Cannes, France is a seaside town in the south of France that's known for it's shopping, Cannes Film Festival, and as a common stop for many Mediterranean cruises. A Mediterranean cruise is how we found our family in Cannes for a full day, and here's what we found out worked best for our family.
Hopefully it helps set expectations and allows you to plan a little bit.
Overall Cannes, France Impressions
Cannes is a small seaside town nestled along the coast in the South of France. Overall, Cannes had a very clean feeling, but was hot and crowded. There isn't a lot of shade in Cannes - the streets are lined with palm trees and the sidewalks are white stone. On hot summer days, it can feel oppressive.
There is a lot of shopping in Cannes - it's one of the things its known for. However, if you've ever been to a high-end mall in Southern California, the vibe is exactly the same. Palm trees, fancy stores, white sidewalks. The stores are the usual suspects of Prada, Louis Vuitton, and others.
After visiting, none of us have any urge to return to Cannes. There just wasn't anything must see or must do.
For cruise visitors, Cannes is also the port that you can use to take day trips to Monaco. In fact, most of those we knew sailing did this - very few stayed in Cannes.
Trip Background
We visited Cannes in mid-August while on a cruise on the Norwegian Escape. Cruises all have to tender in Cannes, and you'll arrive at the tender port which is right next to the town center. There's a nice boardwalk to the town, and there are usually many yachts docked along the way.
We were traveling with the family - two adults and two kids. After reading a lot of cruise forums, we didn't book any cruise excursions and simply explored on our own.
We opted out of the excursions to Monaco because we had the kids and couldn't do things like go into the Casino.
Things To Do In Cannes With Family
Here are some of the things that we recommend to do as a family with younger children in Cannes, France:
Little Train Tour (Petit Train de Cannes)
The Little Train Tour is a great way to explore the city and learn about it's history. The train boards along the boardwalk right outside the tender dock. Each tour is about 30-40 minutes. Most tours are narrated in English, but there are translation headsets available.
The train seats 4 across - and they will make you sit 4 across if it's crowded.
The route takes you along the beaches, the down the shopping district, up to Mont Chevalier (the lookout spot), and the back to the boardwalk.
Note: The train only accepts cash. Have Euros available. You cannot reserve tickets in advance for this.
Beaches
Cannes has some great beaches. The entire town is basically along several main beaches, and each of them have beach clubs and nice amenities.
If enjoying the beach is something you had in mind, Cannes is a great place to do it.
Shopping
If you enjoy high end retail shopping, Cannes has it all. This port is loaded with high end stores and shops, from Prada to Louis Vuitton and plenty of others.
Dining
We didn't spend much time eating in Cannes, but there are restaurants all along the boardwalks and major areas.
If gelato is on your mind (like it was for us in the heat), there are great options along the Rue Felix Faure in the main shopping area of town.
You can check out Papilla Maître Artisan Glacier or Nivà Gelateria Italiana and you'll be happy you did!
Explore
There's not a lot to explore directly in Cannes, but if you like wandering old streets and shops, it definitely has that.
One of the more popular things to do is to walk up to the top of Mont Chevalier, which is the main lookout over the town. The little train tour will take you up there, and depending on time may stop and let you snap some pictures.
You can also walk up to the top from the dock, but it is a LOT of stairs - so be mindful if you're not physically able to.
Final Thoughts
It was great to visit Cannes as a family, but it's not a place that we need to return to. If you're stopping on a cruise, you should at least check out the town. But if you're exhausted and don't know about it, this could be a skip for a lot of families.
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