Lights, camera, action! If you and your girl friends are heading to the 2016 Cannes Film Festival (May 11th-22nd), you’re in for one of the most star-studded events on the European cultural calendar. While you could just show up, frock up and hope for the best, a few simple tips will help you make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Tip: If you want all the up-to-date shareable info about the 2016 Cannes Film festival at your fingertips, there’s an app for that – and it’s free!
Choose Your Base
As with any high-profile event, the tip is to book early. While renting an apartment or villa is more economical and flexible than a hotel for a group, be aware that in the central district, close to the Palais des Festivals and Promenade de la Croisette, many owners will only rent their property for the entire duration of the festival.
The city is divided into the inner ring and outside the ring. Further away from the centre, in the outlying suburbs like Le Cannet, Juan-les-Pins and La Bocca, you’re more likely to find apartments that can be booked on a nightly basis.
Tip: If you’ve left it too late and aren’t able to secure accommodation in Cannes, staying in Nice is the next best thing. It’s about 45 minutes away by road and there are local shuttle buses every 30 minutes during festival time.
Getting Around
During festival time there are frequent buses around and beyond the city ring, but they can get very full so if you’re heading to a specific event, plan ahead.
If you’re staying in the inner ring, the longest it will take to walk to Les Palais and La Croisette is about 25 minutes, and much less if you’re lucky – but the crowds might slow things down a bit.
While there are plenty of taxis, they’re like hens’ teeth (although many hotels have preferential call-outs) and are very expensive – although split between a group it can be reasonable. If you’re planning on catching a taxi to any event, make sure you book ahead.
Shuttle buses run about every 30 minutes and cost €1.50. The journey from suburban areas takes about 15-20 minutes. Peak time is around 7pm. An average taxi fare for the same distance can cost you up to €30.
See a Movie
Cannes is officially an industry event, so – unless you’ve received an invitation in the mail (and if you don’t have a name like Tarantino or Clooney it’s probably not coming) – for the hot-ticket screenings at the Palais you’ll have to settle for the smaller venues or open-air screenings at the Cinéma de la Plage.
Tip: TV Festival de Cannes (shown throughout the Palais complex and in most hotels) runs 24 hours a day throughout the festival, broadcasting highlights in French and English.
Free Leftover Seats for Screenings
While it’s not easy, you can sometimes pick up FREE leftover seats for screenings of festival films at these venues, courtesy of Cannes Cinephiles:
- Cannes Cinema booth (in the Pantiero zone)
- Raimu Cinema, Ranguin
- Licorne Cinema, La Boca
- Studio 13 Cinema, MJC Picaud
Cinéma de la Plage
The Cinéma de la Plage screens art-house and classic films under the stars on a giant screen on the beach every evening. Tickets are available at the Tourist Office on the day (no bookings), or just show up early with your chairs, blankets and bubbles and hope for the best!
The Tourist Office is located at 1 Boulevard de la Croisette.
Tip: For something a little different you should also keep your eyes peeled for the British ‘Cannes in a Van’, which screens trailers and short films from their van parked along the promenade.
Celebrity Spotting
We all know the Cannes Film Festival isn’t really about the films, it’s about the celebrities! If you fancy rubbing shoulders with the glitterati, or at least watching them rub shoulders with each other, the red carpet at screening events at the Palais des Festivals is the place to spot them in their natural habitat. Dress up in your best Hollywood-ready glad rags and join the circus of media and spectators lining the red carpet as the celebs strut their stuff.
For a glimpse of off-duty A-listers you can lurk casually around these well-known celebrity haunts:
- Le Baoli – a very accessible beachfront bar and restaurant packed with celebrities
- Hotel du Cap Eden Roc – Di Caprio’s (and others’!) home-from-home in Cannes
- Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez – favoured by the likes of Bruce Willis and Julianne Moore
- La Palme d’Or – a very swanky two-Michelin starred restaurant and the place to see and be seen
- Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic – just steps away from the Palais, which is obviously important to past guests like Robert Di Niro
- Cannes Movie Star Lounge in the Intercontinental Carlton – your chances of getting in here will be helped if you make friends with someone in the media!
- Tetou – a famous seafood restaurant up the coast (just don’t show up on the bus whatever you do!), popular with celebs like the Jolie-Pitts and Robert Pattinson
You’re welcome!
Tip: Keep the app on your phone or tablet even once you get home to check out the ‘best of’ bits post-festival.
How to Get to Cannes
Like accommodation, flights during the Film Festival book up early so you’ll need to get in quick. The closest airport to Cannes is Nice, about 30-45 minutes away, but you could also fly into Genoa or Marseilles if you had to.
If you’re looking to arrive at the Film Festival in style, book one of convenient airport transfers to Cannes with Shuttle Direct. You can choose from a shared or private service and in around 30 minutes you’ll be on the doorstep of your accommodation, ready to pop the champagne.
You can also come by rail on the Eurostar to Paris, then take the high-speed TGV to Cannes, which takes around five hours. If you’re driving yourself from Paris, it will take eight hours along the fast A8 Estérel motorway.
Where to Stay:
Apartment 448 – With everything you need for a glamorous girls’ holiday without the celebrity price tag, Apartment 448 is the perfect home away from home, with in-room dining, laundry facilities, and balconies overlooking the ocean. Located in the convenient La Bocca district, you’re just a short distance from all the Film Festival action.
Citadines Apart’Hotel Cannes Croisette – Just a ten-minute walk in heels from Les Palais and La Croissette, the Citadines Apart’Hotel Cannes Croisette puts you in prime celeb-spotting territory. With sleek contemporary apartments, access to a private beach, and a sun drenched rooftop terrace, you’ll enjoy all the fun of the festival in sophisticated style.
JW Marriott Cannes – Because you’re worth it! The JW Marriott Cannes will afford you the Cannes Film Festival experience of your dreams. With glamorous film-themed rooms, over the top luxury, a rooftop restaurant and swimming pool, and even an in-house casino, there’s no need to be jealous of the celebrity lifestyle – you’ll be living it yourself!
