| With
a population of 78,000, Cannes would not have become the hotshot town that it is today,
but for an event that changed its destiny forever. In 1834, Britain’s Lord Chancellor
Lord Brougham was on his way to Nice, when all movement came to a standstill due to an
outbreak of cholera. Stranded, Lord Brougham decided to build a house in Cannes, which he
realized would save him from the terrible British winter. |
 |
His idea appealed to czars, kings and princes and the glitterati around Europe and Cannes
became a community for the international crowd as well as a centre of intellectual and
cultural events. Today, Cannes is famous the world over as the home of the International
Film Festival. Cannes enjoys extremely agreeable Mediterranean climate.
There
are really no sights to speak of in Cannes, apart from a 12th century
watch-tower in the cosmetically pretty old town, Le Suquet. Almost all the beaches
are private, which means that you can use them only if you pay for them.
La Croisette or the
seafront is an elegant promenade, where yesteryear starlets from Hollywood vie for
attention during the Film festival in May. To hone your gambling instincts try out
Cannes’ casinos – three of them to choose from. In May all eyes are on for the
Festival International du Film. Although none of it is open to the public, the sidewalk
show of people at that time is a sight by itself.
Either
you are driving down the coast or trains run all along the coast and you can take your
pick depending on where you are traveling
from. TGV services connect Marseille and Paris.
Most
of the hotels are concentrated around rue Jean-Jaures and La Croisette, next
to the station, and they are good deluxe hotels. Cannes also has an excellent,
open-all-year international hostel. Reasonably priced restaurants abound in the old town, Le
Suquet. You can also camp at Le Grand Saule, in nearby Ranguin, but this option
is only a last-ditch resort. Monoprix supermarket, which is open Monday to
Saturday, is a good place to shop. Head
for the tourist office at 1 bd.de la Croisette for more advice .
For
detailed country and visitor information, see France. |
