This Cannes shore excursion includes a driver-guide and private vehicle. When you meet your driver, you talk about the places you would like to visit and they suggest a realistic combination. With eight hours you can typically cover three to four towns, depending on the distances involved and how much time you want set aside for lunch.
This is the full day version of our flexible format, for guests who want maximum say over their itinerary. Some people prefer to linger in one or two places; others want to cover as much ground as the day allows. Either approach works with this tour.
8-Hour Cannes Excursion Ideas
Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo and Eze
Antibes, Nice, Eze and St Paul de Vence
Saint-Jean-cap-Ferrat, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Nice
Gourdon, Grasse, Mougins and Cannes
Cannes, Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Gourdon
A Closer Look at Your Options
Antibes sits about 20 minutes from Cannes and is considered the most exclusive stretch of the Cote d'Azur. Beyond the yacht harbor and 16th century ramparts, its Chateau Grimaldi has a notable history: bishops used it as a residence in the Middle Ages, the Grimaldi family later occupied it, and in 1946 Pablo Picasso was given studio space inside its walls. He left 23 paintings and 44 drawings behind when he departed, and in 1966 the castle became the Picasso Museum, the first museum anywhere dedicated entirely to the artist.
Eze, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Cannes, is a pedestrian only medieval village perched 427 meters above the sea, the highest seaside village in France. The walk from the parking area at the base of the village is steep and not recommended for anyone with limited mobility; the nearby Fragonard perfume factory is a seated alternative.
Gourdon, about 50 minutes from Cannes, sits at roughly 760 meters (2,500 feet) on a rocky spur above the Gorges du Loup, earning it the nickname Nid d'Aigle, or Eagle's Nest. It is one of France's officially recognized Most Beautiful Villages.
Grasse, about 45 minutes from Cannes, has been the world's perfume capital since the 18th century, when local tanner Jean de Galimard began scenting leather goods with flower extracts to mask the smell of the tanning process and went on to found one of the city's oldest perfume houses. Since 2018 the town's perfume expertise has been recognized on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The Fragonard factory here, founded in 1926 in a building dating to 1841, offers free English language tours.
Monaco, about 1.5 hours from Cannes, centers on an old town built atop a defensible rock outcrop. Vehicles cannot park within Monaco, so your driver will drop you off and arrange a meeting point and time. The changing of the guard takes place at 11:55 AM near the Royal Palace, and the nearby Cathedral, where Princess Grace is buried, enforces a dress code (no bare shoulders or shorts above the knee).
Monte Carlo, also about 1.5 hours from Cannes, is where you can drive the Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 circuit, first raced in 1929, and photograph the Casino de Monte-Carlo, designed by Charles Garnier and opened in 1878. Viewing hours run 9 AM to noon for a 17 Euro cash entry fee; from 2 PM the gaming rooms open to individuals 18 and older with a formal dress code and passport required.
Mougins, about 25 minutes from Cannes, is a hilltop village of Provencal houses that has drawn artists since the 1930s. Picasso spent the final twelve years of his life here, from 1961 until his death in 1973, and the village's food reputation grew alongside its art scene, built in part by chef Roger Verge, whose restaurant and cooking school helped define what he called la cuisine du soleil.
Nice, about 1 hour from Cannes, centers on its old town flower market (closed Mondays) and the Promenade des Anglais, the palm lined seafront named for the English winter residents who funded its first stretch in the 1820s. Museums here include the Matisse and Chagall.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Cannes, is an exclusive peninsula home to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, built between 1907 and 1912 for Baroness Beatrice de Rothschild and surrounded by nine themed gardens, and the Villa Kerylos, a recreation of a 1900s Greek villa. Both charge admission.
St Paul de Vence, about 50 minutes from Cannes, is a walled hilltop village long associated with painters and actors. Cafes sit just outside the medieval walls for a relaxed lunch, with art galleries and boutiques along the main cobblestone street inside.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup, about 1 hour from Cannes, sits near the Florian candy factory in the Loup valley, where free tours explain how the region's flowers become candy, jam and nougat.
Villefranche-sur-Mer, about 1 hour from Cannes, is a working fishing harbor founded in the early 14th century. Its Citadelle Saint-Elme, built in 1557 under the Duke of Savoy after repeated pirate raids on the coast, now houses the town hall and several small museums, and the harbor still mixes fishing boats with visiting cruise ships.
Your driver may also make recommendations based on your interests, but with a flexible itinerary we cannot guarantee you will see everything on your list in the time you have chosen. Traffic and weather affect drive times.
Review Location- Cannes 
