Skip to content
Cannes

The Guide · On the doorstep

Rooftop Bars and Hotel Bars in Cannes

Cannes drinks upward, and most of the good views belong to hotels. That sounds forbidding and is not: almost all of them will serve you without a room key, and one drink buys you a room you would otherwise never see. This list covers the rooftops and pool decks, the hotel bars where the interior is the point, and the wine rooms two streets inland where nobody looks at your shoes. It says plainly which is which, so you do not turn up at a piano bar expecting a quiet glass. The hour before sunset is when the light does the work. In festival weeks every one of these needs booking.

19 places

Cannes · on foot

Le Bar à Vin

Wine Bar · 850m

The oldest wine bar in Cannes, open since 1998. Over 50 wines by the glass, a good terrace, charcuterie and cheese. Fills quietly with regulars after work and stays that way until late.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

L’Expérience

Natural Wine · 1km

Relaxed, slightly hidden wine bar built around organic and biodynamic bottles. The staff are knowledgeable without being precious about it.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Cave Gencel

Wine Cave & Bar · 850m

A wine merchant since 1937, now also a bar, tucked behind Marché Forville. A wide, carefully kept selection across regions and budgets, including small-producer bottles you don’t see elsewhere in town. Hervé, the owner, is unhurried and good company, happy to walk you through anything you taste. A dartboard in the corner makes it the rare wine bar that turns into an evening.

Cannes · on foot

Charly’s Bar

Old Town Bar · 950m

A former sheep pen in Le Suquet, low vaulted ceilings, candlelight, a resident DJ at the right volume. The sort of room that makes it hard to leave before midnight.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Harry’s Bar

Cocktail Bar · 1km

Takes its classics seriously. The French 75 is made with gin distilled in Grasse. An impressive collection of aged whiskies. Smart without being stiff.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Bar°58, The Carlton

Hotel Bar · 1.1km

One of the great Riviera institutions. Raku ceramic counter, deep armchairs, the bartender decides for you. Bossa nova on Thursdays from 7pm. Worth going at least once.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

La Malmaison Rooftop

Rooftop · 250m

The terrace café on top of Villa La Malmaison, the last Belle Époque villa on the Croisette. A discreet spot for a proper espresso between exhibitions, with glimpses of the bay through the parapet. Tue to Sun, 10am to 6pm.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

La Terrasse, JW Marriott

Rooftop · 1.2km

Above the noise of the Croisette with views along the full sweep of the bay. Best in the hour before sunset, with a glass of Provençal rosé and nowhere particular to be.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Club Nautico

Neighbourhood Bar · 1.4km

A small, well-kept secret on Avenue de Lérins. Excellent cocktails, sharing plates and a soundtrack to match. Booking essential. Open Wed to Sun from 6pm.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Hôtel & Spa Belle Plage

Hotel lounge, 12min walk

A 1930s seafront hotel at the foot of Le Suquet, redesigned by Raphaël Navot in natural stone, oak and pale tones. The lobby reads more like a private living room than a reception, with palms, soft music, and reliable wifi. Order a coffee at the bar and settle in for a quiet morning. Less polished than the Croisette palaces, more textured and unhurried.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Hotel Barrière Le Majestic, Lobby Bar

Hotel lounge, 9min walk

The ground-floor lounge is discreet, unhurried, and welcoming to non-guests who order something. Velvet banquettes, marble tables, reliable wifi, and a quiet rhythm that holds all day. Best before 17:00.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Canopy by Hilton Cannes

Hotel lounge, 11min walk

Modern hotel on Rue d’Antibes with an open lobby and co-working-style seating. You can settle in with a coffee from the bar, plug in, and work for hours. Quieter than the grand palace hotels, and there is a rooftop for a break.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Le Roof, Five Seas Hotel

Rooftop · Hotel Pool

Five floors up behind the Rue d’Antibes with a small pool and a view over the rooftops to the bay. The pool deck itself is for hotel guests, so ask for the bar side. Best in the hour before sunset, and worth reserving in season.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Bar Martinez

Hotel Bar · Since 1929

The great survivor. Dark wood, low light and a room that has not really changed since the Riviera’s first golden age. Closed Sundays and Mondays, and it gets crowded and clubby after ten, so go early if you want the room rather than the scene.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Le Speakeasy

Live Music · Late

Behind the Martinez, a supper club with live singers working the room and a kitchen running until the small hours. Not remotely quiet and not trying to be. Deposit taken on booking, so check it comes off the bill at the end.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Le Vin by Warner

Wine Bar · Cheese

On Rue Hélène Vagliano, a proper wine bar with a list long enough to be a problem and a cheese board that arrives with things you have never met. Locals call it Warner. Closed Sundays.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Quille

Natural Wine · Cave à Boire

A cave à boire on Rue Bivouac Napoléon: low-intervention bottles, olives, chickpea bread, and staff who will pour you three things to taste before you commit. Opens at three, closed Sundays. Small, so early or late.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Ô Choubouloute

Rum Bar · Caribbean

On the Quai Saint-Pierre facing the old port, run by two women, doing rum flights and salt cod fritters to island music. Completely unlike anything else in Cannes. Evenings, closed Sundays. It gets swamped, so go before eight.

Maps

Cannes · on foot

Le Jardin Secret

Hidden Garden · All Day

Down an alley off Rue des Frères with a walled garden at the back. Wine, small plates and a room run by Max, who will talk to you. The furthest thing in Cannes from the Croisette.

Maps

Common questions

Can you visit rooftop bars in Cannes without staying at the hotel?

Yes, at almost all of them. The bar is normally open to anyone, while the pool deck and loungers are kept for hotel guests. Reserve in season and say you are coming for drinks rather than to swim.

Where can you get a drink with a view in Cannes?

The hotel rooftops along and just behind the Croisette, and the terraces at the port end of the seafront. They are at their best in the hour before sunset rather than late at night.

Is there a dress code for hotel bars in Cannes?

Nothing written down at most of them, but the palace hotels expect you to have made an effort and beachwear will get you turned away. Smart casual covers it.

Is Cannes expensive for drinks?

On the Croisette and in the beach clubs, yes. Two streets inland the wine rooms and neighbourhood bars are priced normally. The gap is larger here than almost anywhere else on the coast.

What time do bars close in Cannes?

Ordinary bars close around one in the morning; clubs and the port-side places run later. During the Film Festival and Cannes Lions almost everything runs late and needs a reservation or a name on a list.

More of the guide