How do I get around Cannes?

Cannes is small enough that your feet do most of the work. Le Suquet, the old hilltop quarter on the western end, sits about a 12-minute flat walk from the Palais des Festivals along the Vieux Port. From there, La Croisette runs 2 km east to Palm Beach, the whole stretch level and lined with palms. Rue d'Antibes, the main shopping street, runs parallel one block inland. You'll feel the heat radiating off the pavement by 11 a.m. in summer (late June currently sits around 27°C with thick humidity), so morning walks along La Croisette, when the air still carries the salt-and-pine smell drifting off the Estérel hills, tend to be more comfortable. Mind you, the city climbs steeply once you leave the waterfront. The walk up to Le Suquet's Notre-Dame d'Espérance involves narrow stone steps that get slick after rain, and there is no alternative route.

Palm Bus is the local network, and a single ticket costs 1.50 EUR bought onboard or about 1 EUR through the Palm Bus app. A 10-ride carnet runs around 10 EUR. Line 8 is likely the most useful for visitors, connecting Gare de Cannes to the eastern beaches. That said, most routes run every 15-20 minutes during the day and stop around 20:00, so don't count on buses for a late dinner return. The app shows real-time arrivals, which helps, since posted schedules at stops can be optimistic. During the Film Festival each May, some routes get rerouted around the Palais des Festivals, and the temporary detour maps appear only in French.

The TER regional train is how you leave Cannes, not how you move within it. Gare de Cannes sits one block north of the Vieux Port, and from there SNCF's coastal TER line runs east to Antibes (11 minutes, about 3.20 EUR), Nice-Ville (30 minutes, 7.60 EUR), and Monaco (roughly 70 minutes, 12.50 EUR). Trains run every 15-30 minutes most of the day. Buy tickets from the green SNCF machines in the station hall, which take contactless cards, not the staffed counter, where the summer queue stretches to 20 minutes. One station west, Mandelieu-La Napoule has quieter beaches and the Château de la Napoule. Worth noting, during the Film Festival the platform for Nice-bound trains fills by 09:00.

Taxis queue at the Gare de Cannes rank and at the Palais des Festivals. Flagfall is around 2.60 EUR, with 1.50 to 2.20 EUR per km depending on time of day. A ride from central Cannes to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport runs 75-90 EUR at the fixed rate. Uber operates in the area but driver supply is thin. During the Film Festival wait times can reach 25-30 minutes. Locals tend to use Le Cab or call radio taxis at +33 4 93 99 27 27. Renting a car for Cannes itself is a mistake. Parking near La Croisette costs 3-4 EUR per hour, the one-way streets around Rue Meynadier will have you circling the same block three times, and anything within the central zone is faster on foot. A car makes sense only for the Estérel corniche drive toward Saint-Raphaël or a day trip to the perfume factories of Grasse, 17 km north.

Trans Côte d'Azur and Riviera Lines run ferries to the Îles de Lérins from the Vieux Port's Quai Laubeuf. The crossing to Île Sainte-Marguerite takes 15 minutes and costs about 15 EUR round trip. Île Saint-Honorat, where Lérins Abbey monks have made wine since the 5th century, runs a separate ferry at 16 EUR. Boats depart roughly every hour from 09:00 to 17:00 between April and October. Buy tickets at the quayside booths. On a calm day, the ride is fine, with the smell of diesel mixing with sea air and the Estérel massif glowing red-orange behind you. On a windy day, the mistral blows hard here in spring, and the crossing gets rough. Cancellations happen.