Introducing Cannes

From super size yachts to itzy bitzy bikinis and palm-fringed promenades awash with Ferraris and Maseratis, the city of Cannes is definitely no wallflower. Every May, Cannes’ Palais des Festivals is the backdrop for the city’s annual homage to film and fashion. Royals, celebrities, and wanabees converge on the incandescent seaside town where Bridgett Bardot first turned heads in the 1950s.

The boulevard of La Croissette is the rarified preserve of the rich and famous. Gucci-clad ladies with coiffed pooches squeezed into Louis Vuitton bags preen and pout in the shade of Cannes’ hotel grande dames. The immaculate Art Deco Hotel Martinez and the Belle Epoque Intercontinental Carlton exude 1920s grandeur. The celebrity obsessed flock to the Allée des Etoiles where some of the world’s most celebrated actors have left their handprints. After soaking up the rays on the beach, the gilded and glamorous Cannois saunter out to the fashionable night spots of Pointe Croissette.

But don’t give up the fight yet. A semblance of traditional Provençal life can be traced along the ancient cobbled streets and alleyways of the erstwhile fishermen’s neighborhood of Le Suquet, with its quaint multicolored facades, tiled rooftops, and twinkling lanterns; it’s especially enchanting as night falls. Further above the city, Cannes’ 11th-century citadel is the atmospheric home of the Musée de la Castre with a fine collection of ethnographic art, Roman relics, and Mayan pottery. From the top of the castle’s Suquet tower (built to defend the city from Saracen invasion), panoramic views capture the Riviera’s rugged seascapes. For all the pomp, Cannes is still a natural beauty.

Airports within a 50-mile radius of Cannes:

  • Mandelieu Airport (CEQ, located within the city)
    • Cote d’Azur Airport (NCE)
    • Le Cannet Airport (LFMC)

Popular aircraft charters* in the Cannes area include:

  • Citation Excel (super light)
  • Learjet 45 XR (super light)
  • Citation CJ3 (light)
  • Learjet 31ER 400A (light)
  • Learjet 60 XR (midsize)
  • Citation III (midsize)
  • Gulfstream G200 (super midsize)
  • Citation Sovereign (super midsize)

*This is just a sample. Zephyr provides access to aircraft at every end of the spectrum, from luxurious VIP airliners, to ultra long range business jet, helicopters, and economical turboprops.