Things to Do in Cannes Beyond the Croisette
Cannes is a compact resort city on the Côte d’Azur, and most of what to do here sits within a few kilometres of the Palais des Festivals. Prices are in euros. UK Foreign Office advice carries no warning against travel to the area, only a note that demonstrations and strikes can disrupt transport.
On the water
The Cannes Jeunesse nautical base at Port Pointe Croisette rents single, double and triple kayaks. Its three-hour kayak trip towards Île Sainte-Marguerite was listed at about €35 for a single, €40 for a double and €45 for a triple. The base runs daily in July and August and on fewer days in May, June and September, and minors must register with an adult. Sea kayaking needs calm weather, so check the wind before you commit.
Snorkellers can swim to the six underwater statues by Jason deCaires Taylor off the south shore of Île Sainte-Marguerite. They sit 3 to 5 metres down, 84 to 132 metres from the beach, in a marked swimming zone where boat mooring is banned. Entry is free, and the city page on the Écomusée sous-marin explains the site. Stay inside the buoys, swim with a partner and skip the trip in rough seas.
Boat-towed parasailing is sold from Cannes and Mandelieu by licensed operators, at roughly €85 per person on booking sites.
Beaches
Cannes beaches are sand. Most of the Croisette frontage belongs to private beach clubs, where a lounger can cost anywhere from about €25 to well over €100 a day, with front rows dearest in July and August. Free public sand is easy to find. Plage Brigitte Bardot, formerly Plage Macé, faces the Majestic hotel and lets dogs on. Plage du Midi on Boulevard Jean Hibert, west of the old port, has gentle shelving and supervised swimming in season. Plage Zamenhof is a municipal beach with loungers at about €9 to €15 a day and supervised swimming from 15 June to 15 September.
Food streets and shops
Rue Meynadier links the centre to Le Suquet and holds long-established food shops, including the cheese shop Ceneri, which has aged cheeses since 1968, and the traiteur Ernest. Rue d’Antibes is the main shopping street, parallel to the Croisette. The Forville market is being renovated, so ask the city where the stalls are trading before you go.
Evenings and free shows
In July and August the Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique fills the bay with fireworks competitions on six evenings, free to watch from the shore. The 2026 shows started at 22:00. The Cinéma de la Plage screens films free on the public beach during the Festival de Cannes in mid-May, with deckchairs first come, first served. The 2027 festival runs from 11 to 22 May.
Art and walks
The Centre d’art La Malmaison, at 47 Boulevard de la Croisette, hosts contemporary exhibitions in a 19th-century pavilion, and its terrace is free in opening hours. Check its closing dates around the new year. The star handprints on the Chemin des Étoiles by the Palais are always free to see.
For a guided start, search for Cannes activities on GetYourGuide . Read more: Cannes sightseeing and walking tours in Cannes .