Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit France. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of stay in the country. For all other nationalities, consult your consulate or tourist board for details. You can also visit www.voyage.gc.ca for up-to-date information.

Baggage

Please refer to aircanada.com for baggage information.

Airport check-in

It is recommended that you present yourself at the airport counter of the airline indicated on your voucher 3 hours prior to departure. Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations representatives will be available starting at 5 a.m.

During your stay

City highlights

After Paris, Cannes is the most famous city in France. Its worldwide fame is owed to the International Film Festival, which welcomes scores of tourists year after year. The city also plays host to a variety of conferences and events throughout the year, including the MIDEM, where the world’s music community meets in Cannes for fours days in January, the MIPIM, a gathering for the world’s property markets, and the Festival des Jeux.

In Cannes, the center of tourist activity is the Boulevard de la Croisette which extends eastward from the new Palais des Festivals along the Rade de Cannes, with its fine sandy beach and its magnificent view of the gulf and the Lerin Islands. The boulevard is dominated by luxury hotels - some from the Belle Époque period - and high class shops.

Getting around

Managed by the SITP, the Bus Azur network (www.busazur.com) serves the towns of Cannes, Le Cannet and Mandelieu-La Napoule. 

Shopping

Quite rightly, Cannes is often considered a shopper's dream, much like the faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. Haute couture, jewellery, leatherwork, interior decoration stores and more can all be found, one after the other, in Cannes. The most famous French and international brand names are represented in Cannes. Some have been there for years, while others only arrived more recently. More than ever before, Cannes is a city not to be missed.

Behind the Boulevard de la Croisette is the rue d'Antibes, a jewel of a shopping street distinguished by its urban elegance and heightened by recent renovations. Some of the streets are made just for pedestrians, for shopping and strolling.

The rue Meynadier is another attractive part of Cannes. It is the place for neighbourhood shopping, with clothing shops and food stores next to regional specialty shops as far as the eye can see. 

The soul of Cannes lies in the Forville Market with its ring of butchers, delicatessens, fishmongers, bakers, wine merchants, and more. Other markets to visit are the Gambetta Market (clothes), La Bocca Market (fruits, vegetables and clothes), the Allées Flower Market, the Bygone Times Market and the arts and crafts markets.

Dining

From great tables boasting Michelin stars to small family restaurants, gastronomy is one of the privileges of living in Cannes. Inspired by their ancestors, chefs offer Provençal fare whose rich flavours delight gourmands the world over.

Sightseeing

To begin your visit to Cannes, start in the Old Town and its famous Le Suquet, accessible by following the gently sloping lanes intersected by picturesque stairways.

The Ramparts, Musée de la Castre, Square Tower and religious buildings are all must-sees. Short excursions to Grasse, Mougins and Antibes should also be on the agenda.

Just a few hundred yards from La Croisette, opposite the Bay of Cannes, stand the Lerin Islands made up of Sainte Marguerite & Saint-Honorat islands. In an idyllic and protected natural setting, the Mediterranean's two “beauty marks” offer visitors a unique blend of flora and fauna as well as a rich history marked by the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask.

Located on the heights of Old Cannes, Musée de la Castre overlooks la Croisette, the Bay and the Lerin Islands. Built towards the end of the 11th century to defend the emerging town, it has retained the Romanesque Sainte-Anne chapel and cisterns. The museum/castle now houses Musée de la Castre, with its collection of art from the Americas, Himalayas, Mediterranean and more as well as an exceptional series of musical instruments from all over the world.

Between the Massif de l’Estérel and the Lerin Islands, the beaches of Cannes offer seven kilometres of fine sand across from the blue horizon. Drenched in generous sunshine even in the off-season, they symbolize rest, relaxation and the gentle life. Between the public beaches of La Bocca and Mourre Rouge, there is also a succession of private beaches on Boulevard Jean-Hibert and on la Croisette.

Entertainment and nightlife

At 7 p.m., the city comes alive! In the sumptuous bars of luxury hotels (Hotel Martinez, Hotel Majestic, Carlton Hotel and Hotel Palais Stéphanie), the evening begins on a terrace, in a chic, relaxed atmosphere. In Cannes, there is no dearth of trendy or glamorous venues!

In terms of music, everyone can find what they want because the musical program varies so much. From the Nuits Musicales du Suquet (classical music), jazz in Domergue and the Pantiero Festival (electro-live) to the nightclubs where house, hip-hop and R’n’B rub shoulders, there is something for everyone. And for those in search of excitement, there’s blackjack, slot machines and roulette. Cannes offers an unparalleled choice of venues dedicated to gambling with the Palm Beach, Casino Croisette and Casino Les Princes.

Festivals and events

From September to April
An eclectic program of events is offered, ranging from theatre, dance, circus and opera to music, comedy and cocktail shows for the entire family.

The International Games Festival is an event made famous by the very diversity of games and events that are held each year. The Molière Award is the national theatre award of France decided by the Association professionnelle et artistique du théâtre and is awarded to plays that have been a success on the Paris stage. Every two years, the Dance Festival is held. It presents a multitude of creations concocted by some of the world’s foremost dance companies.

From May to August
The summer season is for festivals, where the public can discover a variety of free events and enjoy the charm of the long summer evenings in Cannes. The “Nuits musicales du Suquet” is a chamber music and soloist festival held in July in a grandiose setting, under the stars, as is the “Nocturnes Festival” at the Villa Domergue. The Pantiero electro-music festival is held on the Riviera terrace of the Palais des Festivals, in August, with three different groups performing each evening. The fireworks festival is the largest in all of Europe. The 200,000 spectators who cram on to la Croisette are witness to a truly wonderful display which takes place on barges moored out in the bay. At the end of each display, there is a concert to ensure that the audience carries on enjoying the balmy evening into the early hours. And so it is that Cannes, with its free shows and prestigious festivals, its beach, sun and lively nightlife, offers endless evenings of entertainment.

Your departure from destination

Hotel checkout

Hotel checkout times may vary depending on the property but generally you must vacate the room by 12 p.m. (noon).

Duty-free shopping

After an absence of 7 days or more, Canadian residents are permitted to return with a maximum of 750 CAD of merchandise per trip without paying duty. Each time you leave Canada for at least 48 hours, you are eligible to declare up to 200 CAD of merchandise. A written declaration may be requested. Each adult is allowed 1.1 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco. To calculate the number of days absent, do not count the day you left Canada but include the day you return. If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks and loose tobacco in your personal exemption allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these products unless they are marked “Canada-Duty paid.” Canadian made products sold at duty-free shops will be marked this way.

Customer care

For inquiries relating to extension of stay or change or hotel changes, please e-mail us at: prevoyageclientele@vacv.com. We are at your service seven days a week; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday.