A family beach is chosen for its facilities
With children, you do not pick a beach by its looks. You pick it by the slope, the distance to the toilets, whether there is a lifeguard post, and whether a pushchair can get down to the sand. Cannes has 7.6 km of beaches along 15 km of coastline: 18 public beaches, one beach run directly by the town hall and 33 concessions, by the city's own count. They are not all equal with a three-year-old.
Our view is clear-cut: for a family, the right choice is almost always at either end of the Croisette or west of the Old Port, rarely in the middle. And the best deal in Cannes is not a private beach, it is the municipal Zamenhof beach, where a sunlounger costs €9 a day.
This guide sorts by criterion, not by beauty. The facilities listed come from the City of Cannes and its tourist office pages, checked in October 2026. We have not tested these beaches with children: where the official sources do not confirm something, we say so. For the full list of free beaches, see our piece on the public beaches of Cannes.
Six beaches and access points, sorted for families
N° 01
Gentle slope · Smoke-free
Between Port Canto and the Palm Beach, Bijou Plage is described by the tourist office as a sandy beach with a gently sloping seabed, where children can walk into the water gradually. It is supervised in high season, pedal boats are for hire, and there is free parking less than 300 metres away. It is also one of the two smoke-free beaches the city created with the Ligue contre le cancer: the ban extends 300 metres out over the water, with a €38 fine. Finally, the beach hosts the municipal Handiplage, free of charge, open from mid-June to mid-September (10 am to 6 pm in June and September, 9 am to 7 pm in July and August), with prior registration through the CCAS, the city's social services centre.
N° 02
Showers · Toilets · Loungers at €9
Zamenhof, the equipped municipal beach on the Croisette
This is the only beach operated directly by the town hall, next to the Martinez beach, opposite kiosk no. 6. It opens from 15 June to 15 September, 8.30 am to 6.30 pm, with lifeguards, showers, toilets and changing cabins. A sunlounger costs €9 for the day (€6.50 for a half day), a parasol €8 (€4.50), and children aged 0 to 9 do not pay if they do not take a chair (prices checked in 2026 on the city's website). Sandwiches and soft drinks are allowed, and a beach towel is compulsory. Ramps and a lift make the way down easier. Booking is online on the town hall website.
N° 03
Centre · Free books
The public beach next to the Palais des Festivals was renamed Plage Brigitte Bardot in May 2026: many maps still say 'Macé'. The tourist office describes it as a fine-sand beach, supervised in high season. Its real family asset is the self-service library of the city's 'Pages à la Plage' scheme: more than 3,000 books and magazines from the municipal libraries, free to borrow. There is an access ramp at kiosk 9b. The downside: it is short and hemmed in by private beaches, so it fills up early in summer.
N° 04
Space · West
West of the Old Port, sandy beaches follow one another all the way to La Bocca. The tourist office calls them family-friendly and less crowded than the Croisette beaches, free, with showers and food kiosks along the promenade. The BoccaCabana area, near the Étienne Romano roundabout, adds public toilets and a picnic space next to the outdoor gym equipment. Plage des Rochers de La Bocca is the city's second smoke-free beach. This is where Cannes families come when they want space rather than an address.
N° 05
Quiet · East
Past the Palm Beach, Boulevard Eugène Gazagnaire runs along beaches the tourist office describes as family-oriented and natural. Kayaks and paddleboards are for hire, and the Cannes Jeunesse sailing base at Mouré Rouge port is a starting point for sailing. A supervised access ramp sits between kiosks 2 and 3. Gazagnaire and Mouré Rouge are among the 12 Cannes beaches awarded the Blue Flag (Pavillon Bleu) in 2026.
N° 06
Pushchairs
The six ramps to know before you head down
The city lists six beach access ramps, supervised by the municipal police: Nadine (Boulevard du Midi, between kiosks 16 and 17), Roubine (between kiosks 33b and 34), Rochers de La Bocca (kiosk 23), Macé (kiosk 9b), Zamenhof (kiosk 6) and Gazagnaire (between kiosks 2 and 3). They are designed for wheelchairs and work just as well for pushchairs. The beach at Square du Général Leclerc, in front of the entrance to Quai Laubeuf, also has a ramp with matting and an accessible shower. Everywhere else, expect steps.
What we'd skip
What we'd skip: choosing a beach for its play equipment. No official source mentions a children's playground on the sand of any public beach in Cannes. The equipment listed at BoccaCabana and Gazagnaire is outdoor fitness apparatus for adults. Bring the buckets and the ball: the games are the ones you pack.
We'd also skip counting on shade. The public beach listings mention none, apart from the tents at the Handiplage. Without your own parasol, the only guaranteed low-cost shade is the one Zamenhof rents out. For natural shade you need the boat: the beaches of the Lérins Islands are lined with umbrella pines.
Lastly, we would not settle far from a lifeguard post on the assumption that the beach is supervised. The city says lifeguards are stationed at the first-aid posts throughout the summer season, but it does not publish the list of posts or their hours online. On the spot, the red-and-yellow striped flag marks the supervised zone, and only during the post's opening hours. One more rule worth knowing: portable barbecues are banned on the beaches in season.
When to go, and what is changing
The right window: 15 June to 15 September. Those are the opening dates of Zamenhof and the Handiplage, and the period when supervision is in place. June and September give you the same facilities with far fewer people. Out of season the beaches stay accessible, but without lifeguards, and some services close. As for the time of day, arrive before 10 am: the public beaches in the centre are full by noon in summer.
Two changes to note. Since the decree of 27 June 2025, smoking has been banned on all beaches bordering bathing waters during the bathing season, everywhere in France: Cannes's two smoke-free beaches keep their own by-law, but they are no longer the only ones. And the Croisette is becoming a building site: the city has announced surface works from mid-October 2026, with completion planned for late 2028. Check access to the central beaches before the 2027 season.
Cannes beaches for families: frequently asked questions
What is the best beach in Cannes with young children?
Bijou Plage, between Port Canto and the Palm Beach. The tourist office describes it as a sandy beach with a gentle slope, supervised in high season, and it is one of the city's two smoke-free beaches. For showers, toilets and a cheap sunlounger on the Croisette, the municipal Zamenhof beach is the other good choice.
Are the beaches in Cannes supervised by lifeguards?
Yes, in the summer season: the city says lifeguards are stationed at the first-aid posts. Zamenhof beach is supervised from 15 June to 15 September, 8.30 am to 6.30 pm. For the other beaches the hours are not published online: go by the red-and-yellow striped flag, which marks the supervised zone.
Are there showers and toilets on the public beaches?
At Zamenhof, yes: showers, toilets and cabins. The BoccaCabana public beaches have showers, and the BoccaCabana area has public toilets. For the other beaches, the official listings do not detail the facilities, so it is better not to count on them.
Can you get onto the beaches in Cannes with a pushchair?
Yes, by the six ramps listed by the city: Nadine, Roubine, Rochers de La Bocca, Macé, Zamenhof and Gazagnaire. Zamenhof also has a lift. Elsewhere, the way down to the sand is usually by steps.
Where are the smoke-free beaches in Cannes?
The city has created two: Bijou Plage in the east and Plage des Rochers de La Bocca in the west, with a €38 fine for offenders. Since summer 2025, a national decree has also banned smoking on all bathing beaches during the bathing season.
IT Digital entrepreneur · Cannes local
2026-10-10 · 7 min read
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