Cannes Transportation Options

It’s the city of glitz and glamour- with its almost incomparable promenade, chic boutiques, high-end couture shops, luxury yachts, fancy restaurants, and annual film festival.

To help travelers get to this classic but cosmopolitan city on the French Riviera, Iconic Riviera has created this guide as a primer for different modes of transportation in the city of Cannes:

Arriving in Cannes via the Nice Airport

The closest airport is the Nice-Côte-d’Azur airport, which is a 30 minute drive. See our guide to Nice’s transportation options for more details and to find out about direct flights from the USA and Canada.

To get to Cannes from the airport, you can catch an Uber (for around €60), take a train (for around €12) or the airport #210 bus (for around €22). See more details below.

Arriving via PJ? Near the seashore on the west of the town center is the Aéroport de Cannes-Mandelieu. It is a general aviation facility that accommodates services for private planes without schedules.

Cannes by Car

If you have a car, then the main highway is the fastest way to arrive. However, we recommend you take the scenic route closest to the water, as it is much more picturesque.

Ride-Share Apps

BlaBlaCar is a ride-share that you can book via their website or the app. It costs approximately €3 per ride to go from the Nice airport to Cannes.

The Klaxit app enables passengers to travel at very low cost (drivers earn a small fee, from €1.50 to €3 per passenger, depending on the distance travelled).

Uber & Taxis

You can hail or schedule an Uber from anywhere in Cannes. Uber works at the airport and in the main cities of the Riviera. It may be difficult to hail a ride from more remote areas though, unless you are lucky and catch a driver dropping someone off. It costs about €50 to Uber from the airport to Cannes.

An official taxi from the Nice airport to Cannes should cost about €80 for up to 4 people (including luggage) and takes roughly 30 minutes. Paying in cash is much appreciated by the driver, but most taxis have card machines (although don’t be surprised if the driver claims theirs is ‘broken’ in order to get cash). Taxis wait outside both terminals, so you’ll be sure to find one straight away. It’s always best to confirm the price before you leave the airport, to prevent a little surprise when you arrive at your accommodation.

It is worth noting that the official taxi service’s fares are not fixed and may vary according to traffic. For example, it’s routine to pay more than double what the official taxi operator predicts the cost to be. The official taxis also charge supplements for a range of different ‘extras’, such as Sundays and bank holidays, waiting, luggage, pets, having four people in the car, and even for bad weather.

Car Rentals

All the major car rental companies like Hertz, Sixt, Avis, and Budget are at the Nice Airport and in Cannes. If you decide to drive, we recommend renting a small car. Top-to-down is the way to go, and smaller cars are much easier to maneuver and park. If you’re going to go on day trips to some of the French resort towns, then you’ll need a small car to get through the tiny medieval roads.

However, unless you have a specific need for a car – for example, mobility/disability problems, renting in a remote rural location, or planning on touring the back-country – it is generally a mistake to rent a car in Cannes for local travel. The French Riviera has some of the worst traffic and one of the highest traffic accident rates in France, and the toxic mix of French car driving enthusiasm with many powerful motorcycles and youths on small scooters makes holiday motoring often an unrewarding experience.

Parking

Once you’re in Cannes, there are many parking lots, which you can find on Google Maps. The rates are posted, but reasonable. Parking rates in garages are less than €3 per hour, with a daily maximum of about €17. Parking is free of charge for the first hour, except in the months July and August.

Parking a car anywhere in Cannes is notoriously difficult, and equally so in many surrounding areas. Along the French Riviera, people park everywhere, between trees, poles and on sidewalks. They routinely bump each other in order to get in and out of tight spaces. Traffic and parking tickets are doled out like sweets.

Cannes by Bus

Airport Bus

The Nice Airport Express Bus #210 generally runs twice per hour with the last departure from Cannes at 7pm and last departure from the airport at 8pm. Traveling time is around 50 minutes and you can check the schedule here.

The public bus #200 is much slower as there are many more stops in between Nice and Cannes. The journey can take up to 90-minutes! After a flight, this is probably the last thing you’d want to do, especially in the heat (although buses are air-conditioned). 

There is a bus station at both terminals (for the Express Bus), so unlike the train, there’s no need to walk anywhere to catch either bus. This can be quite tempting for the travellers amongst us that aren’t so keen on walking. 

The Express Bus Service will cost €22, under 26’s can travel for €16.50 and under 12’s pay only €5. Tickets can be purchased from the bus ticket windows directly from the driver, or online. 

For the public bus, the price is €1.50, and these tickets can be purchased on the bus from the driver. Buy from the ticket window if you want a booklet of a few passes. You will need to walk to the specified bus stop which is just outside the airport to catch this bus. 

Local Busses in Cannes

Cannes’ transportation system includes the city bus lines. Lignes d’Azur buses serve as links from the airport to Cannes. It is the public bus line that connects most cities and towns along Côte d’Azur.

Numerous bus companies provide an efficient public transport system in the city. It includes STU de Cannes Bus Azur, CTM Cannes La Bocca, and Beltrame.

The schedules of their buses are every 15 minutes. Tickets are available on the bus or at the bus stations. The central bus station is on Place Bernard Cornut Gentille next to the Town Hall.

Cannes by Train

Train is the best, fastest, and easiest way to travel along the French Riviera. With stops in every seaside town, and lovely views along the way, it’s the area’s preferred mode of transportation. All of the trains in France (and Monaco) are operated by SNCF, and you can book all the trains through the one SNCF website.

The central station is Gare de Cannes , in the town center. 

The Local Train

The Regional Express Train, or TER, connects most towns, including Grasse, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, to Ventimiglia, San Remo and Turin in Italy. In the other direction, you can take this train to Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Lyon, and other destinations in France. Here’s a map of the destinations.

Trains run about every 30 minutes and most of the stations sit within walking distance of the town center, or offer a bus service from the station. You can purchase tickets from machines at each station, just be sure to stamp your ticket in one of the validation machines before hopping on board.

The airport is not served by a specific train station, but the Nice St Augustin Train Station is only a 10-minute walk away and has frequent, direct trains straight to Cannes. The train will only set you back around €6 for a one-way ticket.

The train is not available late at night and in the very early morning, so check the schedule online if you’re a night owl. Tickets are cheap and you can buy them online, at the console in the station, or (usually) on the train.

High-speed TGV Train

The high-speed TGV train connects Paris to Marseille in only 3 hours for as little as €50 (but the average ticket price is €84) each way. Take the local train to St. Charles station in Marseille , where you can transfer to the TVG and take it to Paris.

Cannes by Sea

On the west side of the Port of Cannes is where cruise ships anchor and tender passengers. The Vieux Port (Old Port) is on the west of Cannes between the castle and the Palais des Festivals. Another port is Port Pierre Canto, also a tender port and on the east end of La Croisette. Along with the main port, it is also a venue for some events in the Cannes Yachting Festival.

If you’re planning on going to other destinations, be sure to read the guide to transportation for that town/city (click on the town in the menu and you’ll see it listed). Have a grand vacation in Cannes!