Cannes Cruise Port: Where You Tender In, How to Reach La Croisette, and the Riviera by Train

Where the ship tenders in at Cannes

Cannes is a tender port. Rather than tying up at a pier, the ship anchors in the wide Bay of Cannes and the crew runs tenders, small boats, back and forth to the Vieux Port, the old harbor in the middle of the city. The ride is short and the landing could not be more central, putting you a few steps from the Palais des Festivals and a few minutes from the Boulevard de la Croisette. Because it is a tender operation, the flow ashore depends on the tender schedule and the number of ships in the bay, so it is worth going ashore earlier rather than waiting for the last boats.

La Croisette, the beaches, and the Palais des Festivals

The heart of a Cannes port day is the Boulevard de la Croisette, the palm lined promenade that runs along the seafront from the port, past the grand hotels and the public and private beaches. The Palais des Festivals, home of the Cannes Film Festival, sits right beside the Old Port with its red carpet steps, an easy photo stop the moment you land. Walking the Croisette and dipping onto a beach is the simplest way to spend the day, and it asks nothing more than a short stroll from the tender.

Le Suquet, the old town on the hill

West of the port, the old quarter of Le Suquet climbs a hill of narrow lanes to a hilltop church and the museum in the old castle. It is a steady walk up rather than a hard climb, and the reward at the top is the best view in Cannes, back across the red roofs, the marina, and the bay where your ship sits at anchor. Morning light or the late afternoon both suit the climb, and the lanes are full of small restaurants for lunch.

Riding the Riviera train from Cannes

The feature that sets Cannes apart from many Mediterranean ports is the Gare de Cannes, the main railway station, about a ten minute walk inland from the Old Port. Trains on the coastal line run often to Antibes and Nice in one direction and toward Grasse in the other, with connections onward to Monaco. That makes Cannes one of the easiest ports from which to add a second Riviera town under your own steam, without an organized excursion. The catch is timing. Buy your ticket at the station, note the departures back to Cannes, and pick a return that gets you to the tender with a comfortable margin, because a missed train on the coast can put your return in doubt.

The Lerins Islands offshore

For a quieter day, ferries leave the Vieux Port for the Lerins Islands a short way offshore. Sainte Marguerite is the larger, wooded with pine and eucalyptus paths and a fort with a long history, while tiny Saint Honorat is still home to a community of monks who tend vineyards. Neither has the bustle of the Croisette, so the islands suit guests who would rather swim and walk than shop. Check the ferry times against your all aboard so the crossing back does not run tight.

The Deep Arrival Cannes port plan

Make three calls and the day runs well. First, accept that you tender into the Vieux Port, so go ashore earlier rather than later and keep the last tender time in mind. Second, pick your anchor, the Croisette and the beaches, the climb up to Le Suquet, the ferry to the Lerins Islands, or a train along the Riviera. Third, if you ride the train to Antibes, Nice, or Monaco, write down a return that lands you back in Cannes with margin to spare. Cannes is one of the most walkable and best connected ports on the Mediterranean, which is exactly why it pays to plan the day around the tender and the train rather than leave it to chance.