Beaches in Cannes

[sbaker]

One of the ports for our upcoming cruise is Cannes.  We'd kind of like to have a fairly laid back day at the beach.  Does anyone have recommendations/information for a good beach experience in Cannes that's not real expensive??

[marazul]

Look at this thread:

 

[Ski Mom 2]

We walked in Cannes along the main street and stopped at the beach right there close to where we docked. I don't know the name of it but here is a picture from the day.

[Hlitner]

Ships do not dock in Cannes, but only tender.  The closest beach is  Plague du Midi, which is towards your left as you walk out of the tender parking lot.

 

Hank

[wing]

We walked half a day in Cannes, then went to the sea and stopped at the beach close to our ship. We love to swim and we really did some swimming and then relaxed on the beach. The weather was fine, although it was early October

[marazul]

On 11/5/2018 at 1:34 PM, Hlitner said:

Ships do not dock in Cannes, but only tender.  The closest beach is  Plague du Midi, which is towards your left as you walk out of the tender parking lot.

 

Hank

 

Yes, the Plage du Midi is free and it is one of the beaches along the Boulevard du Midi, just to the left of the tender pier as Hank said.  Here is a link to all the Midi beaches, both public and private:

https://www.riviera-beaches.com/Cannes/Midi-Beaches.html

 

Here is the map for the location of all the Cannes beaches.  Note that the Midi beaches appear in the lower left hand corner of the map (under the yellow banner that says "Les Plages du Boulevard du Midi").  The Quai Laubeuf is the pier where the tenders come in.

https://www.riviera-beaches.com/Cannes/Map.html

[petuniaflower]

If we would like to go to a beach walking distance of tender area, as well as walk around and sight see/have lunch is this possible within walking distance?

 

Will people be having beach days in July/beaches/water nice for swimming? 

 

Also, what is meant by private or public beach?  If private can we pay to be there, or public have to pay to be there?  Will we know the difference/which is which?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

"Private" generally refers to private beach clubs that can only be used by members of those purchasing some kind of day pass (assuming that is available).  Public does truly mean public and is open to anyone ...generally at no cost.  However, some public beaches do have facilities where you can rent loungers, buy food, etc.

 

Europeans have a different attitude towards beaches then many of us in the US.  Some European beaches would not pass muster on our side of the pond.  Go to a place like Nice and you will notice a beach full of large pebbles (galets), rocks, etc.   You will see folks who simply throw down their towel on top of the large pebbles and call it a beach.  But when you get further west to places like Cannes...the beaches are sandy.  

 

As to the water in July (Cannes) it is similar to beaches here in the USA in that the water continues to warm throughout the summer.  In a decent year it should be very swimmable  but would be chilly for those used to places like Myrtle Beach :).  On the other hand, those that go swimming off of Cape Cod would find the water at Cannes simply balmy.

 

Hank

[petuniaflower]

Would the plage de Midi by the port have some free beach area with also washrooms and food for purchase?  And is that close enough to walk to from tender area and also close to some areas to explore by foot (food/coffee etc)

[Hlitner]

17 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Would the plage de Midi by the port have some free beach area with also washrooms and food for purchase?  And is that close enough to walk to from tender area and also close to some areas to explore by foot (food/coffee etc)

Yes, it is only a few minute stroll from the tender pier (just keep the water on your left and you can't miss the beach).  There are plenty of decent cafes/restaurants within 1-2 blocks of the beach (opposite old port marina).  I do not recall the situation with rest rooms on the beach...and that also may have changed since our last beach visit (more than 5 years ago).   The main tourist area of Cannes is all within a few blocks of the water and walkable from the tender pier.   The truth is that Cannes is OK, but certainly not our first choice for where we would choose to spend a port day.  When we used to stay in Cannes, it was because the beach was convenient and we had a favorite restaurant area for dinner.  But during the day we would generally hop in the car and drive off to other places in the region such as St Paul de Vence, Antibes, Nice, Eze Village, etc.

 

Keep in mind that if you are not impressed by Cannes you can always walk over to the train station and grab a train to some other places such as Antibes or Nice. 

 

Hank

[ollienbertsmum]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

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Keep in mind that if you are not impressed by Cannes you can always walk over to the train station and grab a train to some other places such as Antibes or Nice. 

 

Hank

 

Also keep in mind that you may be like me and find that Cannes is a favourite port stop!!   I am easily impressed by the cars, the shops, the beach and the tarte citron atPaul bakery.

 

Last time we went we skipped the town completely though and went to Isle St Marguerite.  We were there in November so it was not bathing weather.  It was lovely walking along the forest paths.  

[petuniaflower]

Thanks all...and where in relation/which direction from the Plage du Midi would the touristy area be?

[marazul]

As you land, Plage du Midi to the left, Cannes to the right. You-ll see it.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, petuniaflower said:

Thanks all...and where in relation/which direction from the Plage du Midi would the touristy area be?

I guess you could call the entire city, within a few blocks of the water, a "touristy area."  The Page du Midi is certainly well within the tourist area.  But if you walked off that beach, turned right, you would be heading back to the tender pier area.  Rather then going back to the tender pier you simply turn left at the corner and you will have the marina on your right and multiple retaurants on your left.  Continue up that street (Quai St Pierre) and turn right at the corner (you are simply following the water which is on your right) and you are heading right into the heart of most expensive tourist part of town.  You will quickly pass the Palais de Festival (the Convention center which is used for the famous film festival) and will see the most famous and expensive hotels across the street.  All this is within a 15 min stroll.

 

Hank

[ollienbertsmum]

On 4/25/2019 at 3:28 AM, petuniaflower said:

Thanks all...and where in relation/which direction from the Plage du Midi would the touristy area be?

You will see it.  Just pick up a map from the tourist office as you walk by.  The map will show you the points of interest.  Everything is in front of you.  

[Kruisn'Kay]

Has anyone been to the Hotel Carlton for a beach day? Was it worth the day pass fee? Thank you!

[Hlitner]

On ‎5‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 5:55 PM, Kruisn'Kay said:

Has anyone been to the Hotel Carlton for a beach day? Was it worth the day pass fee? Thank you!

No 🙂  That is our short answer.  But the Carlton does have a perfect location for whatever that is worth.  Make sure you have a decent credit limit (on your card) to pay for drinks and food :).

 

Hank