Traveling to Cannes
As Cannes is such a popular visitor destination, it is well served by transportation options including land, air and sea modes of travel. While the majority of visitors arriving on package holidays fly into Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, there are others who bring hire cars or private vehicles by ferry and make the remaining journey to Cannes by road. Coaches and trains also provide connections from major French cities.
By car
From Paris, the journey takes about 8 hours and access is available via the A8 Estérel motorway, which leads directly to the city of Cannes; from Monaco and Nice, the same road provides access from the opposite direction. The road network is exceedingly well designed and drivers should face very little difficulty in negotiating the route.
By rail
France’s TGV rail services provides access to the city of Cannes from a large number of major French cities. From London Waterloo Station the Eurostar connects with Lille, from where a connecting service to Cannes is available. The journey from London to Lille is just 1 hour, 25 minutes, while from Lille to Cannes, it’s 7 hours. Other European cities with rail connections to Cannes include Brussels (6 hours), Milan (5 hours), Basel (10 hours), Rome (10 hours) and Venice (10 hours).
By bus
Coach services from major French and European cities serve the city of Cannes, with the latter concluding at the Gare Routière de Nice station, which is situated just outside of the city. Companies providing services from abroad include Eurolines and Agence Phoceens. Regional services are provided by Rapides Côte d’Azur and CTM, with services available from Nice and Grasse/Mandelieu respectively.
By air
Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) is located about seven miles west of Nice and is just 15 miles from Cannes. The airport is a busy facility providing connections from Paris and other major French cities as well as from a large number of EU and international destinations. Trains and buses provide cheap and speedy ground transfer options, while taxis are also on hand for those requiring door-to-door service to their onward destination.
By ferry
Ferry crossings are available to the Port of Nice from Bastia and Calvi in Corsica, with services provided by SNCM Ferryterranée and Corsica Ferries. From Bastia, the journey time is 4 hours, 45 minutes on conventional speed ferries and 3 hours, 40 minutes on express ferries, while from Calvi, conventional vessels take 3 hours, 45 minutes and express vessels take 2 hours, 45 minutes. An average of four ferries a day sail on these routes, with more crossings during the summer season. Alternatively, if you’re feeling like a long drive, you can take the ferry from England to France, with routes including Dover to Calais and Portsmouth to Roscoff, and head south to the Côte d’Azur, but expect the journey to take well over 12 hours.
Nice Airport
Located 15 miles from Cannes, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is a busy airport that sees a passenger throughput of close to 10 million per year. The airport operates two terminals, with Terminal 1 capable of serving 4.5 million passengers per year and Terminal 2 capable of managing 8.5 million passengers a year. ATMs, banks, bureau de change and post office facilities are all on hand at the airport as well as excellent shopping and dining options. Northwest Airlines provides transatlantic connections, while British Airways, Bmi and easyJet among others provide connections with the UK. A large number of other carriers serve various EU countries.
Transportation from Nice Airport
Trains run from Gare Nice St Augustin train station, which is situated just 500 metres from Terminal 1, with connections to regional destinations provided by SNCF. Meanwhile, buses operate along a total of 21 scheduled routes and provide connections to more than 100 regional locations between Marseille and Genoa.
Taxi ranks can be found outside of the Arrivals halls of both terminals. Fares between 19:00 and 07:00 are subject to a surcharge, as are journeys made on Sundays and bank holidays. Passengers heading for the airport by private vehicle or hire car can take either the A8 motorway or the RN7 and RN202 major roads, depending on which direction they are arriving from.