The town behind the Croisette
Most visitors do the same three things in Cannes: the Croisette, the steps of the Palais, a terrace. That takes half a day, and many conclude the town is small. It is less small than it looks: there are statues under the sea, a terraced cemetery where a jeweller to the tsars and the author of Carmen are buried, a Russian church from 1894 and a painter's villa open twelve days a year.
Our view: the unusual things to do in Cannes are not attractions, and that is what makes them interesting. Almost all are free or cost less than 10 €. Almost all ask for a constraint in return: a mask and snorkel, a first Saturday of the month, a phone call to check the time, a twenty-minute uphill walk.
We have listed only what exists and can really be visited. Addresses, prices and arrangements were collected in 2026 from the listings of the City and the tourist office. When sources contradict each other, we say so. We have not accompanied any of these visits: this is a sourced notebook.
Seven visits almost nobody makes
N° 01
Underwater
Six sculptures by the British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, submerged on 28 January 2021 south of Sainte-Marguerite island. They are monumental portraits of Cannes residents, more than two metres tall and about ten tonnes each, set on the sand in shallow water: 2 to 4 metres depending on the source, a few dozen metres from the shore. Access is free and open all year, with a mask and snorkel that you bring yourself. Boats are banned from anchoring above the site, which makes it a quiet swimming area. You pay only for the ferry from the Old Port.
N° 02
Island
Most ferry passengers head straight for Fort Royal. At the western tip of Sainte-Marguerite, the Batéguier pond is a bird reserve where seawater mixes with fresh water from an artesian well. A wooden observatory looks onto the islets where common terns and yellow-legged gulls nest. Elsewhere on the island stand ovens once used to heat cannonballs red-hot for the coastal batteries; those of the Batterie de la Convention are listed historic monuments. Free access, bicycles banned, dogs on a lead.
N° 03
Memory
The Grand Jas cemetery, 205 avenue de Grasse
Opened in 1866, nine hectares of planted terraces on the hillside. The English section is dominated by the statue of Lord Brougham, the man who launched Cannes among the British aristocracy. You will also find the graves of Prosper Mérimée (listed as a historic monument in 2019), the jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé, the writer Klaus Mann, the dancer Olga Khokhlova, the actress Martine Carol, the soprano Lily Pons and the Nobel laureate Jacques Monod. Entry is free. We found no published official opening hours: call 04 97 06 41 52 before going up, and remember that it is a working cemetery.
N° 04
Villa
Villa Domergue, on the first Saturday of the month
At 7 impasse Fiesole, at the bottom of La Californie. The painter Jean-Gabriel Domergue had this Italian-inspired house built in 1934; his wife, a sculptor, designed the terraced gardens, with pools and cascades. The property was bequeathed to the City in 1973 and listed as a historic monument in 1990. In 2026 it can be visited only on the first Saturday of each month, by reservation, with two guided tours at 3 pm and 4 pm covering the interior and the gardens. Full price 8.50 €. Next announced dates: 7 November and 5 December 2026. Booking through the City, on 04 97 06 44 90.
N° 05
Russia
The Orthodox church of Saint Michael the Archangel and the Bellini chapel
At 40 boulevard Alexandre III, the Russian church was built in 1894 by the architect Louis Nouveau for the Russian winter residents of the district; the boulevard later took the tsar's name. The ensemble has been listed as a historic monument since 2022. It opens little outside services, on Saturday in the late afternoon and Sunday morning, and the official listings do not give the same times: to be confirmed. In the same eastern part of town, in Parc Fiorentina (67 bis avenue de Vallauris), the Bellini chapel was the studio of the Cannes painter Emmanuel Bellini from 1953. Free entry, uncertain hours: phone 04 93 38 61 80.
N° 06
Garden
The garden of Villa Rothschild
At 1 avenue Jean de Noailles, west of the centre. The neoclassical villa built in 1881 for Baroness Betty de Rothschild now houses the Noailles media library; the house and its garden are protected as historic monuments. The garden is free. The tourist office listings give opening from 7 am to 7 pm but differ on the closing day: check before you go. It is the right place to read for an hour in the shade when the Croisette overflows, and you can enter the villa during the library's opening hours.
N° 07
In town
Since 2002, the City has had entire façades painted in tribute to cinema. They are scattered across every district, with free access. Three to begin with: Cinéma Cannes, place Cornut-Gentille, near quai Saint-Pierre; Le Barbarella, place du Suquet, a trompe-l'oeil façade where nothing you think you see exists; and Taxi Driver, 133 square metres at the corner of 87 boulevard de la République, in tribute to the 1976 Palme d'Or. The tourist office keeps the full list. It is the only way to see the Festival all year round without a badge.
What we'd skip
Looking for the villas of La Californie from the street. The district holds some of the most famous properties on the coast, and all you see are gates, hedges and cameras. The two villas that can really be visited are the ones on this page: Domergue by reservation, Rothschild through its garden. The rest is a walk along walls.
The underwater eco-museum without a mask, or in a rough sea. From the surface, without equipment, you can make out nothing. With chop or after a blow, the water turns cloudy and the visit is no longer worth the crossing. Choose a calm morning, from June to September if you swim without a wetsuit.
Walking in as if it were a museum where people pray or grieve. The Orthodox church is a parish, the Grand Jas a cemetery families still visit. You go covered, in silence, and you photograph neither services nor people. That is also what sets these places apart from an attraction.
When to go
Each place has its season. The underwater eco-museum is for June to September, in the morning. The Grand Jas and the garden of Villa Rothschild are at their best from October to April, when the light is low and the heat is gone. In January and February the mimosas bloom in the Croix des Gardes park, 80 hectares of free access above the town: see our page on hiking around Cannes.
Build around the most rigid constraint. Villa Domergue opens only twelve Saturdays a year: if your dates fall on one, book it first and place the rest around it. The Orthodox church is seen on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Everything else is free of constraint, and combines with an ordinary day in Cannes.
Unusual Cannes, frequently asked questions
What are the unusual things to do in Cannes?
Swim above the six statues of the underwater eco-museum off Sainte-Marguerite, visit the terraced Grand Jas cemetery, book Villa Domergue on a first Saturday of the month, see the Russian Orthodox church on boulevard Alexandre III, read in the garden of Villa Rothschild and follow the painted cinema walls. Almost everything is free.
Is the Cannes underwater eco-museum free?
Yes. The six sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor are freely accessible all year, south of Sainte-Marguerite island, in shallow water and a few dozen metres from the shore. You need a mask and snorkel, which you bring yourself. The only cost is the ferry from the Old Port of Cannes.
Can you visit Villa Domergue?
Yes, but rarely. In 2026 it opens on the first Saturday of each month, by reservation only, for two guided tours at 3 pm and 4 pm. Full price is 8.50 €. Booking is through the City of Cannes, online or on 04 97 06 44 90.
Who is buried in the Grand Jas cemetery?
Among others Lord Brougham, Prosper Mérimée, the jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé, the writer Klaus Mann, Olga Khokhlova, Picasso's first wife, the actress Martine Carol, the soprano Lily Pons and the biologist Jacques Monod. The cemetery, opened in 1866, covers nine hectares at 205 avenue de Grasse.
What to do off the beaten track in Cannes when it rains?
The Noailles media library, in Villa Rothschild, and the municipal museums at 6.50 €. The painted walls can be seen between two showers. The underwater eco-museum and the islands need fine weather and a calm sea.
IT Digital entrepreneur · Cannes local
2026-10-10 · 7 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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