The English nobility discovered it when it was just a village, the film stars have made it a myth, the big brands have installed their shop windows there and the visitors perceive it as a privileged stopover... Cannes, a dream destination, continues today to reveal its secrets. And while it is world-famous for its film festival, the Côte d'Azur city hosts many other events all year round. In February, from 21 to 23 this year, place at the International Games Festival. From traditional games to the latest fashionable video games, there's something for everyone.
Here you will find an incomparable atmosphere where the palaces of the Croisette, the historic stones of the Suquet district, the authenticity of the old fishing port, the luminous beauty of the Lérins islands, the sun-drenched beaches and the excitement of the major events programmed at the famous Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. An international city of stars and glitter, Cannes also reveals a precious historical, natural and artistic heritage. The heart of its history palpitates in the pedestrian and sloping streets of Le Suquet, a district suspended above the old port, which reveals a Provencal soul. The Meynadier shopping street, which is pedestrian from end to end, and the Forville market preserve a village atmosphere; as for the Lérins islands, a green lung steeped in history, they face the flashy Croisette where the big luxury brands and renowned palaces rub shoulders. All the faces of Cannes offer themselves to the curious visitor who wants to touch his heart beyond the sunlights.
The birth of a legendary city
In December 1834, Lord Henry Brougham and Vaux, Grand Chancellor of England, took his daughter Éléonore-Louise to visit Italy. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Cannes, the King of Piedmont-Sardinia had his border with France closed due to a cholera epidemic. Forced to turn back, Lord Brougham decides to head for Grasse. At nightfall, he stops at the Pinchinat master's inn in the current rue du Port in Cannes. Charmed by the site, the welcome and the local specialities, Lord Brougham, who had to stay only a few days, decided to build himself a residence in this village. Two years later, the whole of London's high society flocked to Cannes for the inauguration of a vast and superb residence: the Villa Éléonore-Louise. Within a few years, the small fishing port became the city of the international aristocracy. As early as 1837, the British General Taylor had the Château Saint-Georges built. In 1838, work began on the first harbour and the path that winds along the coast was widened. Baptised Chemin de la Petite Croix, it later became the famous Croisette promenade. In 1848, Alexandra Feodorovna Skrypitzin, wife of the French consul in Moscow, Eugène Tripet, fell in love with Cannes and dragged the Russian aristocracy along with her. From 1858, the first building was erected on the Croisette: the Gonnet, which later became the Hôtel Gonnet et de la Reine. From then on, urbanization had only just begun, giving birth to the site of Cannes.
The City of Cinema
As in Los Angeles with its "Walk of Fame" on Hollywood Boulevard, directors, actors, writers and other celebrities of the seventh art leave the imprint of their hands and their signature during the International Film Festival or during their visit to Cannes. This Cannes "Chemin des Étoiles", located at the foot of the Palais des Festivals on the esplanade Pompidou and in the adjacent gardens, brings together more than 400 handprints and signatures of the biggest names in national and international cinema, allowing visitors to get a closer look at the myth.
The city of cinema par excellence, Cannes and its legendary Croisette have served as the setting for many great films, including the cult Cité de la peur des Nuls (1994), a zany comedy making a mockery of the Cannes Film Festival. Great classics such as Alfred Hitchcock's La Main au collet (1955) or delightful hexagonal comedies such as Quatre Étoiles (2006) with José Garcia and Isabelle Carré or Le Siffleur (2008) with François Berléand and Thierry Lhermite have also set the stage. Directors are undoubtedly looking for an atmosphere combining prestige, glamour, sea or sun... And the Cannes palaces on the Croisette, in particular the Carlton, Martinez and Majestic, regularly open their doors to them.
Cannes, open-air iconographic museum
Since 2002, the facades of some buildings in Cannes have been decorated with beautiful murals: an unmissable route to discover during your walk in the city! Fifteen in number and scattered in the streets, these frescoes all have cinema as their common denominator. Each was submitted to the architect of Bâtiments de France to ensure that the initial architecture of the selected houses was respected. Signed by different artists or specialized companies, you will be surprised to come across Belmondo, Depardieu, Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Léaud, James Dean, Marylin, Charlot, Bourvil, Batman or even R2-D2, the little robot from Star Wars! For the pleasure of the eyes of young and old, Cannes is transformed into a real open-air museum.
BoccaCabana, the renewal of the Cannes coastline
"BoccaCabana" is the name given by the Cannes La Bocca district to its seaside promenade, a beautiful reference to the mythical Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro! Here, as much as on the other side of the Atlantic, you will come across many tourists strolling in front of the sea, quenching their thirst at one of the beach kiosks or jogging on the jogging track while taking advantage of the sports facilities. Renovated and inaugurated in 2017, the 5.2 kilometres of Boccassian coastline have been totally redesigned for the well-being of pedestrians: widened pavements for walking, redesigned and calmer traffic, optimised parking, green spaces, rest, play or sports areas for the whole family, free shuttles for easy access and, in the long term, beaches widened thanks to underwater riprap. The Côte d'Azur coastline is modernizing and gaining in attractiveness: in addition to the very pleasant landscape it offers us, this BoccaCabana is a nice walk to do and a wonderful incentive to discover this area of Cannes, less known than the Croisette and yet just as much a must!
Let's play!
But in February, in between two walks, place at the International Festival of the Games. From the 21st to the 23rd, it's the friendly and intergenerational meeting place for the gaming world! On the programme: entertainment, tournaments, exhibition areas, board games, traditional games, simulation games, trading card games, video games... There's something for everyone! Whether you are occasional or regular gamers, family games or "hard-gamers", this event will allow you to meet all the gaming communities, to test hundreds of free board games but also to meet the authors, illustrators and publishers of your favorite games. The Festival also allows professionals in the field to follow market developments and to weave an important network of knowledge. Each year, at the end of the event, a prize list reveals the "Golden Aces" and "Game of the Year". Anyway, we're having fun!
Smart info
When? Of course, you can go to Cannes all year round, but to attend the International Games Festival, see you this year between February 21st and 23rd.
Getting there. By train, by car or by plane (via Nice), everything is possible.
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