Cannes used to be a small fishing town going by the name of Portus Canis that was located on the
Golfe de la Napoule. The ruins of the former city are still visible, for example the old city wall is still visible on Mont Chevallier (above the harbor), there is the watch tower Tour de Suquet from the 14th century, also the pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame-de lEspérance from the 17th century as well as the Musée de la Castre (Tue-Sun Apr/May/Sept 10:00 13:00, 14:00 18:00, June-Aug 10:00 13:00, 15:00 19:00, Oct March 10:00 13:00, 14:00 17:00) which is home to two collections of the Dutch Baron Barons Lycklama .
The then Sardinian Cannes made a name for itself through Lord Brougham, who in 1834 came along with his daughter, who was ill at the time. They came here to hide out because they could not enter France due to Cholera. He liked the area so much that he decided to build a villa here. Upon visiting, his aristocratic friends also liked the area and by 1870 Cannes became the favored winter residence of many of the royals.
The old city Le Suquet, with its many narrow and winding alleys is strongly reminiscent of Ligurian towns and cities.
The new city is sprawled along the Golfe de la Napoules. Exactly in the middle are the harbor and the palace of festivals. This is where the famed Film festival is held and then Cannes is overrun by celebrities and stars.
