It's hard to think of Cannes without conjuring up images of the Festival de Cannes, the glamorous film festival held every year right by the beach. If you're looking for fun ways to tap into the French Rivera city's cinematic culture, why not take a self-guided walking tour of the Murs Peints — murals that celebrate Cannes' film history?
My parents spend a lot of time in Cannes and recently discovered the Murs Peints ('painted walls') thanks to a map and guide available at the Palais des Festivals tourist information. The first four murals were painted in 2004 and they've added to them over the years. We'd come across some of them before but hadn't realised there are now at least 18.
A collaboration between the Mairie de Cannes (city council) and local businesses and artists, the colourful cinematic artworks can be found on buildings and façades throughout the city. Whether you're a movie buff or just want to explore parts of Cannes beyond the Croisette and the rue d'Antibes, the walking route is a fun activity while you're in Cannes.
Two murals that are further from the city centre, close to La Bocca station to the west of Cannes. We didn't visit them this time but the 20,000 Leagues under the Sea design in Passage Pierre Sémard looks particularly cool.
As for the rest, it took my mum and me about 1h30 at a leisurely pace to check them out, with a couple of coffee stops, and in some cases, a little time to actually locate the art. Remember to look up if you can't see anything at eye level! If you get stuck, you can look up most murals by name in Google Maps or use this map I created:
We started with the Cinéma Cannes mural on the wall of the bus station on Place Cornut-Gentille. It's a great mural to start with as it celebrates 100 years of cinema, from R2-D2 and Fred Astaire to Batman and Belmondo.
There are a few other murals clustered around Le Suquet and Marché Forville, but we first headed west to 10 boulevard Vallombrosa to see Charlie Chaplin peeking out at as the Tramp in the 1921 film The Kid. This one was of particular interest to me as Chaplin was born in Walworth, not far from where I live now.
We then walked back to Place du Suquet, in the heart of Cannes' old town, where there are two murals, the Trompe l'Œil Le Barbarella and, just opposite, Hôtel de la Plage (inspired by a 1953 Jacques Tati film). I realised it would be fun to have my mum (who'd visited some of the murals before) 'step into' some of the paintings. She was as good a model as she was a tour guide!
Not too far away, at 7 rue des Suisses, we found L'Envers du Décor, which allowed us to step behind the film crew — and give them a bit of assistance in my mum's case! Then we saw Buster Keaton hanging out nearby at 29 boulevard Victor Tuby as part of Le Caméraman.
Further along this street we spotted Gérard Philipe, a Cannes-born actor, pictured here in his role as a swashbuckling soldier in the 1952 film Fanfan la Tulipe. Tragically, he died seven years later, aged just 36. Further east at Place du 18 Juin, is the next mural, Le 7ème Art, featuring Eddy Mitchell — cinema being the titular seventh art. This was at a busy junction and it was quite hard to photograph it well.
Over on boulevard d'Alsace is the appropriately larger-than-life mural of Marilyn Monroe. Just to the east, on rue Jean Jaurès, you'll find a mural for the legendary French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, whose acclaimed career includes a 2011 Palme d'Or (we saw him arriving at the festival, the day after we'd spotted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt — a very star-studded visit for us).
The next murals are a short walk north-east of Cannes' train station. We passed by the Harold Lloyd mural, celebrating the great comic actor of the silent era, and Famous Cinema Kisses and Cannes Car Movie Museum, which need no explanation!
We also saw a mural featuring Taxi Driver, which won the Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. Tucked away in Parking Migno, just off boulevard de la République, was one of my favourite murals, inspired by the 1967 film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, starring Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac.
Back in town, underneath Pont Alexandre III, there are murals celebrating two very different Palme d'Or winners: Pulp Fiction and The Piano. This location is close to the Croisette and Plage Zamenhof.
Once you've completed your Cannes cinematic mural walk, you've definitely earned your red carpet selfie, so head over to the Palais des Festivals. There can be a queue during busy times, so try to go earlier in the day. Hopefully, Marilyn, Charlie, Gérard and all their friends will have inspired you to strike a particularly memorable pose?
Looking for other recommendations for how to spend your time in Cannes? Check out my one-day Cannes itinerary on a €50 budget, or my Cannes long weekend guide.
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