Cannes, a former fishing village situated on the French Riviera in the south-eastern corner of the country, proudly fulfils its reputation as a hedonistic hotspot for the jet-set. But beyond the designer fashion outlets, luxury hotels and a marina packed with gleaming yachts, Cannes is a town steeped in historic and cultural landmarks and surrounded by natural beauty.
This area of the French coast and the Lérins Islands, a small archipelago just offshore, is thought to have been inhabited since the second century BC and became an outpost of the Roman Empire. From the tenth to the fifteenth centuries the village, by now known as Cannes, was controlled by the monks of Lérins Abbey.
It wasn't until the nineteenth century, and the arrival and subsequent residence of a former Lord Chancellor of England, Lord Brougham, that Cannes gained wider recognition as a desirable holiday destination and by the 1920s a sleepy French town had been transformed into a bustling and fashionable beach resort served by a new railway and boasting modern hotels.
Cannes' glamour has endured, fuelled by its star-studded annual film festival, but the town is not exclusively for the rich and famous and offers a host of historic buildings and museums, fabulous beaches, recreational activities and attractions that can be enjoyed by every visitor.
More commonly referred to simply as 'la Croisette', Cannes' ravishing palm-lined sea front promenade offers beautiful views of the resort's bay and the mountains beyond. Among the luxurious shops, restaurants and hotels that line the route, meanwhile, are a number of superb examples of Art-Deco architecture.
Behind the glitz and glamour, Cannes' 'old quarter', Le Suquet, ascends a hill overlooking the city. Traffic free, the neighbourhood is defined by its narrow winding alleyways and traditional French architecture. A church, clock tower and the town's ancient ramparts are found at the top of the hill, and from here unforgettable views of the coast can be obtained.
Housed in the seventeenth-century Fort Royal, Île Ste-Marguerite - one of two small islands just off the Cannes coast, the Museum of the Sea contains displays of items retrieved from historic coastal shipwrecks, including many examples of Roman and Saracen earthenware and ceramics. The Fort itself is famous as one of the places in which the 'Man in the Iron Mask'; a political prisoner of unknown identity, was incarcerated.
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