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Most Americans only think of this French Riviera town once a year: when the Cannes Film Festival rolls around and every celeb from Angelina to Jack Nicholson is photographed on its famous red carpet. But Cannes is a vacation mainstay of Europeans and jet-setters. It's a jewel on the Mediterranean, with great seafood, a busy public beach, and high-end designer shopping. Actually, everything in this town is high end: Check out the millionaires' yachts moored at Quai St. Pierre, or splurge on a room on Boulevard de la Croisette. The Carlton, just one of many famous luxury hotels on this row, was where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco met. This street is also where you'll find Casino Croisette, the biggest casino in town.
Cannes was a haven for the international elite long before the advent of its annual film festival; the city has attracted the high-fashion crowd since the mid-1800s. Today, not only do the merely wealthy frequent this Riviera hot spot, Cannes' fans now include the rich and famous, especially in May when the Cannes Film Festival kicks off the Riviera's high season. After an initial attempt to hold the first annual Festival International du Film was thwarted by the World War in 1939, the rendez-vous du film had its modest beginnings in 1946. Today, the world's largest and most acclaimed film festival draws parades of limousines, television cameras and a who's who list of celebrities. La Croisette, Cannes' elegant promenade lined with cafes, pricey boutiques and luxury hotels, runs alongside the city's narrow beach. The Vieux Port (old harbor) and a summer casino sit at one end of the promenade. At the other end is a winter casino and the new harbor, packed with some of the most luxurious yachts in the world. Speedboats jet between the two ports past rows of sun-worshipping bodies decorating the beach. Once you've tired of the glitterati, it doesn't take long to get away from it all. Iles de Lerins (the Lerin Islands), just a short boat ride from town, offer forests of enormous eucalyptus trees and pines, a monastery dating from 410 A.D. and quiet fishing villages. Just three miles from Cannes is the pottery town of Vallauris, where Picasso settled in 1947.