Shopping in Cannes - a quiet day on the French Riviera

Yesterday we went shopping in Cannes, France. It's great to enjoy a quiet day on the French Riviera, without any special commitments or "musts". Today we show pictures from the harbour and beach in Cannes and from the charming old town, where we took the opportunity to eat Moules Frites.

Table of contents

From Liguria to Cannes

The coast of the Italian region Liguria was simply too stressful for us at the end of July, and we left quite quickly via the motorway to get to Cannes in France. It was perhaps a mistake to choose the motorway, as it was expensive, but it was nice to get to the first French rest area. There was plenty of space for our motorhome, which we were not spoilt with in Liguria ...

Camping Le Ranch

We've been to Cannes once before and we stood at the Camping Le Ranch. Since we liked that campsite, we went back. And yes, we still like this campsite! It's quiet and peaceful, the large pitches are clearly separated by hedges, the service buildings are fresh, the showers are good and there's a swimming pool.

Best of all, the bus to the city centre leaves right outside the entrance every 20 minutes. The price for the campsite is 34 euros/day now in high season, and we have decided to enjoy this luxurious accommodation for three nights.

A day on the French Riviera

We often have quite a full programme. Sometimes we collaborate with tourist agencies and other times we gather information for articles we will write for motorhome magazines. Today we decided to spend a day in Cannes "just for us". A little shopping in Cannes!

Port of Cannes

We started by going down to the harbour to check out all the huge luxury yachts moored there. It's fascinating to check out these huge behemoths, although it feels rather strange that almost all of them proudly fly the flag of the tax haven Cayman Islands...

We continued past the beach, which is located in the centre of Cannes. It was incredibly hot and a swim looked quite tempting, but our plan was to cool off in the shops instead!

Shopping in Cannes

Although Cannes has a reputation for being an exclusive city, there are shops in all price ranges, and shopping here doesn't have to be expensive at all. I (Helena) found a bikini and a long dress, which you will see on another occasion.

Shopping i Cannes — Shopping in Cannes: dresses, and especially trouser suits, are popular.

Peter needs shorts, and we found a shop which next only sold shorts. There were every kind of shorts imaginable: long and short, thick and thin, with pockets and without pockets, and in every colour imaginable. Do you think he found any shorts ...? "I know what I want," he says. Help! At least two pairs of long trousers, a shirt and a T-shirt made it home. But no shorts ...

Moule Frites for lunch

What we had for lunch? Moules frites of course! We found a little place in the Old Town that sold mussels with fries for 12 euros per person. A perfect lunch after a day of shopping in Cannes!

The old town of Cannes

Incidentally, the old town of Cannes is incredibly charming, with narrow steep alleys and lots of little outdoor cafés where you set up wine glasses ... or maybe spread roses on the tables.

Cannes and the Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is the world's most prestigious film festival and is held every year in the second half of May. During our motorhome trip in 2015, we happened to be in Cannes during the film festival, and we actually managed to play paparazzi and at least capture a celebrity in a photo. Even now, when the big festival is not going on, you can see that there is a lot about film here!

Sainte-Marguerite Island

If you are in Cannes and want to make an excursion, you can take a boat trip to the island of Ile Sainte-Marguerite. The boat ride takes no more than 20 minutes, and on the island you can stroll around in nature, enjoy the cliff baths or eat well in one of the island's restaurants. Read our report:

READ MORE: Ile Sainte-Marguerite in France

Ste Marguerite Island vid Frankrikes riviera

See more around Cannes

If you're in Cannes and want to see more in the neighbourhood, there's plenty to discover! Here are our top tips:

Nice Located just 35 minutes by car from Cannes, this is a fantastic town with charming neighbourhoods, a nice beach and a lovely promenade.
Le Lavandou is a nice holiday resort on the coast, and from here you can reach the islands. Ile du Levant and Port-Cros. Le Lavandou is 1 hour 40 minutes by car from Cannes.
Gorges du Verdon Known as the Grand Canyon of Europe, it is a stunning natural area with a high canyon and a crystal clear river. The distance from Cannes by car is less than two hours.

Facts about Cannes

What country? France
Language? French (some also speak English)
Residents? 74 000 in Cannes (2015)
Currency? Euro
Price point? As in Sweden
Time difference? None
Emergency number? 112
El? Like Sweden
Water? Drinkable

Travelling to Cannes

Flight: You can fly from Stockholm Arlanda to Paris or Nice. Direct flights take about 2 hours 45 minutes.
Car: You can also travel to France by car. Ferry Gothenburg-Kiel with Stena Line takes 14 h 30 min. Driving time from Kiel to Nice is about 16 h 30 min, if you count pure driving time.

Helena

01 August 2018 6:00

France

campervan trip2018, shopping, metropolis

Helena

Administrator

40 Comments

Add yours →

Anna | Boihusbil says:

It seems to be beautiful in Cannes. Maybe we pass by, maybe we stop, we'll see. I have a film-interested husband so he may have some interest in staying there. The campsite looks nice, saved, although they do not seem to be open in the winter.

01 August 2018 - 7:36

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We like Cannes, a nice city that has both the exclusive and the more relaxed. We like the campsite very much. Have not checked the opening hours in winter.
  
  01 August 2018 - 8:51
  
  Reply
Eva/Living like Eva says:

Could very well be the same restaurant I ate at on my last visit! If you are left for a day, I recommend a trip to the Lérin Islands outside Cannes. A little nature close to the city!

01 August 2018 - 8:35

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yep, one of the islands will be visited today! That was the plan when we went here, since we missed those islands last time 😉.
  
  01 August 2018 - 8:52
  
  Reply
Role o Carina says:

There are boats in luxury classes, not bad!
Have never been there, maybe in the future 🙂

Take care and enjoy.....

01 August 2018 - 8:38

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  There are crazy big boats here!!!
  
  01 August 2018 - 8:53
  
  Reply
Travel Linda says:

Looks like you had a lovely day in Cannes! A little quieter than the last place! The campsite looked nice' like places with well marked and trees that shade!

01 August 2018 - 8:39

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It feels much calmer here! Of course it's high season here too, but a big difference is that the campsite is quiet and relaxed 🙂.
  
  01 August 2018 - 8:54
  
  Reply
Ama de casa says:

Mmmmoules frites! Soooo good! Soon you'll be tempting us with a seafood platter here on the blog too... 😉.

Keep up the good work there among the jet set on the Riviera! 😀

01 August 2018 - 8:45

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, it would be great if there was a seafood plate 🙂 .
  
  01 August 2018 - 8:55
  
  Reply
Christian says:

Looks lovely! That's how you want to travel - where you really want to go!

01 August 2018 - 9:14

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Indeed! We like Cannes and it's actually a great city to visit with a campervan 🙂.
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:01
  
  Reply
Catrine Johansson says:

Looks lovely! We were in Cannes 2 years ago and we enjoyed it very much. It looks like we will go there this year when we have a holiday at the end of August and 4v into September. There were not so many tourists at that time 2 years ago. France has introduced environmental zones. How is it at Cannes? Is an eco-label needed?

01 August 2018 - 9:25

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We haven't managed to figure out exactly how the eco-labelling works. According to Motormännens data, it would only be needed in a few cities, but it seems to be expanding all the time. We've only driven on motorways and roads so far and don't have an eco-label, but we're starting to feel a bit insecure. We are thinking of going to a garage tomorrow to see if they can help us with a label (after discussion with the csmping staff). We didn't think we'd need it, but are wondering if it might be better to have it anyway...Will report back!
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:07
  
  Reply
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

We have actually only whizzed past Cannes, but the campsite looks great and the city seems to have a whole lot to offer. In addition, Moules Frites on the outdoor terrace! Then it's a real holiday!

01 August 2018 - 9:42

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We like both the campsite and the city! 🙂
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:07
  
  Reply
Husis blog says:

How wonderful that you had a day to yourselves without a lot of obligations. Sometimes it can be worth taking a more expensive route just to get there on time.
My male owner has a funny memory of Cannes since he used to drive a bus. This was before the days of GPS and he got the bus slightly wrong as there were roadworks. He just had to back up and all the French were not as impressed....

01 August 2018 - 10:00

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We have thought many times about how much harder it was in the past when there was no GPS!!!' It's a great help when driving in cities, and on motorways!
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:09
  
  Reply
Evy Knoph says:

Lovely with Cannes! Love the French Riviera, hung out a lot in Cannes in the early 80s. Many people think that it is expensive everywhere, it does not have to be, it does not have to stay at Carlton :-), we found breakfast places where we were the only ones who ate breakfast, the guys who frequented the place drank breakfast :-). Like to take a trip to the Friday market in Ventimiglia on my Riviera visits. The Eurobus between the cities is not bad either. Ohhh now it will soon be a new trip to the Riviera..was there last Sep 15... Have a continued wonderful trip!

01 August 2018 - 10:13

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  What wonderful memories you have of the Riviera! We agree that it does not have to be so expensive. There are exclusive options here for those who wish, but there is both food and shopping in completely normal price ranges as well 🙂 🙂.
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:10
  
  Reply
Mr Steve says:

So nice to find a place to unwind. I wouldn't have guessed that Cannes would be such a place, but there you go.
I was there sometime in the 1970s, but it wasn't to unwind.

01 August 2018 - 11:03

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Hope you had a good time in Cannes that time when you "didn't unwind" (funny description!) 😉!
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:11
  
  Reply
Razzy says:

Cannes is on my bucket list, such a beautiful city. Hugs Eva

01 August 2018 - 11:03

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We like Cannes, beautiful city, easy to walk around and there is something for everyone, it seems.
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:11
  
  Reply
Liniz Travel says:

Wow so delicious and nice! I dream of the French Riviera! Maybe in the autumn! Hugs

01 August 2018 - 12:02

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It's certainly nice here in autumn too! 🙂
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:12
  
  Reply
Lennart says:

If it tastes good, it costs good.
I think the camping price is perfectly OK.

01 August 2018 - 14:57

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  The price of the campsite is ok, considering it's a nice campsite, in high season and in a city like Cannes.
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:13
  
  Reply
Ditte says:

Cannes is always nice and even nicer outside the high season. The beaches are not attractive when there are so many people, I think. But on the other hand, I am now only on the beach if I want to swim.
Nice to have a good campsite. So important with space and not so close to other motorhomes. Convenient with a bus to the city as well.
Wishing you continued good days here.

01 August 2018 - 16:19

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It is certainly nice here outside the high season too! We've been here once in May, but then it was a film festival 😉.
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:14
  
  Reply
BP says:

Yep, the boats are model XXXL, and it doesn't surprise me at all that they are flagged with the Cayman Islands flag.
It was fun to have a shopping day in Cannes and that t-shirt Peter is pointing to would definitely have come home with me. Oh Moules frites - yummy. Really cheap, less than half of what they cost here at home.

01 August 2018 - 16:46

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It is not surprising perhaps with the Cayman Islands, although I still find it a little difficult to understand that they are proud of it? But, but, it's a different world ... 😉 Moules frites are always just as good, and also affordable here!
  
  01 August 2018 - 18:16
  
  Reply
Across the board says:

Wonderful lunch!

01 August 2018 - 22:08

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  🙂
  
  31 August 2018 - 15:03
  
  Reply
Maria / Magnolia Magis says:

How marvellous! I get flashbacks when I see your pictures... Have been here a few times when my mum and dad had an apartment just outside Cannes in Mougin le Haut. The last time I was there was in 2006. What I remember about that village was that it was high up on a hill with a view over to Nice. Cosy little square and super narrow streets. On the way to Nice we went through Vallauris, well known for its ceramics and because Pablo Picasso lived there in 1948-55. Oh have a good time!!!
ps: How do you feel about the heat? Saw that Portugal will get up to 46 degrees tomorrow..hu! Now it is a good bit there....

01 August 2018 - 22:26

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  What nice and special memories you have! 🙂 The heat is a bit tough I think ...
  
  31 August 2018 - 15:04
  
  Reply
Lena - good for the soul says:

It sounded like a relief to get there after visiting the last place 🙂 The fact that there were also such affordable things to shop for was a bit surprising to me.

Hug Lena

02 August 2018 - 9:38

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Everything in Cannes is certainly not expensive! 🙂
  
  31 August 2018 - 15:04
  
  Reply
Marina says:

I can only agree! And you can find cheap food as well as cheap clothes. Suddenly I'm longing for one of those moule frites, it's a bit strange, but it never tastes as good anywhere else.

03 August 2018 - 15:23

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Surely the moules frites taste best here, for some reason 😉.
  
  31 August 2018 - 15:05
  
  Reply

Shopping in Cannes - a quiet day on the French Riviera

From Liguria to Cannes

Camping Le Ranch

A day on the French Riviera

Port of Cannes

Shopping in Cannes

Moule Frites for lunch

The old town of Cannes

Cannes and the Film Festival

Sainte-Marguerite Island

See more around Cannes

Facts about Cannes

Travelling to Cannes

You might also like:

Subscribe to our newsletter

40 Comments

Anna | Boihusbil says:

Helena says:

Eva/Living like Eva says:

Helena says:

Role o Carina says:

Helena says:

Travel Linda says:

Helena says:

Ama de casa says:

Helena says:

Christian says:

Helena says:

Catrine Johansson says:

Helena says:

Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

Helena says:

Husis blog says:

Helena says:

Evy Knoph says:

Helena says:

Mr Steve says:

Helena says:

Razzy says:

Helena says:

Liniz Travel says:

Helena says:

Lennart says:

Helena says:

Ditte says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Across the board says:

Helena says:

Maria / Magnolia Magis says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

Helena says:

Marina says:

Helena says:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

ABOUT FREEDOMtravel

CONTACT US

Social media and newsletters

SEARCH AND FIND ON FREEDOMTRAVEL

Categories

Archive