9-day blitz travel of Cannes, Monaco, Nice, Geneva and San Remo

9-day blitz travel of Cannes, Monaco, Nice, Geneva and San Remo

The statue of Lord Brougham, the Englishman who made Cannes a popular tourist destination in the mid-1800s, faces southward toward the Mediterranean Sea.

By Bruce Gates

The red carpet up the steps of the Palais des Festivals et des Congres in Cannes gets a real workout from tourists snapping pictures of themselves. No matter that this is October 27, people from around the world come to pose on the steps where movie stars and the rich and famous strut their stuff each May during the world-famous Cannes Film Festival, where Filipino Brillante Mendoza won Best Director for his 2009 film Kinatay.

The ultra-modern building sits in a square at the western end of Boulevard de la Croisette, a two-kilometre-long stretch of palm tree-lined roadway bordered on one side by the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean Sea and on the other by ritzy stores and hotels. Meanwhile, boaters on their massive yachts at the nearby marina are in their shirtsleeves taking in the late afternoon sun while a handful of sunbathers soak up a few rays on the beach. Definitely a playground for the rich on this stretch of the French Riviera (also called Cote d’Azur) – even this late in October because temperatures are still in the low-to-mid 20s.

The red carpet on the steps leading up to the Palais des
Festivals in Cannes is popular with tourists, even when the film festival isn’t taking place.

Cannes has been a hangout for the well-heeled since the mid-1800s, surprisingly thanks to an Englishman named Lord Brougham, who saw potential in the place in 1835 when it was a sleepy fishing village in a picturesque setting. Its temperate climate was ideal for English aristocracy who needed a place to recover from ailments brought on by England’s cold, damp winters. There’s a statue to him in a little square just north of the Palais des Festivals.
We’re sure Lord Brougham would find it odd to have his statue standing near a McDonald’s, which seems out of place among all the old buildings done in light pastel shades and housing swank shops and restaurants. Mind you, there are some smaller shops selling fruits and other edibles at reasonable prices.

Just west of the McDonald’s is a precinct called Le Suquet, which dates back to Medieval times and has numerous narrow streets leading up to Notre Dame d’Esperance, a Romanesque stone church at the summit. The church was completed in 1641 and was a great spot for us to watch the sun set behind the distant mountains of the southern Alps.

Cannes was one stop on a nine-day European trip that took us to Geneva, Switzerland; Nice; Monaco and San Remo, Italy. Our home base was Le Club Mougins, a timeshare run by Diamond Resorts in a little town just west of Cannes called Mougins. The three-bedroom condo unit easily accommodated our party of four — which include my wife Nida and her friends May and Christine — and its full kitchen let us grocery shop at the nearby Carrefour market and live like locals.

Outside of our plane trip to Geneva, and the train ride to San Remo, all local travel was by public bus, which was another way we lived like locals. At 1.50 euros (about $2 Canadian), this was a very affordable way to get around when we weren’t walking.

Alas, nine days aren’t enough to do justice to any of the cities we visited. Each one is well worth a few days of your time if not more. Here are a few highlights from our trip:

Casino de Monte-Carlo, otherwise known as Casino Royale in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, is a popular spot for gamblers and sightseers.

Monaco: The 45-minute bus ride up the side of the mountain to this wealthy little city-state is probably the best 1.50 euros you’re likely to spend — especially if you sit on the right side of the bus. This gives you the best view of the Mediterranean and the nearby hills where large homes seem to cling to their sides. The bus to take is Number 100.

Once at the top, walk up the main road to the Casino de Monte Carlo, made famous by James Bond. Ian Fleming used it as the model for a fictional resort in his first novel, Casino Royale. The building itself is a fanciful bit of architecture known as Belle Epoch, and its magnificent lobby is popular with tourists – as are all the exotic cars frequently parked outside.

Nice: Pronounced “neese,” this Mediterranean city is where we caught the bus to get to Monaco. Its name comes from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Here you will find the Promenade des Anglais, which stretches seven kilometres along the Mediterranean and adjacent beaches. The city also has an excellent tram (streetcar) system that connects you to some beautiful outdoor plazas, such as Place Massena and Place Garibaldi. There’s plenty of shopping everywhere.

The older part of town, Vieux Nice, has narrow cobblestone streets lined with stores and cafes, and beautiful older buildings painted in bright colours.

Geneva: This Swiss city at the southern tip of Lake Geneva and bordering France is consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the world in which to live — albeit a bit on the pricey side. The Rhone and Arve rivers cut through this city, which means there are plenty of bridges. One bridge in particular, le Pont Mont Blanc, gives a straight-on view of the distant mountain of the same name. Geneva is a very walkable city with a decent art gallery, attractive public squares and good public transit, mostly trams and trolley buses. And of course there’s the chocolate!

San Remo: This bustling Italian resort town is a bit more than an hour by commuter train from Cannes. It’s on the Italian Riviera and sports a wide beach, marinas and plenty of shops, cafes and bars a short walk away.

The casino lobby is a space befitting royalty – not surprising, since the idea for opening a
casino in Monaco came from the ruling Grimaldi Royal Family. The casino opened in 1863.

The garden of the Grand Hotel fronts onto Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes.

Our group: Chris, May and Nida, in Geneva at night, on a bridge overlooking the Rhone River.
(All photos provided)