A guide to Cannes + giveaway

Worldwide famous for its annual Film festival Cannes has become synonymous with film star glamour and glitz but you can enjoy it too especially if you don’t visit during the festival frenzy. Cannes can be appreciated even if you can’t afford to stay at Carlton because there are many things to do that don’t cost much.

So here are my suggestions for a day or two in Cannes (really you don’t need to stay longer unless you want to take day trips to other beautiful towns along French Riviera):

1. Walk along the Boulevard de la Croisette

Whether you want to do some people watching or do some window shopping or you want to imagine how it would be to stay at Carlton or Martinez this is a must while in Cannes. When you get overwhelmed with everything sit at one of the blue chairs and relax your eyes by staring out to the sea 🙂 You can refresh yourself with an ice-cream or a drink from kiosks along the promenade and you can even get a temporary tattoo or buy a painting or sunglasses.

2. Climb the stairs to the top of Suquet hill and wander the streets of the Old town
The bet view of Cannes is from the little square at the top of Suquet hill. You have to go through the clock tower and you find yourself at the square with the Virgin Mary statue in memory of the fallen soldiers. From here you can see the entire bay of Cannes and the Lerins islands. If you want you can visit Musee de la Castre or go inside the church Notre-Dame-de-L’Esperance. After you’ve rested your feet and took numerous photos you can go down and explore the winding alleys back to the Rue Meynadier or even buy something fresh at the local market (Forville).

3. Find your palm twin at the walk of fame around Palais des Festivals et des Congres
Sorry, but the building of the Film festival is so ugly. However, it might be fun to take your photo at the red carpet on the stairs or to walk from the Tourist Office to the little park on the left and try to recognize the names of the film stars in the pavement. My palm is the exact size of Sharon Stone’s. 🙂

4. Spend some time at the beach/beach bar

If you come when it’s warm (and it often is sunny and warm) you could spend some time sunbathing and swimming or at least relaxing in a sun lounger with a cocktail in hand. You can do that at one of the private (hotel owned) beaches or if you’ve got your own beach towel stay at the public beach and rent a sun lounger for a mere 4 euros!:) Of course, you can even have lunch at beach bars but be prepared to fork out a nice lump of euros.

5. Go on a shopping spree in Rue Antibes (and/or Rue Meynadier ) and check out the French department store Lafayette

The main shopping street is Rue Antibes where you can find all the usual high street brands such as Zara. You can also buy macarons at Ladurée or buy chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat. If you want high-end fashion such as Chanel go back to Croisette. For souvenir shopping I recommend Rue Meynadier (and for some cheap lunch). If you haven’t been to France before and this is your first visit then you have to check out the department store Lafayette.

6. Visit Lerins islands; particularly Ile Ste-Marguérite island

Not far away from the hustle and bustle of Cannes lies the tranquil island of St-Marguerite where the Man in Iron Mask was held in a dungeon. He needed almost 10 years to escape from the island while you can reach it by a boat in less than 15 minutes. Boats leave from Quai Laubeuf at the end of Old Port (for details check Trans Côte d’Azur). The island is crisscrossed with walking paths and you can enjoy the lovely smell of eucalyptus. You must visit the Fort Royal and have a look at the Man in Iron Mask’s dungeon in a small Musee de la Mer. The other island St.Honorat is a private property of the monks but you can visit it too but dress modestly.

 

7. Play a game I’ll buy this yacht in the Old Port
Why don’t you indulge in some fantasy role-playing and pretend to be the owner of some ludicrously flashy yacht in the marina?
8. Try your luck in a casino
You’ve heard of that saying When in Rome do as the Romans do, so in this case when at French Riviera gamble in a casino! A good place for that is Le Croisette Casino Barriere de Cannes. You can invest as little as 5 euros and go away with the winning of 15 euros as I did 🙂 I know, I’m humble 🙂

* Extra idea (especially if you’re feeling lazy)
Why walk when you can hop on the little tourist train (Petit train de Cannes) that leaves from the promenade (near the Festival palace) and pick one of the tours on offer?

If you want to explore the French Riviera and you chose Cannes as your base you’ve done well. There are a few places nearby worth exploring (and you might like them better than Cannes in the end):
Ideas for half-day trips and day trips from Cannes

1. Take a half day trip to Grasse (20km) and visit Galimard perfume factory (and buy a great perfume)
2. Visit Picasso’s museum in Antibes (11km)
3. Visit the charming medieval hilltop village of St.Paul-de-Vence (28 km)
4. Spend a day in Nice (or few 🙂 ) (only 33 km away)
5. Pretend to be a millionaire in the tiny principality of Monaco (55km)
6. Or go as far as St.Tropez (74 km away)

You can reach all of these places by car or by public transport (bus or train).

So now you just have to visit Cannes. Enjoy!

And now for the giveaway!

WIN A SELF-GUIDED CITY WALKS APP by GPSmyCity!

I’m giving away 20 promo codes for Full version for City Walks app by GPSmyCity! These promo codes work only with iOS devices. *AS OF 22 JAN THEY ALSO WORK FOR ANDROID PHONES!*So if you’ve got an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or any Android smart phone you’ll be able to download it for FREE. To learn more about GPSmyCity click here.

How can you enter and win the promo codes?
All you have to do is like my Facebook page and leave a comment on it saying which city app you’d like to receive! *Also please say whether it’s for iOS or Android! So first 17 readers that do that will receive free full version of City Walks app of your chosen city after the contest has finished. You can see here the list of cities available.I’m also giving away 3 promo codes to the people who have already liked my Facebook page; you only have to be quick and write in the comment which city app you’d like to win (and for which platform)!

Terms& Conditions
a) This giveaway is open worldwide
b) This giveaway starts on Monday 11th of January (GMT 09:00) and will end on Friday 29th of January (GMT 09:00)
c) First 17 people who like my Facebook page and leave a comment saying which city app they’d like to get, will win the promo codes. First 3 people who have already liked my page previously but have just written a comment now saying which city app they want, will win the promo codes. I will announce the winners on the Red Phone Box travels Facebook page by the end of that week(by 31 Jan).
d) Please note that each promo code is tied to a certain city and, once the promo code is issued, it expires after 28 days, if not used by then. NOTE: it is only the promo code that expires, NOT the actual application. Once downloaded, the application remains valid forever.
e) This giveaway is hosted by The Red Phone Box travels in partnership with GPSmyCity

xoxox

Tanja

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