The Cannes film festival is two weeks of cinephile heaven, where celebrities, actors, and directors rub shoulders with the reviewers and the money people—many films get picked up by distributors during these two weeks. If you plan to attend, here’s a concise guide to help you easily navigate the festival.
What Is The Cannes Film Festival And Why Is It Special?
Ideas for the first ever Cannes film festival came to fruition at the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, but Hitler and Mussolini declined to take part, and it couldn’t happen because Europe soon headed into war.
The diplomat, Philippe Erlanger, resurrected the idea in 1945, but the town lacked enough public money because of wartime devastation, and so the first festival began in 1946 as the city raised the funds through public subscription; the idea at its core is to support films without political pressure or constraint.
Despite a few censorship issues throughout the Cold War of the 1950s, by the turn of the 1960s, Cannes had firmly decided to embrace the idea that “films’ cinematographic quality trumped any diplomatic considerations”.
Cannes is the festival that showcased films like La Haine, Parasite, The Piano, Sex Lies and Videotape and more recently, Anatomy of a Fall.
Common Pitfalls To Avoid At The Cannes Film Festival
Much of the travel advice for Paris’ Summer Olympic Games remains valid to ensure you have the smoothest trip possible:
- A few words go a long way before asking for what you need. The politest word in French is bonjour; every conversation is better when begun with some pleasantries. It’s the verbal equivalent of an apértif before you start the entrée.
- It can be surprising to some travelers that not every eatery takes credit cards in France, so carrying a little cash is judicious—there are ATMs everywhere, so use a travel credit card that works well for withdrawals.
- Meal times are mainly observed when off the beaten track (as a rule, lunch is 12-2 pm and dinner starts at 7), and it’s always better to book ahead to get a table where you want.
- Tipping is appreciated but not expected in the same way as in the U.S. or other countries. Minimum wage laws mean servers get paid a salary, and taxi drivers and hotel staff do not expect a tip, although people will always appreciate one. You can leave a little more and/or round up to the nearest five or ten in a restaurant when you have a lovely meal.
- Sun protection seems obvious, but May can get hot in Cannes, so as well as the cream and hats from which to watch people under, travel with a water bottle that you can constantly refill. There is a map of refillable water stations in Cannes here.
Visiting The Cannes Film Festival From The U.S.—EES And ETIAS Requirements
Travelers are not required to have a visa if their stay is under 90 days, and the upcoming ETIAS and EES systems are not yet in place. The Entry and Exit System (EES), the new biometric passport system due in November 2024, is now expected in October 2025. ETIAS is the new travel authorization that many visitors, including U.S. visitors, will need, similar to the American ESTA and the British ETA travel authorization scheme. The new date that EU member states will roll out ETIAS is believed to be the third quarter of 2026.
Getting To And From The Cannes Film Festival
The Nice Côte d’Azur airport sits about 25 km from Cannes center, and there is a bus route, the 81, operated by Zou, that takes around 45 minutes and costs about $25.
Or catch a train from many international train stations to Nice—the train to Cannes from Nice-Villes train station is about 40 minutes and roughly $8 for a one-way trip.
Sometimes you can find much less expensive bus rides on the French bus and car share company BlaBlaCar.
Getting Around The Cannes Film Festival
Cannes is not a geographically large place (its reputation is far bigger). During the festival, much of the action is around the famous Croisette and Le Palais, where the major screenings happen—unless you’re lucky enough to get a ticket to one of the many meetings or parties on the water.
That means most visitors can easily explore Cannes on foot, but the Palm bus service covers the entire city and its outskirts (you can find its English site here) with 30 bus lines plus five that run at night. Taxis are another possibility, and Uber also operates in the town, but walking might be better if the traffic gets backed up.
What to Do In Cannes During The Cannes Film Festival
Cannes does not have many museums, art galleries, or significant buildings to visit—the ideal pastime is to take in the atmosphere and watch the world go by, particularly the famous and well-heeled visitors and locals during Cannes.
Visit the Hotel Carlton, where Alfred Hitchcock filmed To Catch A Thief in the 1950s, visit the foodie heaven at Marché Forville, and walk the cobbled streets of Le Suquet, Cannes’ old Roman town. Visit 23 paintings and 44 drawings by Picasso that he bequeathed to Cannes after he stayed at the Château Grimaldi for six months in 1946.
Take a boat to the nearby small island of Sainte-Marguerite, home to not much more than a prison that once housed the Man in the Iron Mask. Or take another boat (there is not a boat that goes to both islands on a round trip) to the smaller island of Saint-Honorat, to an abbey, founded by a hermit in 410CE, when monks owned most of Cannes. Today, the monks in residence still make wine under a vow of silence, and the island is charmingly car-free.
Everyone can be seen on La Croisette, Cannes’ famous seaside esplanade, whether sitting on the iconic free blue beach chairs or walking up and down its two kilometers. Have a drink at Le Vieux Port, watching the luxury yachts sail in and out, at one of the waterside bars and cafes. Or head to a free beach, like Plage du Midi, where you sit on the sand, or hire a very swanky sunlounger at the private beach of the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic.
If you can’t get a ticket into Le Palais, you can stay on the beach and catch a film in public outdoor screenings throughout the festival (Cinema de la Plage)—perfect for a sunset picnic.
Which Films Are Showing At The Cannes Film Festival?
Juliette Binoche heads the jury this year, including Halle Berry and the renowned French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani. Tom Cruise arrives to promote Mission Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Robert de Niro will pick up the Honorary Palme d’Or, fifty years after Taxi Driver won at Cannes, and Paul Mescal arrives with Josh O’Connor to promote The History of Sound.
You can find the official line-up of what’s on where and when here on the Cannes schedule.