Airport transfers
Flights go into nearby Nice airport, about 40 minutes and a $100 cab ride from Cannes. Save money, skip the cab and take the Nice Airport Xpress bus. It costs $28 one way or $41 round-trip, and leaves every half-hour from two stops in Cannes, including one in front of the port. The bus drops off at both terminals.
Trains
Cannes, with its train station right in the center of town, is within a short ride of all the great towns of the South of France like Antibes, Juan Les Pines, and even Monte Carlo. The train fare is under $20 each way and there are automated ticket machines inside the station. The tip is to bring a lot of Euro coins as the machines do not accept American credit cards (which have no micro-chip). I found out the hard way and had to wait in a very long line to buy my ticket from the ticket counter.
Hotels
The city is filled with hotels and those hotels are normally filled to capacity during the film festival. Many even require booking for the full ten-night festival period. My favorite for the best value is the Citadines Croissette Cannes. It's a block past the train station in the real part of Cannes and offers a glimpse into local life even during the festival. The serviced apartments they feature mean you get a little apartment with a kitchen for the same price as a tiny hotel room a few blocks away. Additional services like a laundry room, sundeck and private beach add to the convenience.
Flights
I like to avoid British Airways after they lost my luggage (and tuxedo) a few years ago, and Air France is only worth flying if you can find yourself in First Class. For convenience, Delta offers a direct flight to Nice from New York, but I prefer Turkish Airlines. They offer a free stop-over in Istanbul and their Business Class service is truly exceptional. Flights feature on onboard chef who prepares amazing Turkish cuisine and the seats become flat beds for a nice sleep. They serve Nice via Istanbul.
Credentials
Festival registration and check-in always starts on a Wednesday, but is available all the way through the first Saturday of the festival. If you don't have to be there for the opening day, arriving and checking in even one day later can save a huge amount of time as the crowds decline each day.
Freddy Sherman is a world traveler and editor of the travel blog luxuryfred.com. You can follow him on Twitter -@luxuryfred and check out his travel photos on Instagram - @luxuryfred.
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