The view tower
Bay, Croisette and Lérins islands from 109 steps.
Jorge Láscar from Australia — CC BY 2.0 · Jorge Láscar from Australia — CC BY 2.0 · Mister No — CC BY 3.0 · Félix Pille (1848-1919) — Public domain
Above the old Suquet quarter — the original Cannes before the stars — stands the Castre castle, built by the Lérins monks in the eleventh century, holding the Museum of World Explorations: collections gathered by nineteenth-century travellers from every continent. The displays are a delightfully odd voyage: Pacific and Himalayan masks, instruments of a hundred cultures, Egyptian and pre-Columbian antiquities — in the small castle's winding rooms, where discovery is half the fun. The peak is the square tower's climb: 109 steps to the best view in Cannes — its bay, the Croisette, the Lérins islands and mountains behind. Many pay the ticket for the tower alone; the museum comes as the bonus.
Bay, Croisette and Lérins islands from 109 steps.
Pacific, Himalaya and Africa inside a monks' castle.
The original climbing quarter — Cannes before the red carpet.
Château de la Castre, Le Suquet, 06400 Cannes
Le Suquet Old QuarterLe Suquet is the hill Cannes was born on: the only old quarter left from the tow2 minutes walk4.9
Cannes War MemorialA memorial to the men of Cannes killed in the First World War, near the old port3 minutes walk4.8
Cannes City HallCannes's city hall on the old port frontage, dating from the end of the nineteen3 minutes walk3.5
Marché ForvilleThe Marché Forville is Cannes's real kitchen and its most honest place: a covere3 minutes walk4.5
Old Port of CannesThe historic harbour of Cannes, between the Palais des Festivals and the Suquet 5 minutes walk4.6The hill where Cannes began as a fishing village under the Lérins monks' protection — stair lanes, old houses, warm evening restaurants, Notre-Dame church on top. Climb it before sunset: museum and tower, then dinner in its lanes with the Croisette glittering below.
The collections hold real value for lovers of cultures and curiosities — an unexpectedly good hour in a beach town. Those coming only for the view lose nothing either: the ticket costs a Croisette drink.
No transport reaches the top — the walk from the port is unavoidable (some ten stepped minutes). Take the shaded lanes and pause at the lookouts, or the little tourist train passes up through the quarter on its circuits.