You don't choose a beach, you choose a district
Cannes has 15 kilometres of coastline, including 7.6 kilometres of beaches, according to the town hall: 13 public beaches, one beach run by the city and 33 beaches under concession. That figure misses the main point. The beaches are not spread at random: each district has its own mix of free and paid sand, and it changes completely within four kilometres.
Our view: in Cannes you don't choose a beach, you choose a district. The closer you are to the centre, the more of the sand is under concession and the more a sunbed costs. The further you go towards the two ends, La Bocca in the west and Mouré Rouge in the east, the more free space there is. If your accommodation is not booked yet, this is the criterion to look at before the sea view.
Here is the coastline from west to east, in five sectors. For each one: the public beaches, the private beaches, and who it suits. The prices quoted are those of the 2026 season, checked in October 2026 with the tourist office and the official websites; the detail is on our page about sunbed prices in Cannes.
The coastline in five sectors, from west to east
N° 01
West · mostly free
This is the sector where the ratio is reversed: here, the public beach is the rule. The beaches of the BoccaCabana seafront run along Boulevard du Midi Louise-Moreau and carry on towards Mandelieu-la-Napoule. The tourist office describes them as entirely free, with showers and several kiosks for food. Plage des Rochers, on the same boulevard, is one of the city's two smoke-free beaches and holds the Blue Flag. On the private side, the addresses are few and affordable: Le Cabanon, with a sunbed listed at €28 in 2026, and Maracana Plage, €27 to €30 with the parasol included. Cannes-La Bocca station is one regional train stop from the centre. For families, long stays and tight budgets.
N° 02
West of the Old Port · mixed
Between the Old Port and La Bocca, Boulevard du Midi Jean-Hibert runs along Plage du Midi, the longest public stretch in the municipality, with lifeguards in summer. Private beaches are slotted in along it, at prices that have nothing to do with the Croisette: Maëma Plage, at no. 26, lists a sunbed at €27 to €30, parasol included. The regional tourist board also names Waikiki Plage, L'Alba and O'Key Beach west of the port. You can walk there from Le Suquet in about twenty minutes. It is the best compromise in town: space, readable prices, and the centre still within walking distance. The trade-off is the railway line, which runs along a good part of the boulevard.
N° 03
Centre · mostly concessions
At the foot of the Palais des Festivals, a public beach of more than 150 metres, gently sloping, opens the boulevard: it is the one many people call Plage Macé, and the only large free strip in the centre. After that, the concessions follow one another almost without a break. From west to east among the entries in our notebook: Mademoiselle Gray, the Barrière beach (€28 to €80), Hyde Beach at no. 45, with no bookings and no published price, then the Carlton Beach Club at no. 58, from €70. It is the most practical sector if you are staying in a hotel in the centre, and the most constrained if you are looking for a free spot for your towel after 11am in summer.
N° 04
East · the dearest, and the cheapest
The top of the boulevard concentrates the highest prices in town: Copal Beach at no. 63 (€70 to €90 depending on the row), Miramar Plage and Vilebrequin La Plage at no. 64, Croisette Beach at no. 65 (€35 to €50, parasol and towel included), and La Plage du Martinez at no. 73, where sunbeds are reserved for hotel guests. And, in the middle, the counter-example: Zamenhof beach, run by the city, opposite kiosk no. 6, where a sunbed costs €9 a day from 15 June to 15 September. At the end of the boulevard, before Port Pierre-Canto, the beach becomes public and free again, with a ramp for people with reduced mobility according to the tourist office.
N° 05
Eastern point · mostly free
Past Port Canto, the town changes pace. Bijou Plage, before the Palm Beach, is a smoke-free municipal beach, equipped in summer to give people with disabilities access to the sea. The Palm Beach, reopened in 2024, houses the private beach Nammos: it is the only address in this sector in the Croisette register, with prices on request. After the point, along Boulevard Eugène-Gazagnaire, the Gazagnaire and then Mouré Rouge beaches are free, the second running for about seven hundred metres, facing Sainte-Marguerite island. The free parking on the boulevard fills up quickly in summer. Allow half an hour on foot from the Palais.
N° 06
In short
Which district for which day
With children and a cool box: La Bocca or Mouré Rouge, for the space. Without a car and staying in the centre: Plage du Midi, twenty minutes on foot from Le Suquet, rather than the public strip by the Palais, which is packed in summer. For a low-priced sunbed without leaving the Croisette: Zamenhof, booked online. For a beach lunch that marks the trip: the Croisette, choosing a beach that publishes its prices. For calm and a view of the islands: Pointe Croisette. And for a private sunbed under €30: Boulevard du Midi.
What we avoid
What we avoid: booking accommodation '200 metres from the beach' without asking which one. 200 metres from the central Croisette means 200 metres from a €70 concession or from a public strip that is full by 11am. 200 metres from Boulevard du Midi means a free beach, and a railway line between you and it: check where the nearest crossing is.
What we also avoid: driving across town to change beach in summer. Between La Bocca and Pointe Croisette, there is the whole centre to get through. Choose a sector for the day and stay there. On foot or by bus, the seafront is easy to cover; by car, you lose the morning looking for a space.
Finally, we don't read this breakdown as a ranking. La Bocca is not 'worse' than the Croisette: it is the same bay, used differently. What changes is what you pay and how much room you have.
When to go
The season does not play out the same way in every district. In July and August, the centre fills up by late morning, while La Bocca and Mouré Rouge keep space almost all day. From mid-June to mid-September, the summer services are in place: Zamenhof opens from 15 June to 15 September, and lifeguard cover on the public beaches is seasonal, with dates to check with the city. Out of season, some of the private beaches close and dogs are allowed on the public beaches, with three exceptions, from 1 November to 1 March, from 6 am to 9 am and from 6 pm to midnight: that is what municipal by-law no. 24/4640 of 24 June 2024 sets, whereas the tourist office shows a period running to 1 May. The details are in our guide to dogs on Cannes beaches.
The notebook entries, from west to east. Le Cabanon in La Bocca, then on the Croisette Mademoiselle Gray, Hyde Beach, the Carlton Beach Club, Copal Beach, Miramar Plage and La Plage du Martinez. We have not tested any of these beaches: these are sourced entries, with what we would check before going.
Cannes beaches by district, common questions
Which beach should you choose in Cannes La Bocca?
The public beaches of the BoccaCabana seafront, along Boulevard du Midi Louise-Moreau, are free, with showers and kiosks. Plage des Rochers is smoke-free and holds the Blue Flag. For a sunbed, Le Cabanon lists it at €28 and Maracana Plage at €27 to €30, 2026 rates to be confirmed.
In which district of Cannes are the beaches free?
Mainly at the two ends: in the west, Plage du Midi and the beaches of La Bocca; in the east, Bijou Plage, Gazagnaire and Mouré Rouge, around Pointe Croisette. On the central Croisette, the main public beach is the one by the Palais des Festivals. The city has 13 public beaches.
Where are the private beaches in Cannes?
Mainly on the Croisette, from the Palais des Festivals to Port Canto, where the concessions follow one another. The city has 33 in total. There are also some on Boulevard du Midi, west of the Old Port, where prices are clearly lower, a few in La Bocca, and one at the Palm Beach.
Which beach is closest to the centre and to Cannes station?
The public beach at the foot of the Palais des Festivals is the closest to the centre. For more space, Plage du Midi starts west of the Old Port, about twenty minutes on foot from Le Suquet. Cannes-La Bocca station directly serves the western beaches.
How many beaches are there in Cannes?
According to the City of Cannes: 13 public beaches, one beach run by the city (Zamenhof) and 33 beaches under concession, over 7.6 kilometres of beaches and 15 kilometres of coastline. The number of concessions open varies with the season.
IT Digital entrepreneur · Cannes local
2026-10-10 · 8 min read
Prices, opening hours and addresses change. Spotted an error or something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
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