One of the most famous resorts in the South of France

Cannes, in the metropolitan region of Nice, is one of the most famous resorts in southern France and has a population of about 900,000 inhabitants. Close to the coastal Alps and on the coast the town has spent most of its history as a small fishing village. This occurred right back as far as the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century Cannes. 

However, from around1884 Cannes attracted the British aristocrats who settled in search of novelty and exoticism. Later they began building splendid winter residences. Lord Henry Peter Brougham is mainly responsible for the growth of Cannes. He was a talented and respected British politician who discovered Cannes in 1834 when he, along with his daughter while fleeing the plague, travelled to Italy. He bought land in the area, and used his contacts with several French politicians in the development of the French Riviera. In 1939 the French government decided to establish an International Film Festival. The city of Cannes was chosen for its sun and its enchanting setting. In 1945 the French Association of Artistic Action received the mission of preparing for a festival the following year with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and, from 1946, of the recently created National Centre for Cinema. Despite the difficulties of that time, the Cannes Film Festival was the first major postwar international cultural event. Except in 1948 and 1950, the festival became an annual event, initially happening at the beginning in September but, since 1951, this event now occurs in May.   

The Boulevard de la Croisette is the most famous area in the seaside resort of Cannes . The Croisette was made in 1850, following the example of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The Boulevard has a length of 2 kilometers to the east and ends at the Pointe Croisette, which offers a view of the entire promenade that leads to the main Theatre. Shops, boutiques, restaurants and bars line this famous street. Here too are also three casinos as well as the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, where the International Film Festival takes place. Many of the larger hotel chains have a property on the Croisette, including the Hilton, the Intercontinental, Mercure and more. Not only during the festival but also in holiday season many celebrities visit Cannes. At the Palm promenade there are many small parks and directly below this is the wide sandy beach, the Plage de la Croisette.

 In fact the city is known mostly for its annual film festival and beautiful sandy beaches, which are mainly open to the public.  Due to the former, Cannes has become a city in the world media but is not in competition with the surrounding towns like Nice, Antibes or Monaco, instead Cannes aspires to become a world famous tourist resort like Barcelona, and Miami. Today, the name Cannes still exerts the same power of attraction for French and foreign clientele, fascinated by this famed city of stars. 
Just off the coast of Cannes is a group of islands, with two islands Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat, clearly visible from the city. On the island of Sainte-Marguerite is the Museum de la Mer an historic fort with the famous prison cell which held captive the man in the iron mask as well as underwater archaeoligcal finds.