Things to Do in France

Designed by Marseillais architect Pierre Puget and constructed between 1671 and 1749, the 3-storey, arcaded courtyard of the Centre de la Vieille Charité wraps around Provence's most imposing Baroque church. Initially built as a charity shelter for the town's poor but it was more like a prison: 17th century France was tough. Chasse-gueux (beggar-hunters) were paid to round up the poor and put them into almshouses which were effectively workhouses. In 1736, the Centre housed 850, by 1760 it was 1059 but by 1781 it was less acceptable to imprison people just for being poor and the number dropped to 250.

Spared during the French Revolution and used as an asylum, the Centre then became a barracks, a soldiers' rest home and, later, low-cost housing for people who lost their homes during WWII, the stunning arched pink-stone courtyard of the Centre de la Vieille Charite now houses Marseille's beautiful Musee d'Archeologie Mediterraneenne and Musee d'Arts Africains, Oceaniens & Amerindiens. The latter houses a diverse and often striking collection, including masks from the Americas, Africa and the Pacific.

Enjoying a picturesque position on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the Cannes cruise port is a gateway to the cinematic glamour of Cannes and the rest of the beautiful French Riviera. Whether you're exploring the pretty town of Cannes or heading for glitzy enclaves such as Monte Carlo, St Tropez, or Eze, disembarking your cruise ship at the Cannes port provides a wealth of shore excursion options.

The Basics
If you're visiting outside of Cannes Film Festival, famed throughout France, Europe, and the world, Cannes is still a rewarding place to spend the day. Cannes city tours allow cruisers to enjoy a taste of Hollywood glamour at the Film Festival Palace (Palais des Festivals), where it's possible to pose on the famous red carpet; stroll the Boulevard de la Croisette to gaze into the windows of designer boutiques; and get lost in Le Suquet, the cityís historic center.

Travelers short on time can take advantage of Cannes shore excursions that head further afield to showcase the entire French Riviera. Typically covered are the medieval village of Eze, which boasts cobbled streets, the Fragonard perfume factory, and views of the Cote d'Azur, and Monaco, whose delights include the Princeís Palace, Monaco Cathedral, and the affluent casino of Monte Carlo. Other Cannes excursions tick off historic Antibes, where multi-million dollar yachts dock in Billionaire's Quay; the charming ProvenÁal village of St Paul de Vence; Grasse, whose lavender fields burst into bloom during summer; and Nice, whose Old Town and Cimiez neighborhood ooze tradition.

• Nearly all shore excursions include pickup and drop-off at Cannes cruise port.
• Cannes shore excursion tours generally range from five to nine hours including transportation times.
• Private tours allow you to customize your itinerary and handpick French Riviera highlights.

How to Get to Cannes from Cannes Cruise Port
Cruise ships dock in the bay before small tenders ferry passengers to Le Vieux Port (the Old Port). From here it's a short walk to the city center, where youíll find the Quai Laubeuf OUIBUS bus station and the Marine Railway Station (Gare Maritime). The train can be taken to Monaco.

Port Information
French is the main language in Cannes, but due to an annual influx of tourists for the film festival, many locals speak English. The currency is the euro, and many ATMs service the cruise port.

Founded in 1858 by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno, Champagne Pommery was at one time better known for its wool trading than for its bubbly. Today, however, this massive house is one of the Champagne region’s largest producers of the popular celebratory beverage and a destination for travelers seeking to sample sparkling glasses in the same setting where it’s produced.

Visitors can tour the network of chalk pits that sits beneath the city of Reims, where more than 20 million bottles of champagne are stored in a natural temperature-controlled environment. Guided tours include a trip around the grounds, a visit to the cellars and a detailed explanation of how this favorite beverage is produced, bottled and distributed.

The Cathedrale Notre Dame de la Treille takes its name from a 12th-century figure of the Virgin that has been long revered in the city. The cathedral was built by wealthy inhabitants of the city, starting in the late 19th century; building didn't finish until the 1990s! Sadly, the Virgin is no longer inhabiting the cathedral - she was stolen in 1959, and her church now gets by with a replica.

The cathedral features eight chapels in the neo-Gothic style featuring scenes from the lives of Christ, the Virgin and the saints. There's also a towering organ and, unusually, a great deal of 20th-century stained glass, including an asymmetric rose window.  

One of Aix-en-Provence’s oldest and most impressive works of architecture, the exquisite Cathédrale Saint Sauveur, or Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, towers over the city’s Vieil Aix (the Old Town). Although dating back to the 5th century, the cathedral has amassed a number of restorations and additions over the years, resulting in an eclectic mix of architectural styles. Exploring the cathedral is like taking a tour through the ages, with Romanesque, Gothic, Neo-Gothic and Baroque elements woven seamlessly together in a unique collage of French architecture.

A listed historical monument of France, the cathedral features a richly carved Romanesque portal on its south side and an elaborate 15th-century Gothic portal on the north, including striking door carvings by Jean Guiramand, topped with a 14th-century bell tower. Highlights of the interiors include three distinctly styled naves, a 12th-century cloister, a 5th century polygonal Merovingian baptistery and an 18th-century gilt Baroque organ. Most famous is the iconic triptych 'Mary in the Burning Bush', a 15th century masterpiece painted by Nicholas Froment under commission of King René of Anjou and displayed over the altar.

Visitors to Europe (and to France in particular) may be fatigued from seeing so many churches, even the fantastic ones, so at first glance, the relatively humble facade of the Monaco Cathedral may not rouse much excitement. But it's worth a visit for a variety of reasons.

The Musée National Marc Chagall houses the largest public collection of of the Russian-born artist's seminal paintings of Old Testament scenes. Be sure to peek through a plate-glass window across a reflecting pond to view a mosaic of the rose window at Metz Cathedral. Chagall (1887 – 1985) is buried in St-Paul de Vence, a town not far from Nice.

The main hall contains 12 huge interpretations (1954 - 67) of stories from Genesis and Exodus. In an antechamber, an unusual mosaic of Elijah in his fiery chariot, surrounded by signs of the zodiac, is viewed through a plate-glass window and reflected in a small pond. Five paintings based on the Song of Songs (1960s) form the most startling series, an explosion of passionate red (in contrast to the sea greens, deep purples and blues of the main room) dedicated to his wife Vava.