Cannes is a city that not just basks in glamour from its rich and famous visitors every year, but it also basks in a lot of sun. Incidentally, I have had the fortune of visiting this city on many occasions. And being a running enthusiast, I have loved running in Cannes. There are many beautiful routes that this city has to offer for us runners. And the best part about this place is that you will see someone running here at any given point in time. So it doesn’t matter if it is early morning, afternoon or late evening, even at night, there is someone always running at Cannes.

Beautiful and glamorous Cannes!
Running on Promenade de La Croissette
Promenade de la Croisette stretches along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and is a little over 2.5 km long. It is known for the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, where the famous Cannes Film Festival and Cannes Lions Festival is held. Many expensive shops, restaurants, and hotels line this promenade and it goes along the coastline of Cannes. If you go a little ahead and run towards Antibes, you can encounter beautiful beaches with clear blue water. I typically run till the end of the sea-front and as soon as this tunnel arrives on the left hand side to take a road towards Antibes, I take a U-turn. This distance till the tunnel from the Cannes Centre is about 4.5 to 5 km.

Promenade de La Croissette: it begins from the famous Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Running on Boulevard du Midi
This boulevard runs nearly 7 km, terminating at the Pullman Royal Casino and it is a very scenic route. You pass La Bocca on the way too. The promenade is a little narrow in parts, but still very runnable and extremely pretty. All you have to do is keep the sea on your left! That’s your guideline.

Running on the very narrow Boulevard du Midi. This image was taken was while returning to my hotel at Cannes City Centre.

The street of Boulevard du Midi Louise Moreau that runs along the seafront of Cannes la Bocca is closed to traffic on the last Sunday of each month so that it can be enjoyed by pedestrians, cyclists, roller bladers and joggers.
If you are running from the Palais then there is only some part near the port where you are not next to the sea. At the beginning near the port you will get to see some spectacular views of the gorgeous looking yachts lined along the old port.

Yachts lined up along the port

Always keep the sea on your left if your are running towards Mandelieu la Napoule from Cannes
If you intend to go a bit further from Pullman you can take a right straight to Mandelieu la Napoule. There is a beautiful running/walking route next to the golf course which is well-shaded too. This is at a distance of about 10 km from Cannes city centre.

Mandelieu la Napoule is at about 10 km from Cannes city centre
And then you can also combine Promenade de La Croissette and Boulevard du Midi for a long run too.
Running on the beach
It is great to run on sand. Especially, running bare feet on sand can be extremely soothing. However, the beaches around Cannes do not have one extended long sandy coastline. Hence, occasionally you will have to step up on either of the Boulevards and then get on the beach again to be able to go the distance.

Bear in mind that beaches around Cannes do not have one extended long coastline
Running up to Musée de la Castre
It was in the 12th century, that monks built a castle on top of the hill, now known as Musée de la Castre. In the 14th and 15th centuries, a church was built just under the old fortress – the Eglise Notre Dame d’Esperance – it offers great views over the harbour and city.

Way to run up to Musée de la Castre
As it was only about 400 years ago, that the roads were laid out. With such close proximity to the harbor and the sea, the fishermen began to make their homes here. The entire approach to Musée de la Castre is extremely steep and lined by beautiful houses. It is a great route for hill repeats.

View from Musée de la Castre

Bird’s eye view of Cannes from Musée de la Castre
One can run from Gare des Autobus or take an inner route from Le Suquet which is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Cannes. If you start from the Croisette, walk past the old port on your left and head up the windy, cobbled street of restaurants to an old beautiful church and castle.

If you are starting your ascend from Gare des Autobus…

Running up the narrow windy stairs from Le Suquet

Along the charming homes…

A beautiful staircase that takes you to the hill top from Le Suquet
If you want to run in the evening, then route that takes you from Le Suquet is avoidable as it will be too crowded with shoppers and diners alike. It is also good to know that at the foot of the hill leading up to Le Suquet, there is this wonderful Marché Forville (the market) that can be found, along with the many restaurants in the rue Saint-Antoine. It is wonderful to run here early in the morning and it offers a great breather from the hustle and bustle in the city centre.
So be it night or early morning definitely go for a run at Cannes!

Running in Cannes is a great idea indeed!