Cannes is a city in France located on the French Riviera. The town was first settled in 2nd century BCE, but didn't earn a variation of its name—Canua, believed to be derived from the word for "reed"—until the 10th century.
Cannes is the site of the Cannes Film Festival, which is seen as a testing ground for success in Hollywood and at the Academy Awards. Throughout its seven decades, the festival's top honor, the Palme d'Or, has also been awarded to iconic directors like Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, and Martin Scorsese. The city is also the home of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a hot-ticket event for those in advertising and media.
Although Cannes is primarily known as a celebrity destination, it offers plenty beyond awards season, including stunning beaches, the mysterious history of Sainte-Maguerite, and a monastery that doubles as a winery.
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Explore everything Cannes has to offer with this travel guide aimed at tourists interested in bucking the typical traps. Includes recommendations for traveling to Sainte-Maguerite, taking in the city’s murals, and booking a beach club reservation.
This is the closest you'll get to exploring Cannes without setting foot in the City of Stars. Wander through the markets in Old Town, an historic church, and the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, the home of Cannes Lions and the Film Festival.
Although his identity was never known, the man imprisoned under King Louis XIV and forced to wear a mask—reputedly made of iron, though likely to be velvet—was imprisoned on an island off the coast of Cannes.
Saint-Honorat Island is home to the Lérins Abbey, where an order of monks makes wine, liqueurs, and olive oil—when they’re not praying.
Initially called the International Film Festival, Cannes was created as an alternative to the Venice Film Festival, which French diplomat Philippe Erlanger believed had been politicized by the influence of Hitler and Mussolini.
The festival’s first year was 1946. It featured 11 films from some of the world’s best filmmakers, including Jean Cocteau, Alfred Hitchcock, George Sydney, and Billy Wilder.
It’s one of the most prestigious awards in all cinema. Winning not only guarantees significant buzz but also means you’re a part of film history, with past winners including “Pulp Fiction,” “Taxi Driver,” and “La Dolce Vita.”
Cannes’ Palmes d’Or award is one of the highest distinctions in film. The select few who have earned the award more than once include the most iconic names in filmmaking, including Francis Ford Coppola, Billie August, and Emir Kusturica.
The 1959 film, directed by Marcel Camus, was soundtracked by bossa nova musicians Antônio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá. It was a big hit, winning the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and the 1960 Academy Award for best foreign language film, helping spread the genre in Brazil and beyond.
Film festivals are incubators for the movie industry, providing smaller films and their producers with opportunities to screen in front of live audiences, as well as potential investors who may offer wider distribution.
Art, music, sports, entertainment, movies, and many other subjects—these elements define who we are as a society and how we express ourselves as a culture. Take a deep dive into the topics shaping our shared norms, values, institutions, and more.