Le Suquet

Le Suquet is the old quarter of Cannes where the town as we know it now, started. The original site of Le Suquet started out as a hilltop Roman town. The Romans occupied the hill and surrounding area for five centuries.

In the 12th century, monks built a castle on top of the hill which is still standing. It is now a museum and hosts many diverse exhibitions.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, a church was built just under the old fortress, the church, ‘Notre Dame d’Esperence’. It offers great views over the harbour and city and is now home to some wonderful sculptures and stained glass windows. It took over a hundred years to build and work was only finished on the Renaissance bell tower in 1627.

The streets were laid out around 400 years ago. The tall, narrow houses lay in easy reach of the harbour and were inhabited by fishermen and their families for many years. When the British and Russians arrived to take winters here in the early 19th century, Cannes really only comprised the sleepy fishing village of Le Suquet.

The tiny, cobbled Rue du Suquet is the original main road into Cannes. It is now lined with restaurants and bars and is one of the most picturesque roads in Cannes to explore in the evening.

Further restaurants lie on Rue Louis Perrissol, a pretty street that leads up to the old castle.

One of the restaurants on this street, ‘Tredici’ is a great find and was voted one of the top ten restaurants in Cannes by the Nice Matin newspaper.

It’s great to explore the tiny streets with colourful houses and narrow alleyways.

Views from the top of the hill are spectacular, looking out over the town and the harbour and the bay.