Beaches in Cannes — 11 of Our Favourites

The best way to explore this part of the coast is on one of the boat trips that take you directly from Cannes, hiring a boat for the day, or better still chartering a yacht so that you can moor up in one of the tranquil coves and spend a few days enjoying this magnificent scenery.

This area is so spectacular, thanks to the backdrop of the Massif Esterel and its forested hillsides. The Massif Esterel was produced by volcanic activity in the area and the end result is bulbous red rock mountains that thrust up against the Mediterranean sky. The vivid contrast of green forest, red rock and blue sky is reminiscent of Utah, USA and Uluru, Australia.

The beach area is made up of sand at the rear and (very) large rounded pebbles at the waters front. There is a picnic area and watersports and free parking. Around the corner from Drumont is the small resort town of Agay. Pleasant enough, it has several sandy beaches and calm, clear waters.

On the other side of the bay, you'll find a very pretty small beach - Plage Baumette - with its wonderful blue-green sea and lush vegetation. Beyond Agay is where you'll see the red rocks of the Massif Esterel. The beaches become rocky coves, accessible via steps cut into the cliffs. The Plage des Anglais has a tiny beach and pier where you can sit and enjoy the blue-green sea, the red cliffs in some peace and quiet.

Cap Antheor provides more accessible sandy-pebbly beaches, shaded by palm trees with the stunning red mountains as the backdrop. The terrain then becomes more rugged and it's back to climbing down steps to discover hidden coves where sailing boats often drop anchor. the area around Vila Dani is particularly recommended if you are lucky (or early) enough to bag a parking spot.

The final resort town at the north end of the Cornich is Theole sur Mer - a rather charming and pretty town with a couple of sandy beaches and a cute marina.

The biggest section of public beach is called Plage du Midi and stretches for about 700m. Many of the beach clubs along this stretch erect pontoons during the summer months, so you can escape the busy beach areas and sunbathe on the pontoons. There is also children’s play area, making it an ideal family location.

There are three more public beaches along Boulevard du Midi:

• Plage Laugier
• Plage Mistral
• Plage Madrigal

They are all quite small but have showers and there are always shops, cafés and kiosks nearby. A thin promenade runs along the back of the beaches between the beach and the busy main road. You will often see cyclists and joggers along this stretch.

Although it's unmanaged and has no private beaches or beach clubs, it's still well maintained, clean and there are beach showers available.

Drinks and snacks are available from the well-known brasserie across the street, Le Moure Rouge. You'll also feel safe here since there is a first-aid station.

The beaches nearest to the port are the busiest and the further you walk, the fewer people there are. None of the beaches are very big, so they don’t get too crowded and some require a bit of scrambling to get to which deters some of the crowds.

Access to the island is limited to boats, so there are many private yachts and dinghies bobbing about nearby; there is even a floating drinks bar that does laps of the island, just wave to the captain and he’ll bring it as close to shore as he can while you wade out to grab an ice cold can.

There are two restaurants on the island, including the seafood restaurant La Guerite, or you can always stock up at the Provençal market and take a picnic.

The combination of deep red rock and turquoise blue Mediterranean make this beach a visual treat and it is generally uncrowded. There are fresh water showers along the shoreline, but there aren’t any toilets on the beach. There is a free car park 200m from the beach and parking along the main road of Boulevard du Midi which runs along the back of the beach.

In some sections of the beach you'll find beach volleyball courts, a popular sport in these parts. It can be great entertainment to watch. This is another popular area for joggers and cyclists as they continue on to towards to Cannes or back to Cannes la Bocca.

A pretty and uncrowded row of beaches with stunning views and decent snorkelling, perfect for getting away from crowds and being in a non-smoking environment. However, it’s near the main road with little in the way of facilities.

Although this is not run by the municipality, Gazagnaire is still equipped with beach showers and there is certainly plenty of space to throw down a towel and settle in for the day.

There is some parking on the side streets close to the beach and also in the surrounding areas.

A sandwich stall on the beach sells cold drinks and snacks. But if you are looking for a meal then there are a few places around that have good food at reasonable prices.

Being run by the municipality means that there are certain services provided, including lockers, toilets, changing rooms and showers. In addition to this, the chairs and umbrellas are available at a reduced cost and a lifeguard is on duty.

However, there are no snacks, food or alcoholic beverages allowed on the beach area, other than the ones you can buy from the nearby snack stand which sells soft drinks and sandwiches.

This stretch of beach holds around 200 beach chairs and normally there is no need to reserve in advance. Open from June to September, there are two sessions (am and pm) for those wishing to hire a chair or umbrella, so you may want to consider that when planning your day.

Being run by the municipality means that there are certain services provided, including lockers, toilets, changing rooms and showers. In addition to this the chairs and umbrellas are available at a reduced cost and a lifeguard is on duty.

However, there are no snacks, food or alcoholic beverages allowed on the beach area, other than the ones you can buy from the nearby snack stand which sells soft drinks and sandwiches.

There is a non-paying area right next to it where you can just lay down your towel and spend the day. There are also showers available on this section. During the famous Cannes Film Festival there are nightly film screenings here and the area is renamed 'Salle de Sable'.

This beach is pretty basic. There are toilets and a kiosk selling sandwiches, hot snacks, drinks and ice creams. This is also a great place for a picnic too, so stock up at the morning market or a local supermarket.

Great family and watersports beach with basic facilities.

There are a whole host of coffee shops, snack stalls and cafés that are beach side or restaurants along the main promenade.

This beach is very close to the Palais des Festivals and is the first on the La Croisette stretch coming from the west.

It's fairly wide, giving you plenty of room to spread out and you may find a few games of volleyball and other beach games going on, it's the perfect spot for it.

The beach has shallow waters curving along two sandy coves - the smaller cove being Plage du Square Verdun, and this has a nautical centre where you can rent paddleboats and small sailing boats. 

Happily, Bijou Beach is a handiplage beach, meaning there is ramp access and assistance available for wheelchair users. There are also disabled toilets.

Dogs are forbidden on Cannes beaches between mid-April and early September. However, on cloudy or windy days you’ll still see locals out walking their pampered pooches on the beach. Just use your discretion and always pick up after your dogs. As of the beginning of October, the beaches are free for dogs again. 

In summary, Plage du Bijou is a lovely little spot. With soft sand, a gorgeous view, shallow waters, plenty of parking and good facilities, this has our vote for the best public beach in Cannes.