Outside Cannes, Cannes

Cannes is situated exactly at the mid-point of the Côte d'Azur: it takes as long to reach Saint-Tropez as it does San Remo in Italy (roughly 1.5 hours each). Cannes also benefits from its proximity to the A7 motorway (Autoroute du Soleil). It is, therefore, the perfect anchor point from which to depart to destinations all over the Côte d'Azur. When visiting Cannes for more than a few days, it is worth planning some day trips to various towns and villages across the region. Click here for possible destinations.

When we got off our cruise we passed a little tourist information hut at the pier and saw a flyer for the Marinepark. It is situated in Biot - four stops on the train and only took 30 minutes to get to as it is 5 minutes from the train station in Biot to the park by foot. This is not only a marine park but also has crazy golf, a water park with loads of slides and also a wild west park so you could easily spend a day there. Plus on the other side of the road from the train station there is a nice little beach.

The marinepark cost €35 (doesnt include adminission into the other parks) which i thought was a bit steep and unfortunately we only had about 2 hours to spend there and we weren't in time for any of the whale, dolphin or sealion shows so if you are going make sure you have about 4 or 5 hours to spend there.

There was an underwater tunnel where you could see sharks and turtles, a penguin enclosure, sealion enclosure, piranhas and dolphin pool where even if you couldnt see a show you could still watch them playing. Best of all you can go and watch the killer whales in the big pools on the tiered seating where the shows are held so even though initially we were disappointed to miss the shows and didnt think we would see the whales, we were able to spend ages watching them play (and try to attack a seagull - lol).

It was a really nice day and despite the cost it is worth going to if you are in Cannes for a few days. We didnt go to the water park, etc but they looked really good. It only costs about €2 on the train to get there and there are return trains to Cannes very frequently.

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Nestled high in the Hills above the Riviera is the ancient city of St Paul de Vence. As the bus chuggs up the steep grades the city walls become visible. Its a lot of fun plodding along the same narrow winding streets that midieval folk walked 300 or more years before. There are plenty of nice scenic areas for photography.

In the La Napoule port, you can find the Sant' Antonio, a sightseeing boat that will take you on a 1h30 tour called "Tour de la Corniche d'Or" around the beautifull paradisiac coastal creeks and high perched famous villas of the area, from Cannes to Agay. The tour is narrated in french and english and gives you a totaly different perception of Cannes and its environment: the Esterel massif, the different balconies (or cornices), rocks and mounts of the Tanneron. The tour stops in a couple of spots to let you admire the turquoise waters of the creeks and some undersea caves where it is also possible to scuba dive or deep sea dive through different agencies I wouldn't know about (just saw the divers and was told they were tourists on an expedition). The tour is very well explained, from the owners of villas: Lacoste, Shumacher, etc... to legends about the moutains and creeks. Departure for this commented tour available every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 14h30, from April to September (back at the Port for 16h00).

This immense and splendid canyon is located at on both departments of the Var and the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence. The Verdon's gorges are the result of the erosion of the Verdon's river on the land than has today become gigantic cliffs of limestone rocks. They were only discovered and recognized at the beginning of the century, since then they've attracted and fascinated many visitors... it should be said that the spectacle is extremely imposing! Right In the center of a protected natural area, rich of its fauna and flora, the panorama offered is vertiginous. The few villages nestled at the edge of the fault kept their old Provencal charm; they can accomodate you should you decide to turn this day excursion into a longer one. Thanks to the diversity of its beautiful nature it offers multiple activities: photography, water sports such as rafting, canyoning, canoe kayak, water skiing, fishing, arial sports such as parasailing, coast flights, gliding, rock climbing, trekking, horse riding, 4x4 touring and so many more. The Regional Natural reserve of the Verdon was founded in Mars 1997, it includes 43 communes from two departments and extends on nearly 178 000 hectares. Should you wish to visit by car, a trail of 19 spectacular belvederes that are sure to give you vertigo... I thought I didn't have it, until then! Then typical little villages not to be missed at the end of the belvederes' trail (or to sleep at)are Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, Aiguines or Sainte-Croix-de-Verdon... do not forget your camera! ...get ready for heights and truly great panoramic views.

Not only one of the highlights of our Côte d'Azur trip but also a hightlight of my life. A typical air trip of the carabeans, or of South America's beaches... a lot of coastal cities offer this kind of parachute lift, from a boat: for 15 minutes you are pulled through the air, 60m over the sea, you can contemplate the city of Cannes and the whole bay, see as far as the Lérins Islands on clear days. Magical activity! We experienced it being 2 adults and a 5 years old, no problems, no fear... just great emotions! We were lucky enough to have a fun and very experienced driver, who dropped us as low as to wet our feet! A strange fact, is that because your feet are not in contact with the ground, you can't feel vertigo...

A visit to Cannes is more than just upmarket boutiques and flashy cars in this venue of the prestigious annual Cannes Film Festival. Just a short 20 minutes drive west of Cannes is the town of Theoule Sur Mer where on the outskirts you will see wonderful view of the red earth mountains on one side and the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean on the other. Wonderful photo opportunities for sure.

Next to Marineland you'll find this nice mini-golf parc. You play in caves beyond waterfalls and so on... great!!!!!
You can visit it alone or buy a combined ticket with Marineland (that's cheaper).

In Antibes (30 km east) you'll find a great attraction - the Marineland. It's comparative to Seaworld in Florida with dolphins, whales and seals showing their tricks. An awesome show!!!