Romantic Cannes: Island Lunch and Sunsets
Cannes is romantic in quiet pockets: an island with a working abbey, an old town of narrow streets, and palace hotels with sea views. A few good hours are worth more here than a packed schedule. Prices are in euros.
A day on Saint-Honorat
Île Saint-Honorat is the most peaceful outing from Cannes. The ferry is run only by Planaria from the old port and takes 15 to 20 minutes; a return costs €19.50 for an adult online. The island is about 40 hectares, fully pedestrian, and a coastal path circles it in roughly an hour and a half. There are picnic areas, and the monks make wine that you can taste. The restaurant La Tonnelle serves Mediterranean cooking under an arbour, and it takes bookings online, which is wise in summer. Dress modestly near the abbey, do not smoke, and check the last boat back. Boats are sometimes cancelled in rough weather, as the island’s official site shows on its notices.
Sunset on the Croisette
The Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, at 58 Boulevard de la Croisette, reopened in 2023 and has a bar called Bar°58. The Hôtel Martinez and the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic face the same seafront. You do not need to stay in a palace hotel to enjoy the promenade at dusk: walk from the Palais to Pointe Croisette as the light drops over the Esterel hills.
Dinner in Le Suquet
Rue Saint-Antoine climbs the old town and is lined with small restaurants. Reserve ahead in summer and ask for a table outdoors. After dinner the walk back down to the old port is short and mostly lit.
Summer fireworks
In July and August the Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique lights the bay on six evenings, with shows at 22:00 in 2026. It is free to watch from the shore, and the beach near the Palais fills early. Choose a spot along the promenade rather than on the sand if you want room to stand.
Practical notes for two
The Palais des Festivals and the Croisette are busiest during the Festival de Cannes, which runs from 11 to 22 May 2027, when rooms are scarce and dear. Outside May and the summer peak the town is calm, the ferries are less crowded and a table for two is easier to find. Wear flat shoes for the cobbles of Le Suquet and the island paths, and carry a light layer for the boat, since the wind off the sea cools quickly after sunset.
A quieter morning
Leave the Croisette for the Centre d’art La Malmaison at number 47, a 19th-century pavilion with contemporary exhibitions and a free terrace. It closes on Mondays and for a break after the new year, so check dates.
For a stay near the sea, search Cannes hotels on Booking.com . Read more: couple activities in Cannes and sightseeing in Cannes .