Cannes winter warmers

Up until the 1920’s, the French Riviera was an exclusive winter-time resort, so it should come as no surprise to find that Cannes is a fantastic winter destination offering a stunning temperate climate of blue skies, sparkling seas, and waving palm trees.

Because Cannes hosts many conferences throughout the year and there’s a large year-round population, you’ll find that there’s life in Cannes and a bit of sparkle whatever time of year you decide to visit. However, there are still some restaurants that do close over the winter, and others that just don’t deliver that warm and cosy ambience that makes venturing out at night into the cool crisp air so very worthwhile.

No-one likes arriving at a shuttered restaurant or finding themselves the only patrons in an empty dining room, so we’ve put together a list of Cannes restaurants that have a great atmosphere year-round.

Soak up some winter sunshine at a Cannes beach club

On a perfect winter’s day when the sun is warm and the Mediterranean has that beautiful winter sparkle, sitting in a Cannes beach club is utter bliss—and it sure feels a long way from the bitter winter back home! Many beach clubs do close for the winter, but these excellent choices remain open.

Majestic Barriere Hotel has an upmarket beach club and restaurant, La Plage du Majestic, that opens for lunch year-round, serving light sophisticated meals such as sushi, grilled local fish, and beef burgers. This is the perfect place to order a cocktail, sit with your feet in the sand, and pretend that it’s summer all over again.

Plage Geoland is a family-run beach club which has been in operation since 1981, and it’s a big favourite with locals and tourists for its great atmosphere and long-serving staff. Open for lunch year-round, Geoland offers a more casual beach club experience than the Barriere, and you can expect a tasty menu of sea bass, king prawns and rib-eye steaks followed up with a heavenly slice of their famous Tiramasu.

Dine at Cannes’ ritziest establishments

The best way to ramp up the glamour of your winter holiday in Cannes is to have an indulgent dining experience at one of Cannes iconic hotel restaurants. In summer, a table at these classy restaurants is almost impossible for mere mortals to get due to the crowds of oligarchs, movie stars, and superyacht guests, but in winter you’ll be welcomed with open arms.

Brunch at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel. Take a table at the opulent Hotel Carlton Intercontinental and enjoy a leisurely champagne brunch. This hotel has been welcoming royals and celebrities for over a century, and there’s a real sense of glamour and decadence even in mid-winter.

Lunch at Le Park 45 restaurant at the Grand Hotel. This fantastic one-Michelin starred restaurant has lunch menus starting at a rather reasonable 55 euro. On a sunny winter’s day you can sit on the terrace in the lush hotel grounds, or in the elegant dining room if the weather gods are not smiling on your holiday plans. You may not be concentrating on the view anyway, as the food coming out of the kitchen is simply excellent, with an emphasis on local produce and innovative twists on French cuisine.

Dinner at Le Palme d’Or restaurant, Grand Hyatt Cannes Martinez Hotel. This superb restaurant overlooking the Bay of Cannes won two Michelin stars in 1991, and has not lost a single one in the intervening 25 years. Expect grandiose French gastronomy, with menu items including 72-hour cooked lamb, wild grouse cooked with country soil, chateaubriand with crystallised shallots and tuna belly with aniseed. Mains begin at 75€.

Find cosy winter ambience at these Cannes favourites

Exposed brick walls, low wooden beams, roaring fires and hearty food: these restaurants promise cosy winter ambience and Provencal charm right through the winter-time.

Le Relais de Semailles. This wonderful Provencal restaurant has such romance about it, with its cosy dining room warmed by the open fire, the walls lined with still-life paintings, antique French furniture, and the requisite wall of wine bottles meeting a ceiling of rough-hewn beams. Expect delicious meals like crispy duck breast with port jus and roasted pears, gratined lobster, or pate with figs- the quality of which have earned the restaurant a coveted entry in the Michelin Guide.

Da Bottau restaurant. This has been the haunt of celebrities and the well-heeled since 1860, and part of the fun of dining here is looking at all the photos of the famous patrons that adorn the walls. This rambling restaurant has small dining rooms rich in atmosphere, with long white cloth tables under chunky exposed beams, and gilt paintings adorning the softly lit walls. The boullabaise and braised meat with orange zest are extremely good, and this is a great place to come on a wintry evening when the streets are fairly empty and you want to feel some of that famous Cannes celebrity history.

Discover global influences at these modern standouts

Another favourite with the Michelin inspectors, La Toque d’Or restaurant delivers elegant gastronomy in a beautiful dining room of wooden floorboards, pale exposed stone, and white cloth tables. The chef utilises global influences to create innovative dishes with extraordinary success, such as escalope of foie gras with strawberries and wild turbot with saffron and Madagascan vanilla essence. Menus range from 30€ to 75€.

Yo’Mo Lounge is a fabulous destination year-round, whether for an evening drink or a meal inspired by Greek, Italian or Lebanese cuisines. Sink back in a 1950’s chair and enjoy the incredible décor and atmosphere of this funky establishment right in the heart of Cannes.

There are plenty more good restaurants open in the winter in Cannes, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on your wintertime favourites!