Cannes, Antibes and the Lérins Islands in two days

This plan is built for two full days on the western Riviera, no car needed, and it leaves out Nice and Monaco on purpose. If you want those too, spread over four days with children in tow, that’s a different route — see the family-friendly four-day itinerary instead. Here the pace is tighter: Cannes, one Lérins island, and Antibes, reached by train in under twenty minutes. Juan-les-Pins and Biot don’t make the cut — there simply isn’t time.

Why this route works in two days

Cannes and Antibes sit twelve minutes apart on the coastal TER line, so you don’t lose a morning to transport. The Lérins Islands are the one boat crossing on the itinerary — fifteen to twenty minutes from the Vieux Port in Cannes — and they’re the part visitors most often try to rush. Pick one island, not both: Sainte-Marguerite for the fort and the pine trails, or Saint-Honorat for the working abbey and its vineyards. Trying to do both in a single afternoon means missing the last boat back or spending more time on the water than on the islands themselves.

Quick overview

Day	Base	Focus	Transport
Day 1	Cannes	La Croisette, Le Suquet, boat to one Lérins island	On foot, boat from Cannes port
Day 2	Antibes	Ramparts, Picasso museum, Fort Carré	TER train, about 12–15 minutes each way

Day 1: Cannes and the Lérins Islands

Morning: La Croisette and Le Suquet

Start along La Croisette, the curved seafront boulevard lined with palm trees, grand hotels and the Palais des Festivals — the building the world sees every May during the Cannes Film Festival, red carpet and all. Most of the sand along here belongs to private beach clubs, sunbeds and parasols included in the daily rate; the public stretches exist but are narrower and get crowded fast in summer. If you want free sand rather than a rented mattress, head toward the western end near the Palais.

From there, climb into Le Suquet, the old town on the hill above the port: narrow lanes, ochre facades, and a viewpoint over the bay from Notre-Dame d’Espérance. It’s a 20–30 minute walk, uphill, and worth doing before the midday heat if you’re visiting in summer. The Forville market, a few streets back, is where Cannes actually shops — good for a coffee and a pastry before the boat.

For orientation on foot, a Cannes walking tour covering La Croisette and Le Suquet fits neatly into the morning, and if you’d rather see the bay from the water first, a Cannes boat tour is worth checking before you commit the afternoon to the islands instead.

Afternoon: one island, not two

From the Vieux Port, boats to the Îles de Lérins take fifteen to twenty minutes. Choose one:

• Sainte-Marguerite: the larger island, with the Fort Royal and its museum, the cell said to have held the Man in the Iron Mask, and shaded pine paths around the coastline. Two to three hours is enough to walk the main loop and see the fort.
• Saint-Honorat: smaller and quieter, home to the abbaye de Lérins, still run by Cistercian monks who make and sell their own wine. There’s less to see in terms of sights, but the atmosphere is calmer — good if Cannes itself has felt crowded.

Check the return timetable before you board; the last boats back to Cannes run earlier than you’d expect, especially outside peak summer. A Catamaran Tour to the Lérins Islands or a more flexible option like a catamaran crossing to the Lérins Islands covers the transfer; for a smaller group wanting to set their own pace between the two islands, a private boat trip out to the Lérins Islands gives more flexibility on timing.

Back in Cannes for the evening, the port area and the streets behind the Forville market have more everyday restaurant options than La Croisette itself, where prices climb with the sea view.

Day 2: Antibes

Getting there

The TER train from Cannes to Antibes takes roughly twelve to fifteen minutes and runs frequently along the coast. It’s the simplest way to cover this leg — no need to book ahead, just check the platform board at Cannes station. For a broader sense of how the coastal line connects the whole Riviera, the French Riviera by train guide is useful background, and the getting around the French Riviera guide covers buses and trams if you extend the trip later.

Morning: ramparts and the Picasso museum

Antibes’ old town sits behind stone ramparts facing the sea, with narrower, quieter streets than Cannes. The musée Picasso, housed in the château Grimaldi overlooking the water, holds work from the months Picasso spent painting there in 1946 — one of the more manageable museum visits on the coast, not an all-day undertaking. Arrive earlier in the day in summer; the rooms are small and fill up.

The Provençal market near the ramparts runs most mornings and is a good stop for lunch supplies — cheese, olives, socca-adjacent snacks — before continuing on foot. An Antibes old town walking tour is a reasonable way to structure the morning if you’d rather follow a guide than a map, and a stop at the market pairs well with an Antibes food and market tour if you want more than a self-guided wander.

Afternoon: Fort Carré and the waterfront

Fort Carré, the star-shaped 16th-century fortress guarding the harbor entrance, is a twenty-minute walk from the old town along the water. The climb inside is steep but short, and the view back over Antibes and Port Vauban — one of the largest marinas in Europe, lined with yachts that dwarf most of the boats you’ll have seen in Cannes — is the payoff. If the walk feels like enough sea for one day, a boat tour from Antibes is an alternative way to see the same coastline from the water instead of the ramparts, and for something more private, an Antibes yacht outing with a skipper on board covers a stretch of coastline from Antibes back toward the Cap.

Return to Cannes by train for the evening, or, if your onward trip continues elsewhere on the coast, connect directly from Antibes station.

Where to stay

Basing in Cannes for both nights keeps the logistics simple: it’s the departure point for the island boat and a short train ride from Antibes, so you’re not shifting hotels for a two-day trip. Cannes has more mid-range and upscale options overall; Antibes tends to be quieter and slightly better value outside the film festival period in May, when Cannes prices spike hard and rooms disappear months in advance.

Budget and timing

Expect a mid-range daily budget of roughly €90–160 per person, covering a hotel room split two ways, the island boat crossing (around €18–25 return), museum entry in Antibes (around €13 for the Picasso museum), and meals. The islands and Fort Carré are outdoor, weather-dependent stops — check the forecast, since boats to the Lérins Islands can be cancelled in strong wind, more common in autumn and winter.

May is the one month to plan around deliberately: the Cannes Film Festival closes streets, fills every room in the city, and pushes prices well above the rest of the year. Outside that window, June and September offer warm weather with noticeably fewer crowds than July and August, when both La Croisette and the island boats are at their busiest.

For a wider look at how this fits into a longer trip, a Cannes day trip from Nice or an Antibes day trip from Nice shows the single-day version of each stop, and the one-week French Riviera itinerary shows where this two-day block can slot into a longer route. If your priority is photographs rather than museums, a Cannes photo shoot session is worth booking ahead rather than improvising on the day.

For visitors wanting to see the Cannes waterfront from a private boat before or after the island crossing, a personalized private outing along the Cannes waterfront can be built around whichever half-day you have free.

Cannes, Antibes and the Lérins Islands FAQ

Can you visit both Lérins Islands in one day?

It’s possible in theory but tight in practice, and it isn’t recommended on a two-day trip. Boats run on a schedule, not on demand, and splitting an afternoon between two islands usually means a rushed visit to each. Pick Sainte-Marguerite for the fort and trails, or Saint-Honorat for the abbey and its wine, and give it two to three hours.

How do you get from Cannes to the Lérins Islands?

Boats leave from the Vieux Port in Cannes and take about fifteen to twenty minutes to reach either island. Several operators run the crossing; check the return timetable before boarding, since the last boat back can run earlier than expected outside peak summer.

Is Antibes worth visiting as a day trip from Cannes?

Yes. The TER train takes roughly twelve to fifteen minutes each way, making Antibes an easy half-day or full-day add-on. The old town, ramparts, the Picasso museum and Fort Carré are all within walking distance of the station.

Are the beaches in Cannes free?

Most of the sand along La Croisette belongs to private beach clubs, where sunbeds and parasols come at a daily cost. Public sections do exist, mainly toward the western end near the Palais des Festivals, but they’re narrower and fill up quickly in summer.

Do you need a car for this two-day route?

No. The TER train connects Cannes and Antibes directly, and the Lérins Islands are reached only by boat regardless of whether you have a car — there’s no vehicle access to either island.

When is the worst time to do this itinerary?

Late May, during the Cannes Film Festival, when hotel prices spike and parts of the city close to normal traffic. July and August bring the biggest crowds to both La Croisette and the island boats. June and September offer a better balance of warm weather and manageable crowds.

What should you skip if you only have two days?

Juan-les-Pins and Biot, both close to Antibes, don’t fit this compact version — save them for a longer trip. Trying to add Nice or Monaco on top of Cannes, the islands and Antibes turns a relaxed two days into a rushed four.