Shopping in Cannes: Our Tips
If you find yourself in Cannes and want to spend a day between shops and boutiques (perhaps even in preparation for some Christmas gifts), the first thought, of course, should go to the “Croisette,” the famous and elegant seafront promenade, crowded with cosmopolitan people (the newsstands there sell newspapers in thirty different languages) and home to luxurious boutiques of the most prestigious (and expensive) brands. In fact, these are the same shops that an Italian tourist might find on Via Montenapoleone in Milan or Via Condotti in Rome. Therefore – with all due respect to these elegant stores – our advice is to look elsewhere, perhaps thinking about other types of products. If you really want to wander around near the Croisette, we suggest a visit to Rue d’Antibes (parallel to – and obviously behind – the famous seafront), the main and well-known commercial street of Cannes, which holds the French record for the number of retailers per capita.
Alternatively, you can head elsewhere, such as Rue Meynadier, the old main street of the area, which connects the modern city to the old hilltop district of “Le Suquet.” This busy street is home to many clothing shops and food stores. In this regard, it’s worth visiting the “Marché Forville” (meaning “for the city”), once located outside the old town, on the hill of “Le Suquet.” The market – dating back to 1934 – is renowned not only for its fresh fish but also for its excellent quality fruits and vegetables, to the point that the best restaurants in Cannes source their supplies here. At 16-20 Rue Vénizèlos, you will find “Cannolive,” offering a wide range of local food products of excellent quality, many of which are labeled “organic”: olive oil, orange blossom honey, thyme or lemon honey, Menton citrus marmalade, candied fruits, herbal teas from Provence, wines, and liqueurs from the Abbey of Saint-Honorat (we’ll come back to this topic).
Continuing our “gastronomic shopping,” at 22 Rue Meynadier, we find “Fromage Ceneri,” the best store in Cannes to buy cheeses and dairy products. The store – with appropriately hanging cow bells from its wooden ceiling – offers an extraordinary selection of dairy products. Operating since 1968, this “fromager-affineur” (cheese seller and maturing expert) is one of the most prestigious commercial establishments on the entire French Riviera. Its selection of “chèvre” (goat cheese) produced in Provence is unrivaled, as is its range of products from other French regions.
At 28 Rue Hoche – for a complete change of taste – is “JP Paci,” operated by master chocolatier Jean-Patrice, who creates incredibly realistic chocolate versions of camembert cheese, ravioli, red roses, toolboxes, and flower vases. For ladies who would prefer classic clothing shopping, Jean-Patrice has a surprise: a pair of chocolate shoes, complete with stiletto heels!
Finally, we must mention the two Lérins Islands, which are located just off the coast of Cannes. On one of them (Île Saint Honorat), there is an abbey where about thirty monks produce one of the region’s most prestigious wines and distill two liqueurs: “Lérina” (named after the ancient Greek name of the island), made from around forty aromatic herbs, and “Limoncella,” made with Menton lemons. It won’t be difficult, without having to visit the island (though it’s definitely worth the trip!), to find them in a good wine shop in the city.
