Beach day - Cannes or Marseille

[KJMommy04]

I would like to plan one relaxing beach day for an otherwise heavy sightseeing cruise itinerary next June. Which port, Cannes or Marseille, would you suggest doing a beach day and which beach? Preferably one with chair/umbrella rental. If it matters, it will be my husband and myself, our teenage children and my in-laws. Thank you!

[marazul]

Neither.  Too much to see at either port. Where else are you going?

 

But if you must, there are good beaches right by the tender port at Cannes.  You have to go further afield at Marseille.  But, truly, save the beach day for some less interesting places.

Edited July 14, 2023 by marazul

[Hlitner]

We agree with Marazul, that is a little sad to take kids to a fabulous/interesting part of the world and spend the day doing  what can easily be done with a 4 hour drive of home.  That being said, we are here to serve.  If you must, then do it in Cannes.  When you walk out of the tender pier area, just walk towards your left, always keeping the water on your left side.  You will quickly come to a sandy beach called Plage du Midi.  Along this beach there are some facilities/rentals.  There are also plenty of cafes in the area where you can get a decent lunch or snack.  Why do we know this?  We have spent a few nights at a nearby hotel, and want to that beach on a very hot day.  That being said, this was pre-COVID and I do not know about the state of current beach facilities.

 

Hank

[marazul]

43 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

That being said, this was pre-COVID and I do not know about the state of current beach facilities.

 

The beach facilities are still fine. 

In case it makes any difference to the OP, all beaches in the south of France are topless.

[edinburgher]

43 minutes ago, marazul said:

all beaches in the south of France are topless.

But it is a personal choice, not mandatory, and topless is common across most  European resorts.

Edited July 14, 2023 by edinburgher

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

The beach facilities are still fine. 

In case it makes any difference to the OP, all beaches in the south of France are topless.

I will confess to never wearing a swim top!  :).

 

Hank

[marazul]

6 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I will confess to never wearing a swim top!  :).

 

Hank

🤐  

[KJMommy04]

13 hours ago, marazul said:

Neither.  Too much to see at either port. Where else are you going?

 

But if you must, there are good beaches right by the tender port at Cannes.  You have to go further afield at Marseille.  But, truly, save the beach day for some less interesting places.

The only other possibility is Santa Margherita. All other ports we have full day Rome in Limo tours booked. 

I do plan to book a full day private tour in one of France ports. I was hoping to give the kids the "swim in the Med" experience. My first trip to Europe, I never set foot in the Med because we packed every day with site seeing, and I regretted it! But, perhaps we could do a half day tour and spend a couple of hours at the beach afterwards. 

[KJMommy04]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We agree with Marazul, that is a little sad to take kids to a fabulous/interesting part of the world and spend the day doing  what can easily be done with a 4 hour drive of home.  That being said, we are here to serve.  If you must, then do it in Cannes.  When you walk out of the tender pier area, just walk towards your left, always keeping the water on your left side.  You will quickly come to a sandy beach called Plage du Midi.  Along this beach there are some facilities/rentals.  There are also plenty of cafes in the area where you can get a decent lunch or snack.  Why do we know this?  We have spent a few nights at a nearby hotel, and want to that beach on a very hot day.  That being said, this was pre-COVID and I do not know about the state of current beach facilities.

 

Hank

I actually completely agree with you! I am notorious for giving no rest days when we travel, and my kids know this. (Last summer we spent two weeks in the UK and Ireland and I apparently wore everyone out.😆 ) However, I feel like swimming in the Med is an experience they need to have. Perhaps we can do a half-day tour in Cannes and spend a few hours at the beach in the afternoon. Thank you for your input!

[KJMommy04]

2 hours ago, marazul said:

The beach facilities are still fine. 

In case it makes any difference to the OP, all beaches in the south of France are topless.

Oh my...I knew this, but had forgotten. Might be interesting for my 13-year-old son. 

[marazul]

1 hour ago, KJMommy04 said:

The only other possibility is Santa Margherita. All other ports we have full day Rome in Limo tours booked. 

I do plan to book a full day private tour in one of France ports. I was hoping to give the kids the "swim in the Med" experience. My first trip to Europe, I never set foot in the Med because we packed every day with site seeing, and I regretted it! But, perhaps we could do a half day tour and spend a couple of hours at the beach afterwards. 

A half-day tour would work.  You probably have a long port day.  Go to Nice and Saint-Paul-de-Vence in the morning and spend the afternoon at the beach.  The beach that Hank told you about is called the Plage du Midi.  It is no more than a 10 minute walk from the tender dock.  A great lunch or late snack at the beach is a "pan bagnat," the sandwich version of the salade niçoise.  There are probably food trucks around selling it. They will also have "pissaladière."  Both are typical of the area.  

 

In Santa Margherita you can take the ferry to Portofino and continue around the peninsula to San Fruttuoso and Camogli.  Easily done on your own.  The other alternative is Cinque Terre.  Don't miss walking around santa Margherita itself.

[KJMommy04]

On 7/14/2023 at 6:20 AM, Hlitner said:

We agree with Marazul, that is a little sad to take kids to a fabulous/interesting part of the world and spend the day doing  what can easily be done with a 4 hour drive of home.  That being said, we are here to serve.  If you must, then do it in Cannes.  When you walk out of the tender pier area, just walk towards your left, always keeping the water on your left side.  You will quickly come to a sandy beach called Plage du Midi.  Along this beach there are some facilities/rentals.  There are also plenty of cafes in the area where you can get a decent lunch or snack.  Why do we know this?  We have spent a few nights at a nearby hotel, and want to that beach on a very hot day.  That being said, this was pre-COVID and I do not know about the state of current beach facilities.

 

Hank

 

On 7/13/2023 at 8:21 PM, marazul said:

Neither.  Too much to see at either port. Where else are you going?

 

But if you must, there are good beaches right by the tender port at Cannes.  You have to go further afield at Marseille.  But, truly, save the beach day for some less interesting places.

Is renting a car in Marseille a good option? If so, what would you recommend we see? We have rented in Cannes before and are experienced driving in Europe, so getting around shouldn't pose too much of a problem unless there is something specific about driving in that area we aren't aware of. 

[Hlitner]

35 minutes ago, KJMommy04 said:

 

Is renting a car in Marseille a good option? If so, what would you recommend we see? We have rented in Cannes before and are experienced driving in Europe, so getting around shouldn't pose too much of a problem unless there is something specific about driving in that area we aren't aware of. 

A few different issues.  Renting a car in Marseille means getting into town (taxi or shuttle) and to the rental car office (most are near the train station).  As to whether getting a car is a good idea, that depends on what you want to do with your day.  If you simply want to go to a city such as Aix, than a bus or train is generally a better option.  If you want to explore Luberon and go to a few smaller rural towns than a car makes sense.  

 

DW and I are not big planners and often have no clue what we will do until we get off the ship in a port.  But, if are going to rent a car we will have a plan (including getting back to the port in plenty of time).  While we do rent cars all over Europe, Marseille is a port where we usually prefer other options.  That being said, if we were in Marseille on a Sunday and could find an open rental car office (not always possible on Sundays in France) we would consider renting a car just so we could drive to Le Sayne sur Mer for the Sunday market (but we would need to get there by 10:30).  

 

We love the region north of Marseille, but in many cases you do not need a car.  A simple port day trip is to head up to Aix en Provence for the day.  We also love the are around Avignon (an hours drive from Marseile) and there are plenty of towns/villages, etc in that part of Provence.  Tours routinely go to St Remy (there are some undervisited Roman ruins just outside of town) Les Baux, Pont du Gard, Arles, Nimes, etc. etc.  There is a reason why we like to rent apartments in the region (usually for 1-2 weeks).  But we all have or own likes/dislikes.  Many folks will drive a long way just to see lavender fields while that would not be a personal priority (most lavender fields look alike....lavender growing in a field).  On the other hand, DW and I really enjoy visiting some of the towns of the Luberon (Gordes, Rousillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin, etc.  Others might be bored by village hopping.  DW and I also love the markets (which move from town to town) and will often drive to a village on their market day.  We also enjoy finding nice cafes (in smaller villages) and enjoying a long lunch.  Others might say they do not want to "waste" a port day eating a long lunch, but to us the food and wine are a very important part of French culture.

 

Getting back to the car question, if you want to go to a city, (from Marseille think of Aix and perhaps Avignon) the train or bus might make the most sense.  If you want to explore outside the cities or go to places like Les Baux that do not have easy access via public transit, than a car is often the way to gol

 

 

 

Hank

[ollienbertsmum]

On 7/14/2023 at 6:35 PM, KJMommy04 said:

I actually completely agree with you! I am notorious for giving no rest days when we travel, and my kids know this. (Last summer we spent two weeks in the UK and Ireland and I apparently wore everyone out.😆 ) However, I feel like swimming in the Med is an experience they need to have. Perhaps we can do a half-day tour in Cannes and spend a few hours at the beach in the afternoon. Thank you for your input!

 

I have to agree that swimming in the  Med is a good way to spend a couple of hours on a port day.  For me it is preferable to trying to squeeze into the pool on the ship.  When we used to go in the middle of the summer it never failed to amaze me how families seemed unprepared for the fact that there are beaches in Med ports.    I have seen numerous children from ships who end up bathing in their underwear.  I used to wear my bikini under my day wear when I knew that a swim might be an option, I also always carry one of those very light travel towels in my bag.  I do always run for the shade, but we have never stayed long enough to need an umbrella or beach beds.  

 

What I am trying to say is that I do not think you need to spend a whole day at the beach, in some port stops you could have a lie in,  do a wander around a port and still have time to relax and swim.  

 

Cannes is a place that we have stopped for a dip, we have also had nice swims in Palma, Civitavecchia (although swim shoes to cope with the rocks are needed), Valencia, Ajaccio, Cagliari and Capri.   We could easily have bathed in Sorrento but chose to eat a pizza instead! 

 

The picture below is however in Cannes from our trip mid July 2011.  The weather was not for bathing, we were actually lucky that the tenders were running.   It does show some of the facilities.  These cheaper beds are situated  along La Croisette.  The first beach clubs are supposedly expensive.  We never asked how much.  

 

One of our trips to Cannes was in November.  Obviously not beach weather either but we took a boat trip to Ile St Marguerite.  That would be a place for bathing in the summer.  

[ollienbertsmum]

I have been on a quest to tidy up my photo album since retiring at the end of last august.  Today I have come across photos from exactly ten years ago.  This is me on the very pebbly beach at Capri while waiting for the ferry to take us back to Naples.  It was hot but a good day.  Capri is beautiful (I know this is the France board, but I thought it was appropriate given the thread). 

 

[ollienbertsmum]

7 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 

I have to agree that swimming in the  Med is a good way to spend a couple of hours on a port day.  For me it is preferable to trying to squeeze into the pool on the ship.  When we used to go in the middle of the summer it never failed to amaze me how families seemed unprepared for the fact that there are beaches in Med ports.    I have seen numerous children from ships who end up bathing in their underwear.  I used to wear my bikini under my day wear when I knew that a swim might be an option, I also always carry one of those very light travel towels in my bag.  I do always run for the shade, but we have never stayed long enough to need an umbrella or beach beds.  

 

What I am trying to say is that I do not think you need to spend a whole day at the beach, in some port stops you could have a lie in,  do a wander around a port and still have time to relax and swim.  

 

Cannes is a place that we have stopped for a dip, we have also had nice swims in Palma, Civitavecchia (although swim shoes to cope with the rocks are needed), Valencia, Ajaccio, Cagliari and Capri.   We could easily have bathed in Sorrento but chose to eat a pizza instead! 

 

The picture below is however in Cannes from our trip mid July 2011.  The weather was not for bathing, we were actually lucky that the tenders were running.   It does show some of the facilities.  These cheaper beds are situated  along La Croisette.  The first beach clubs are supposedly expensive.  We never asked how much.  

 

One of our trips to Cannes was in November.  Obviously not beach weather either but we took a boat trip to Ile St Marguerite.  That would be a place for bathing in the summer.  

[ollienbertsmum]

First I think I didn’t post properly and then twice.  Sorry.  

[edinburgher]

14 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

last month we were at a beach in Spain where numerous people were completely naked and my 8-year-old was aghast.

Absolutely 100% agree with ollienbertsmum that you must have accidentally strayed onto a nudist beach, because that  amount of nudity is not normal on a Europeam beach unless it is a designated "nudist beach"  Perhaps you misunderstood signage in a language you didn't understand?.  Topless pretty much everywhere in Europe, yes indeed, but totally nude, no way.  

 

Some caution is required as there are many nudist beaches in Europe and notices should be carefully read.  Or do some pre-trip research of beaches in the area you think you might want to visit, and note which ones (nudist) you might want to avoid.  That way, if you see a beach section with only a name and you recognise the name as one of the nudist beaches you read about, you can simply go to a different one.

 

 

[marazul]

To get back to the OP and to Cannes - none of the beaches around the port are nudist, but all allow topless.

[marazul]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

If the OP does not want their kids to see a topless lady than they should stay far away from any beach in France, Spain, Greece, Italy, Croatia, etc.  An alternative is to put blind folds on the kids :).

When we lived in France our kids (young teen boys) started classifying the beach goers on a fruit scale: lemons to watermelons.  Of course, we didn't find out until years later. We should have thought of the blindfolds. 

[edinburgher]

16 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

It wasn't a nudist beach. It was San Sebastian. It was the main beach in the town.

Quite surprising to read that and I do not know, but perhaps the town council have an informal nudism policy there, and actual nudist designated beach or beaches elsewhere. In that circumstance it is personal choice in respect of how much clothing one chooses to remove.

 

Should you ever go for a stroll in a park in somewhere like Germany,  don't be surprised if you find  nudity there too as nudity is permitted in parks, gardens, swimming pools, saunas etc. It is considered entirely normal to strip off completely in a public park.

Edited July 18, 2023 by edinburgher

[amypintx]

We were just in Cannes last week on NCL Breakaway. We originally had a private excursion booked to go to Monte Carlo and Monaco. It was port #8 and the last day of the cruise. It's also a tender port so that means it could potentially be a couple of hours before you can actually get off the ship depending on your priority status, how quick you get a tender ticket, or if you booked an excursion through the ship or privately. (I don't know what cruise line you're on, but I've done European itineraries with both Carnival and NCL and neither one of them seems to have a good process for getting people off the ship efficiently in tender ports.)

 

We were pretty tired from all our other port excursions and didn't feel like fighting the crowds for the tenders so we cancelled our excursion and took our time getting off for a beach day. We walked along the beach right next to the port area. Chairs at most of the places were 30 Euro for the first one and 25ish for additional ones. We decided to just throw down our towels for free. We spent a couple hours on the beach (didn't notice any topless bathing) and then walked around in the town area for awhile before getting back in the giant tender line to get back on this ship. It was a relaxing day after a lot of sightseeing in other ports and a good way to wrap up the cruise. 

[Girr]

Something to think about if renting a car is traffic.  Maybe by the end of the month it will get better, but the Med cruise I just got done in mid-July was plagued with excessive bumper-to-bumper traffic (worse I've seen in Europe - it seems everyone is traveling this year!).  From Naples to Sorento we were almost an hour late to our first stop.  In Cannes (3 July) ten of our ship's excursions got back late due to traffic.