice. It’s a lovely port for an easy, stylish day; budget travelers should know beach clubs and waterfront cafés are pricey, and tender lines can be slow on busy days.

Cannes is a tender port. Ships anchor in the bay and tenders land at the Vieux Port, right beside the Palais des Festivals and steps from La Croisette, so there’s no transfer once you’re ashore. Expect waits for tenders in the morning rush, and services can be disrupted in rough seas. Everything in town is walkable: Le Suquet is a 10-minute uphill stroll, and the train station for Antibes, Nice and Grasse is about 10 minutes on foot. Lérins Islands ferries leave from the harbor nearby. Local authorities have moved to limit visits by the largest cruise ships, so check with your cruise line that Cannes is still on your itinerary.

Look for Provençal classics: salade niçoise, pan bagnat (a niçoise salad in a bun), pissaladière (onion tart with anchovies) and socca, a crisp chickpea pancake. Rosé from Provence is the local drink on a warm afternoon. Rue Meynadier, a pedestrian street near the market, is lined with delis and bakeries, and the monks of Saint-Honorat sell wine and a herbal liqueur on their island.