Plage de la Croisette

The counterpart to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, outfitted with palm trees, palaces, luxury shops, and parasols on the sandy beach in an expansive bay. At the western end in front of the harbor is the festival hall (Palais des Festivals et des Congrès), a concrete building from 1983, which is used not only for the film festival in May but all year long for trade fairs such as MIDEM (for music) or MIPTV (for television). A good 200 movie stars have immortalized their handprints in the concrete on the Allée des Stars; the red carpet on the stairs to the "bunker," as the locals disrespectfully call the building, can be viewed all year long. The facades of the Majestic Cannes Barrière, the Carlton Cannes, and the Martinez hotels are well worth seeing.