Promenade de la Croisette, Seaside promenade in Cannes, France
The Promenade de la Croisette is a wide, tree-lined waterfront street that runs along Cannes' bay, with luxury hotels and restaurants on one side and beach and sea on the other. The walkway features paved surfaces, regular benches, fountains, and planted areas that break up the path as you stroll.
A medieval watchtower stood on the cape, and in 1635 a Spanish fleet of twenty-two galleys attacked the fort built there, which held out. In 1853 mayor Marius Barbe asked the state for the coastal strip to lay out a promenade; in 1866 the road was named boulevard de l'Impératrice for Eugénie de Montijo, and in 1871 it took the name boulevard de la Croisette.
The name comes from a small cross, or calvary, that sailors raised at the tip of the cape; archives already call the cape "of the cross" in 1369, and the Provençal crouseto means "little cross". Penitent confraternities of Cannes processed to it, and pilgrims embarked there for the abbey of Lérins on Saint-Honorat. Four permanent chess tables face the Malmaison.
The promenade has multiple entry points to public and private beach sections, making it easy to reach the water from different spots. Since it runs in one direction and is lit at night, you can explore it comfortably at different times of day.
The name comes from a small cross, or calvary, that sailors raised at the tip of the cape; archives already call the cape "de la croix" in 1369. Penitent brotherhoods of Cannes processed to it, and pilgrims embarked there for the abbey of Lérins. The ruined base of the cross was still visible at the end of the 19th century.
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