Cannes's glamorous palm-lined seafront
La Croisette is Cannes in a single boulevard. Get this one right, and you’ve understood the town.
It stretches for about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) along the seafront – a wide, palm-lined promenade. You’ll see the Mediterranean glittering on one side and a parade of grand hotels, designer boutiques and restaurants on the other. The Carlton, the Martinez, the Majestic. These are hotels that exist to be seen, and they do the job very well.
The boulevard was built to be walked slowly. People-watching is the main sport here. Cannes takes glamour seriously, and La Croisette is where that plays out most visibly.
During the Film Festival in May, the energy shifts completely. The red carpet is rolled out in front of the Palais des Festivals. The paparazzi set up camp. And the whole boulevard takes on a slightly surreal quality. The rest of the year, it’s simply one of the most pleasant seafront walks on the Riviera.
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