Cannes Shopping

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I'm not a fan of macarrons, but I know someone who used to work here and one time she brought us some of their macarrons. I had the chocolate one and it was delicious!!!! I will definitely go there someday to buy some.

UPDATE: I've finally gone to their newest shop on Rue d'Antibes. Gluttony is a sin, so the desserts were a bit pricey, but they were soooooooooo good.

The great thing about this place is that they leave a few dessert samples (macaroons, chocolate, etc) near the cash register (at the end of the shop).

What to buy: Macaroons.

What to pay: I bought 4 and paid a little less than 6 €. My friend bought 2 for 3,51 €.

Rue d'Antibes is the main shopping street in Cannes. You will find Fnac, Sephora (2 stores), Zara (2 stores), Mango, Esprit, Madura, Diesel, Darty (for electronics), Kenzo, just to name a few shops.

If you feel like having some ice-cream (or something else), there's Häagen Dazs or if you're looking for a more sophisticated snack, try Café LeNotre.

When in Cannes make sure that the yachts and the beautiful sea don't mesmerize you into just sitting at a table of an open air restaurant enjoying the street awash with people while you sip a glass of french wine. Well, nothing is wrong in doing just that, but the pulse of Cannes lives on the back streets filled with shops and more restaurants to satisfy your every need. The fun is finding that one special gift for someone or that unusual find that will fit in nicely on your mantel or shelf back home.

What to buy: There is something for everyone on the side streets of Cannes.

While the haute-couture designer shops line the Croisette, the Boulevard d'Antibes offers several more moderately-priced French brand names. For the teens and twenties buyer, there's Kookai, Pimkie and Sinaquanone and La City; fashionistas will like Tara Jarmon; businesswomen will find chic professional wear at Gerard Darel and more casual items at Blanc Bleu and Agnes B.

La rue d'Antibes is a long narrow street in Cannes, running from the Hôtel de Ville eastwards, parallel to la Croisette only a few blocks away from the beach. Most of the shopping in Cannes centres around rue d'Antibes and its adjacent streets, offering everything from expensive goods to tourist souvenirs. It is one of the best shopping streets in the whole of the Côte d'Azur, probably even better than Nice. A good day could be spent walking along la rue d'Antibes from one shop to the other. In the peak summer months, crowds of people fill the street especially in the late afternoon. However, on a typical Sunday, even in mid-summer, rue d'Antibes is deserted as all the shops are closed (see photo).

For travelers that year after year, confine themselves in the center of the visited area, right where the touristic businesses want them, it might seem impossible to find bargains in Cannes. I was never a simple shopper... "just hit the streets" is far from my shopping motto. I search and dig and scratch and always find a way to buy cheaper, very far from the souvenir shops that charge 3 times the price for something made in China. In Cannes you will find a marvelous industrial zone (ZI) called "Les Tourrades", obviously it is far from the tourists site, close to highways, McDonald's, mechanic shops and everything unpretty. But for bargains, deals and good shopping you will not find better: lots of outlets, similar to flea markets style stores and just large surfaces to which, we North Americans might be more used to. I found great carpets, dishes, clothes and gifts for really great prices (actually did all shopping other than food, in that area). There is no members association to this place so no specific web site, the only detail I can give you is that Cannes' buses go there ...have a good time shopping! and don't forget that this shopping area is closed right after lunch time, just as most other stores... for the afternoon "sieste".

What to buy: Everything from clothes, kitchen accessories, decorative items, jewelry, shoes and much more... as you will find outlets of all kinds of specialty.

What to pay: from 1Euro items to expensive jewelry and such.

Rue d'Antibes:

renowned for its international designer boutiques and world-class shopping.

The rue Meynadier:

restricted to pedestrian traffic only, runs near the rue d'Antibes and has excellent shops and boutiques of every kind. It is also less expensive, with many more trendy shops that open on to the street.

Marché Forville

is the covered produce market in Cannes. It is a lively, colourful, a very noisy French affair taking up an entire city block. Stalls sell vegetables, fruit, fish, oysters, every conceivable variety of paté and olives marinated in a thousand flavours. The flower market lies at the western end of the covered area. On a Monday, Forville transforms itself into a Flea Market (Marché Brocante).

Even if you can't afford to buy anything, it's always a wonder to have a look at the shop windows on La croisette (near the festival palace). The most famous brands have shops there and it's worth a look.