After yesterday's exhausting and rather long day, we slept in. After a French breakfast, we jumped into our rental car and drove to the town of Grasse and then to the coast to Cannes.
Galimard Perfumery
When you hear the name Grasse, the first thing that probably comes to mind is perfume, to which the town owes its prosperity since the 17th century. To this day, thousands of essences are still processed here to create fine fragrances. We didn't really like the town center; the narrow streets were far too busy. For this reason, we went straight to the Galimard perfumery (73 Route de Cannes, 06130 Grasse). During an English-language tour, we learned a lot about the production of perfumes. For example, a distinction is made between eau de toilette, eau de parfum, and extrait parfum (in ascending order of intensity and exclusivity). The majority of perfumes, such as Channel or Tabac, come from Grasse or are manufactured here. After a "tasting" and sales event, we ended the free tour.
Around midday, we set off for Cannes. At this point, I'd like to point out that the French aren't really good at at least two things: 1. building decent roads, and 2. driving properly on them. Almost all of them are traffic chaos!
Cannes
In Cannes, due to a lack of street parking, we parked in a parking garage (cost: €5 for two hours). From there, we explored the centrally located harbor and the adjacent Palais des Festivals. Since the Cannes Film Festival had only ended two days earlier, tents and other structures were still being dismantled everywhere.
The always busy harbor was nevertheless adorned with numerous luxury yachts lined up close together. Among them was the German yacht "Smooth Operator," which, according to online sources, belongs to Michael Schumacher.
After our walk around the harbor, we climbed Le Suquet hill, also known as the "cradle" of Cannes. From the church, we had a fantastic view of the old town and the harbor. The short climb is definitely worth it.
We then drove east along the Boulevard de la Croisette (Croisette for short). This waterfront promenade is lined with magnificent hotel palaces, exclusive boutiques, and gourmet restaurants. At the eastern end of the Croisette are the new marina and the Palm Beach Casino, among other attractions. Here, we finally found a free parking space along the side of the road, allowing us to explore the newer harbor without any time pressure.
Numerous yachts were anchored here again. One yacht, or rather a ship, caught our attention in particular: the Montkaj. Currently ranked 69th among the largest yachts (78.03 meters long), it belongs to the Saudi Arabian politician Muhammad bin Fahd.
Are you still looking for a suitable hotel on the Côte d'Azur?
You can find a hotel to suit your budget via various online travel agencies such as Agoda, Booking.com, ebookers.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, lastminute.com, opodo, otel.com or Venere.com.
