Cannes Museums

(Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France)



Photo taken at the Film FestivalAlthough Cannes is best known for its beautiful beaches and glamorous film connections, this Riviera resort also has plenty of other cultural attractions. Cannes is home to many interesting museums, which cover a range of subjects, from Mediterranean antiques and musical instruments.

Museums in Cannes never fail to impress visitors to the city, and each year during either April or May, the city's many museums offer free admission and a series of lively events, which often run on well into the evening. This popular event is known as the 'Printemps des Musées'.


Picture of the Musee de la Castre

Musée de la Castre

Address: Le Suquet, Cannes, F-06400, France, FR
Tel: +33 04 9338 5526
The Musée de la Castre is perhaps Cannes' top tourist attraction and well worth a visit. Housed in a medieval castle which was formerly occupied by the monks of Lérins, the museum has a varied collection of exhibits which includes Mediterranean antiques, ceramics, musical instruments, 19th-century Provencal art and archaeological finds. Visitors who step outside into the museum's courtyard and climb the tower are rewarded with an amazing view of Cannes, the bay and the Lérins islands.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday, April, May and September - 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00; June to August - 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00; October to March - 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:200 to 17:00
Admission: charge; except free 1st Sunday of each month

Musée de la Mer (Maritime Museum)

Address: Fort de l'Ile St. Marguerite, Cannes, France, FR
Tel: +33 04 9338 5526
Cannes' Maritime Museum is located in a fort on the nearest of the Lérins Islands, St. Marguerite, just off the coast of Cannes. The fort itself is famous as the setting for the jail featured in Alexander Dumas' 'Man in the Iron Mask'. The museum has an eclectic mix of underwater archaeological finds, many taken from Roman wrecks as well as shipwrecks of a more recent kind. There is also a section devoted to temporary photographic exhibitions. The fort itself, with its ground-floor prison cells, is also worth a visit.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday, October to March - 10:30 to 13:15 and 14:15 to 16:45; April to May - 10:00 to 13:15 and 14:15 to 17:45; daily, June to September - 10:00 to 17:45
Admission: charge; except free 1st Sunday of each month