PARKING MADE SIMPLE

Where to park in Cannes during the yacht festival

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Driving to the Cannes Yachting Festival can be perfectly manageable, provided you know where to leave the car before you arrive. Festival week brings tens of thousands of extra visitors into a seafront already busy with residents, hotel guests and delivery traffic, and the streets closest to the harbours fill up first. This guide lists the car parks that make most sense for each harbour, the details that catch drivers out and a few alternatives that avoid the centre altogether.

Why parking gets tricky in festival week

The show welcomed around 56,000 visitors over six days in 2026, on top of exhibitors, crews, contractors and journalists. Many of them converge on the same narrow strip between the Palais des Festivals and the Pointe Croisette, and they tend to arrive within the same hour, shortly before the 10am opening. Traffic slows to a crawl around the Palais and on the Croisette, and street spaces disappear early in the morning.

Some of the usual options also shrink during the event. Quai Max Laubeuf, for example, becomes part of the exhibition area, and the open-air Laubeuf car park next to it was listed by the town as closed for works at the time of writing. Spaces near the harbours are therefore shared between more drivers than usual. The solution is not to give up on the car, but to choose your car park in advance, arrive early or late rather than at peak time, and keep a plan B in mind.

Cars and pedestrians on a street near the Palais des Festivals in Cannes

Car parks closest to the Vieux Port

The town runs a network of covered car parks through its CANNES Parking service, and three of them are especially well placed for the Old Port and the Palais.

View of the Palais des Festivals and the Vieux Port of Cannes from above

Parking Palais (P1)

Right under the Palais des Festivals, this underground car park offers 924 spaces on three levels, including accessible bays and 49 charging points. It is open 24 hours a day, but the height limit is 1.8 metres, which rules out many vans and roof boxes.

Le Suquet hill and its tower above the harbour of Cannes

Suquet Forville (P2)

Tucked below the old town near the Forville covered market, this underground car park sits a short walk from the western quays of the Vieux Port. It is a good choice if you plan to lunch or dine in Le Suquet.

Boats moored along the quay of the Old Port of Cannes beneath Le Suquet

Pantiero (P4)

Located by the Pantiero esplanade, opposite the town hall side of the port, this car park puts you a few steps from one of the Vieux Port entrances. It fills quickly on festival mornings, so aim to arrive well before opening.

Parking near Port Canto

Parking Pierre Canto

This large open-air car park at the Pointe Croisette has 627 spaces and is open around the clock. The town’s published rates give the first hour free, then 0.90 euros per quarter of an hour, with a daytime cap of 21 euros between 8am and 8pm and a night cap of 10 euros. Pay stations accept cash and cards, but the exit barriers take cards only, so keep one to hand. Losing the ticket costs 32 euros, which is one more reason to photograph it as soon as you park.

Roseraie and Palm Beach

A little further along the Croisette, the covered Roseraie car park (P11) and the surface car park at Palm Beach are both run by the town and give quick access to the eastern end of the show. They suit visitors who plan to spend most of the day at Port Canto, whether for the sailing exhibition or for brokerage appointments. From here, the free festival shuttles take you to the Vieux Port in a few minutes, so there is no need to move the car during the day.

Smart alternatives to driving into the centre

If you are staying elsewhere on the Riviera, the most relaxing option is often to leave the car outside Cannes and finish the journey by train, bus or chauffeured car. Regional trains are frequent along the coast, and Cannes station is only a few minutes’ walk from the Vieux Port. Our guide to where to stay during the festival lists areas that work well with this approach.

  • Park and ride by train from Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Mandelieu or Nice, then walk from Cannes station
  • Cannes La Bocca, on the western side of town, one stop from the centre by train
  • Booking apps such as Zenpark, Onepark or Parclick, which let you reserve a space in advance
  • Hotel parking, often worth paying for if you can leave the car there all week
  • A chauffeur drop-off at the Palais or Port Canto, with no space to find at all
  • Free weekend hours in the municipal car parks, worth checking for a Saturday or Sunday visit

Practical tips for drivers

Bright underground car park with marked bays and pillars

Check heights, payment and charging

Underground car parks in central Cannes are designed for standard cars, and Parking Palais is limited to 1.8 metres. Larger SUVs with roof bars, campervans and vans are better off in open-air car parks. Electric car owners will appreciate the charging points at Parking Palais, but these are popular, so do not count on a free one at peak times. Contactless payment is widely accepted across the municipal network.

Time your arrival

Arriving between 8.30am and 9.30am, or after lunch, makes a real difference. The worst moment is the final half hour before opening, closely followed by closing time, when thousands of visitors leave at once. If you are visiting on Friday, the show stays open until 10pm, so an afternoon arrival can give you a quieter drive in and a full evening on the pontoons. Our guide to travelling to the Cannes Yachting Festival covers the other ways to reach the town.

Frequently asked questions