Travel Guide: 24 hours in Cannes, France

A readymade one-day itinerary for visitors to the popular French Riviera resort

With palatial hotels, designer boutiques and exclusive beach clubs and restaurants, Cannes is a French Riviera resort town known for its film festival and celebrity appeal. Beyond the red carpets, there’s a charming Old Town crowned with Gothic architecture and miles of golden sands. 

Compact and charismatic, it’s possible to pack a lot into a day. It might not be quite so easy to pack all your new purchases into your suitcase. Shopping opportunities in this fashion-forward destination often prove too tempting to resist. Here's how to spend a perfect day in Cannes. 

10am: Shop designer labels for less
After Paris, Cannes is France’s second home to haute couture. Never have I shopped with such joyful wild abandon as I have in Cannes. Maybe it’s the helpful and friendly shop assistants, or the tempting range of options from independent boutiques to international high-street favourites and high-end luxury fashion boutiques, where items cost around 10% less than in some other major shopping destinations. Those returning to the tax havens such as the UAE can also claim back a further 12% at the airport. Be sure to leave some space in your case.

Insider Tip: Collect tax forms in store and before checking in baggage take your purchases to the customs office at Nice Airport, located on the lower ground floor below the check-in hall. They have to be presented in person for the tax refunds to be issued.

12pm: Have lunch with added beats at a beach club
The famous Plage de La Croisette is lined with beach clubs. Stroll along the promenade, which overlooks them all, and gravitate towards your preferred vibe. Nikki Beach founders have introduced their colourful new beach club concept Lucia, which opened in 2024. Savour sea views and steaming bowls of linguini vongole – and save room for the joyously delicious île flottante, a classic French floating meringue with a hidden hit of peanut butter. 

Lucia linguini vongole

Vilebrequin La Plage is another gem. The aesthetic is inspired by fashion brand’s trademark resort wear, celebrated for its vibrant designs and the menu is loaded with Mediterranean crowd-pleasers. 

Alternatively, grab a soft-serve ice cream from one of the many stalls on the promenade and pull up a complimentary blue chair, ubiquitous this famous coastline.

5pm: Stroll through the ‘Old Town’
Start your exploration at the foot of Rue Saint-Antoine in the charming, medieval neighbourhood of Le Suquet, the ‘Old Town’ of Cannes. With narrow, winding streets, stone houses, traditional eateries, boutiques and market stalls, Le Suquet comes alive as dusk falls. 

At the highest point stands 17th-century Gothic church Église Notre-Dame d'Espérance and the city’s landmark ‘Cannes’ sign. From here, take in sweeping views of the city, the glistening Mediterranean and the nearby Lérins Islands. Bring your camera. 

Cannes city sign

After capturing epic holiday snaps, head to Marea for sundowners, a gem hidden on the rooftop of the Canopy by Hilton Hotel, overlooking the Vieux Port (Old Harbour). Here, you can enjoy the rousing vista with a cocktail in hand.

8pm: Dine in style at one of Cannes’ most popular restaurants
Head to newly opened Palme d’Or restaurant by Jean Imbert at Hôtel Martinez, one of Cannes’ Grande Dames (see below), for fine dining with Mediterranean flavours and panoramas, and a compelling collection of original movie memorabilia, including the chilling ice pick seen in Basic Instinct.

Another welcome addition to the dining scene, Zuma made its debut in France with its first permanent restaurant in Cannes in May 2024. The stunning Zuma Cannes, set within the exclusive Palm Beach club on Pointe Croisette, has a vast terrace with retractable sails overlooking the Bay of Cannes. The sunset seating is dreamy. Revel in the yacht-filled vistas while savouring world-famous signatures such as the salmon and tuna tartare with oscietra caviar.

Zuma Cannes

10pm: Party the night away
One of the Riviera’s most riveting cabaret-dinner clubs, Medusa Cannes is known to get guests on their feet. Possibly inspired by the stream of impossibly beautiful performers who twirl and gyrate between tables and on the central stage, guests soon join in the dance and start swinging their napkins. Also located at the Palm Beach complex (alongside Zuma Cannes and a branch of LPM), it’s a convenient after-dinner spot to party the night away.

Where to Stay in Cannes: Hôtel Martinez

Dripping in Art Deco charm, Hôtel Martinez epitomes Riviera elegance. Countless movie stars have gotten into bed with this grand dame of the world’s most famous film festival destination, born in 1929 and still standing proud on the Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes’ premier street, hugging the most atmospheric stretch of the Mediterranean.

Hôtel Martinez by JR Romero

Hôtel Martinez’s 410 rooms and suites radiate serene, understated luxury. Recently redesigned by Pierre-Yves Rochon, the interiors pay homage to the French Riviera’s sun-drenched seascape in a gentle palette of blues and whites with glistening white lacquered furnishings.

There’s a vast array of room types, with entry-level options overlooking the hotel’s tranquil gardens, outdoor pool and luxury spa. For the quintessential Cannes experience, book a Premium King with a Sea View Room, or above (from €1,150 in peak season), where balcony doors and windows overlook prime views of the Bay of Cannes.

The signature Penthouse Suite, one of the largest on the Côte d'Azur, offers more than 1,000 square metres of pure opulence with a private terrace that capitalises on that iconic panorama.

Hôtel Martinez's new penthouse, Michel Figuet 

Hôtel Martinez’s restaurants and bars are convivial hives frequented by stars. Renowned French chef Jean Imbert oversees cuisine at Hôtel Martinez and opened La Palme d’Or during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to great applause. With Imbert’s refined French fare, a terrace overlooking the Croisette and walls lined with display cases housing original film props and scripts, it was an instant hit. The menu, drafted like a script, pays homage to the sea with ensembles from lightly grilled squid with red cabbage to spiny lobster flambéed in cognac.

La Palme d’Or by JR Romero

Equally stunning is Imbert’s elevated beach club, La Plage du Martinez. Cabanas perched on the pier cost €300 per day and there’s a dedicated caviar menu, as well as a main menu featuring elegant dishes such as raw prawn with lemon and fennel.

Breakfast is served at Le Sud, a versatile space, inspired by the spirit of yachting and the Roaring Twenties, that defies the dreariness of all-day venues. Located on the ground floor, it spills out onto a private terrace with a separate entrance from the glorious Croisette.

Le Sud by JF Romero

Full of life, with farm-to-table fare starting the day the healthy way, it transforms throughout the day, welcoming guests for lunch, sundowners and dinners, and hosting live music every Friday and Saturday from 8pm.

Part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection, World of Hyatt members benefits apply.

Hôtel Martinez, Cannes, 73 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France. For more information, visit www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/france/hotel-martinez