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Where to stay
There are two
main options when choosing a place to stay in Cannes: within walking
distance of the Palais or further afield. This is because the town is
broadly split in two.
The inner ring
A dual carriage-way (voie rapide)
separates the two sides at the level of the railway track. This is
about 7 minutes by foot from the Palais at its shortest distance.
However it stretches in the direction of Nice. The last reasonable
walking distance is about at the Jardin Alexandre III near the end of
the Croisette. You are now about at about 25 minutes by foot if there
are no crowds. In the other direction, the inner city stretches over to
the tip of Le Suquet, about 15 minutes by foot (again, without crowds).
Within this broad sweep, there is
just about every
grade of hotel from the expensive Croisette "Palaces" (Martinez,
Intercontinental Carlton, Majestic Barrière and Noga Hiton), to more
accessible hotels and holiday flats. These latter are used by companies
during the festival as offices and homes and tend to be booked out very
far in advance. There are also a large number of one- or two-room
"studios".
Beyond the ring
Prices beyond the ring
drop, and again the choice is very wide. The choice now lies between
uptown or the outlying suburbs. As accommodation is always an issue,
the major trade fairs all organise shuttle buses from the "résidences"
in places such as Le Cannet. Ask about them when booking. The holiday
flats are handy as they mean several people can share accommodation,
making them a good option for people running stands. However, the
actual state of the apartments vary, as they are sometimes rented out
to school groups.
A word of advice about the shuttles:
get an early one! As they run every 30 minutes, it's best to plan to
get to the palais earlier. Between 9 and 10, the buses are frequently
full. So the only other option is calling a cab if you want to be on
time. Also, people running stands should ensure that someone is at the
Palais from 9 sharp.
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A quick suggestion, sir?
The Hotel des Orangers is located just above the voie
rapide at about 15 minutes walk (downhill) to the Palais. So it's
central enough and generally gets good ratings. Check for availability right now.
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