Overview
Cannes has 74,350 inhabitants (INSEE, 2023) on just under 20 km² of shoreline and hills facing the Lérins islands. The city grew as a winter resort from the 1830s. Most of its architecture is less than two centuries old: Belle Époque villas and former palace hotels, the apartment buildings of the twentieth century and the residences that climb its hills.
For property the city divides into ten administrative quartiers. The waterfront ones (Suquet, Centre-Croisette and Pointe Croisette) are dominated by apartments. The two hills that frame the bay, Californie to the east and Croix des Gardes to the west, are where Cannes keeps its large villas and gardens. Offshore, the Lérins islands of Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat are reached by ferry from the Vieux-Port.
Neighbourhoods
Californie and Super-Cannes. The Californie-Pezou quartier covers the hill at the eastern end of the city, looking back across the bay towards the Esterel. Its lower slopes carry Belle Époque villas and converted grand hotels; the Hôtel de la Californie, built in 1876 with a landscaped park, was later divided into apartments. Higher up, Super-Cannes is a lieu-dit rather than an official quartier. A funicular 850 metres long served it from 1928 to 1966; the concrete observation tower designed by Georges Sauvan in 1953 still stands at the summit, disused but listed for its twentieth-century architecture. Plots here are large and the views take in the islands and the whole bay.
Croix des Gardes. On the western hill above the Suquet and La Bocca, the quartier surrounds the Parc naturel forestier de la Croix des Gardes, about 80 hectares of umbrella pine, maquis and mimosa classified by the département as a sensitive natural area. A cross erected in 1992 marks the old lookout point at the top. Villas and small residences line the avenues around the park, many with views over the old port and the Esterel. The city centre is within walking distance of the lower slopes.
The centre and the rest of the city. The Suquet is the old town on its hill above the Vieux-Port. The Croisette runs east from the Palais des Festivals past the palace hotels to Pointe Croisette and Port Pierre-Canto. Behind the centre, Prado-République, Carnot and Riou-Petit Juas are mostly residential, with apartment buildings of every period. La Bocca, to the west, has its own station, beaches and a more local feel.
Property and prices
| Sales recorded | Median price per m² | Median price | Sales of €1m or more | Sales of €2m or more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses | 183 | €6,960 | €717,000 | 64 | 37 |
| Flats | 4450 | €5,720 | €274,000 | 347 | 98 |
Source: DVF sales records (DGFiP, data.gouv.fr), sales from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025; single-house and single-flat sales of at least €50,000 and 20 m². Median price per m² of built area.
Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025 DVF recorded 4,450 flat sales in Cannes against only 183 house sales. Flats sold at a median of €5,720 per m² and a median price of €274,000; houses at a median of €6,960 per m² and €717,000. The top of the market is unusually deep for flats: 347 flats sold for more than €1 million, 98 for more than €2 million and the highest flat sale reached €19 million. That is more flats above €1 million than houses sold in total. For houses, 64 sales passed €1 million, 37 passed €2 million and 11 passed €5 million, with a highest sale of €10.7 million.
These numbers describe the city as a whole. A sea-view apartment on the Croisette and a family flat in La Bocca sit in the same median, so a valuation for a specific address has to look at comparable sales in that street, not at the city figure. Our guide on how a valuation is reached explains the method; prices per m² by town puts Cannes alongside its neighbours.
Buyers of apartments should read the copropriété documents closely: charges, works voted and the état daté. Anyone thinking of letting should read our holiday letting guide and check the local rules before signing.
Who buys here
Cannes draws buyers who want a city: restaurants and shops open all year, a railway station with TGV services, beaches and boats within walking distance. An apartment suits buyers who want a second home they can lock and leave; villa buyers on Californie and Croix des Gardes are typically looking for privacy, a garden and a view while staying ten minutes from the Croisette. Families who need space at a lower price per m² often also look at Le Cannet and Mougins.
Schools and services
The public lycées are the Lycée Carnot on boulevard Carnot, the Lycée Jules Ferry on boulevard de la République and the Lycée Bristol on avenue Saint-Nicolas, which is the only lycée in Cannes to offer the cinema and audiovisual specialty. The Lycée Stanislas is private under contract with the state. For English-language and bilingual schooling families look to Mougins and Valbonne, both within a short drive; see our international schools guide.
The covered Marché Forville, a few streets behind the Vieux-Port, is the city's food market, open in the mornings from Tuesday to Sunday; on Mondays outside the summer it becomes a brocante. Cannes has about 7.6 km of beaches, with public stretches such as Macé and Zamenhof alongside the private beach concessions.
Getting around
Cannes station has TGV and TER services along the coast. Cannes-la-Bocca station serves the line to Grasse. Local buses are run by Palm Bus. For private flights, Cannes-Mandelieu airport on the western edge of the city handles business aviation and is operated by the group that runs Nice airport.
Measured by road distance, the city centre is about 28 km from Nice Côte d'Azur airport and the Californie hill about 24 km, roughly 30 to 35 minutes outside peak hours on the A8. Sophia Antipolis is about 9 km from Super-Cannes and 15 km from the centre, roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
Homes for sale in Cannes
Any home we present in Cannes appears below. Many villas on Californie and Croix des Gardes change hands without public advertising, so if you have a precise brief, join the off-market register or ask us about a search mandate.
No home in this selection is presented publicly at the moment. Many of the finest houses on this coast change hands without public advertising.
Join the off-market registerFrequently asked questions
What is the average price per m² in Cannes?
For 2024 and 2025 DVF records a median of €5,720 per m² for flats and €6,960 per m² for houses across the whole city. Sea-view homes on the Croisette or on the two hills can sell well above these medians, so use street-level comparables for any specific property.
Where are the villas in Cannes?
Mainly on the two hills: Californie and Super-Cannes to the east of the centre and Croix des Gardes to the west, around its 80-hectare forest park. Houses are rare in Cannes as a whole: only 183 house sales were recorded in two years against 4,450 flat sales.
Is Super-Cannes a separate town?
No. Super-Cannes is a locality at the top of the Californie quartier of Cannes, known for the 1953 observation tower at its summit and for large villa plots with views over the bay.
How far is Cannes from Nice airport?
About 24 to 28 km by road depending on the quartier, which takes roughly 30 to 35 minutes outside rush hour. Cannes station also has direct trains to Nice.
Can I let my Cannes apartment to holidaymakers?
Furnished holiday letting is possible but regulated: a declaration and registration number are required and the Le Meur law of November 2024 tightened the national framework. Our holiday letting guide sets out the current position.
Last updated: 11 October 2026