Cannes Travel Guide: Festival Des Jeux

How do I get to Cannes?  How do I get the bus from the airport?  Where is the hotel with all the gaming suites?  All these questions and more are answered here…

 

Paris to Cannes by Train

The train will cost less than 100 euros, IN ADVANCE.  On the day can cost up to 300!  It’s a 5 hour ride.

You can take the bus (#1,2 or 20) straight from the station to Pierre & Vacances Hotel.

If you arrive in Cannes, having taken the train, after 10pm you will probably find the last bus (#1,2 or 20) has left, so to get to the hotel you may want to organise to share a taxi with friends.

I can’t remember if there were taxis outside the station, but there should be.  Otherwise call them up:

Taxis de Cannes :+33 (04)929 9272.

Taxis will charge you 1 or 2 euros per suitcase.  Be careful!

 

Flights to NICE

Nice is the closest airport to Cannes. 

Try the following sites, and make sure you look at the final price that includes airport tax!:

skyscanner.com

lastminute.com

edreams.co.uk

Ideally you want to be arriving Thursday night and leaving Monday afternoon ^^ – you’ll also find cheaper flights that way!

 

From NICE AIRPORT to CANNES

Once you arrive in Nice, you need to get to Cannes: you can get there by express bus, normal bus or train, or a very expensive taxi.

EXPRESS BUS (Nice to Cannes) :

There is a bus (Line 210) from Terminal 1 – platform 3 & Terminal 2 – platform 3 that takes around 45 minutes direct from the airport. Be warned it costs 29 euros for a return.  HOWEVER there is a slow bus that is much cheaper, like 1 euro (read below)!  But just in case you are in a rush, here’s the express info.

You can buy your ticket from these locations:

Aéroport de Nice Côte d’Azur T1, caisse parkings/bus, porte A0, extérieur – T2, caisse parking/bus, entre les portes 1 et 2
Tél: 0820 423 333
Gare Routière de Menton av de Sospel
Tél: 04.93.41.57.88
Gare SNCF Cannes Place Pierre Sémard
Office de Tourisme d’Antibes 11 Place du Général de Gaulle
Tél: 04.97.23.11.11

But it is recommended to buy your ticket online from http://uk.niceairportxpress.com/ (Try googling for a discount code!)

 

The 210 RCA express coach comes off the motorway and terminates at the bus station in Cannes. It has a special designated area at the front of the bus station next to the port.

The bus leaves on average every 30 mins.  Here is the timetable to help you plan, don’t forget to leave time for checking in etc.

Here is the bus website if you can read french – it gives links to timetables (horaires) for both the slow and fast bus.  Read on for details on the slow bus.

Where to get the bus at the airport

Just to show you the size of the airport and the distance between the terminals. There is a free shuttle between terminals.  There is a bus station at G2

NORMAL (SLOW) BUS (Nice to Cannes):

Take line 200 from Terminal 1 – platform 3.  Should cost around 2 Euros.  It will take an hour or more depending on traffic.

Get off at the last stop – CANNES GARE ROUTIERE (Gare means Station) and you will find yourself at Cannes Rail Station; it’s just a short walk to the Jeux des Festivals from here.

For more info on buses, the official bus site is here, giving timetables on slow and fast buses.

There’s even a night bus (N200), if for some reason you have any crazy delays getting to Nice.  BUT IT DOESNT RUN SUNDAY NIGHT! Grab the last or first train instead.

Getting to the hotel: Once you arrive at Cannes train station get off and take the 1, 2 or 20 bus to Place du Marche, and go to Pierre et Vacances Hotel. More details in the section below.

TRAIN (Nice to Cannes):

The train from Nice St Augustin to Cannes that costs 6.50 for a single that takes around 30 mins to reach Cannes.

It is around 15 mins walk from terminal 1 and 20 from terminal 2 or Cannes central. Note there is a free shuttle bus between terminal 1 and 2.

Btw the Pierre et vacances hôtels (cannes beach and verrière) are a 10/15 minute walk away from Cannes La Bocca station.

CANNES Station to Jeux des Festival

Arriving at Cannes station you will see that it isn’t far at all from the Palais, it’s a 5 mins walk.

You can get a bus directly from the station to the Pierre et Vacances Beach hotel for 2 euros.

cannes sncf to palais

HOTELS

Hotel rooms that normally cost 130 euros a night will cost 30 because it’s off season.  There are rooms as little as 13 euros a night to be had, as long as you can share with other players.

Players usually stay at PIERRE & VACANCES CANNES BEACH or VERMIERE, this is where all the game sessions are.

11 Avenue Pierre Sémard – 06150 Cannes La Bocca

Tél.: (33)04 92 19 30 00 – Fax: (33)04 92 19 30 09

CANNES Station to FESTIVAL DES JEUX to Pierre et Vacances HOTEL

It’s very easy to take a # 1, #2 or #20 bus from Cannes train station or Festival des Jeux – you’ll find the bus stop on the main square opposite the port – then get off at “Place du Marche”.

  • 1 headed to Place Leclerc
  • 2 headed for Blanchisserie
  • 20 headed for Balcon D’Azur

Note: Bus no 2 does not serve Place du Marche in one direction (can’t remember which), so it may turn right after the stop before (Poste de Police), so if it does, get off and walk to Place du Marche.

This is along the road AVENUE FRANCIS TONNER.

buses cannes

On the map below for route 20 we have marked the main stops- the station “Gare SNCF”, the hotel de ville (the big square with the MacDonalds which is only 5-10 mins away on foot). And finally the Place du Marche.

cannes bus map

There is now an english website for the bus routes!

Place du Marche to Hotel

When you arrive at Place du Marche, Cross the road, walk up towards the beach ^^

cannes place du marche
This is place du Marche, on your right side, coming from Cannes Station/Hotel de Ville
cannes place du marche route to Pierre
This is on the right of Place Du Marche, walk up this road towards the beach!!!
cannes-pierre-et-vacances
Go up Francis Tonner till you reach Avenue Pierre Samard on your right!

LATE ARRIVALS AND GATE CODE

Note: if you arrive between 12 and 2pm, the reception is closed.  You have to wait until 2.  The reception will also close at 7pm, opening at 9am (8am on Saturdays).

If you do not know the code for the gate and you arrive after dark, you’re not getting in!  Make sure you keep the hotel emergency contact number or have asked the reception to put your key in the safe for you to collect when you arrive.

 

FESTIVAL DES JEUX

HOW TO ENTER THE VENUE

The tournament is located at the underground level -1 of the Palais des Festivals de Cannes. To get there, you must first enter the Festival International des Jeux/International Game Festival (normally a reserved entrance for players and it’s free) then go downstairs to the lower level.

 

On your first day of arrival: please check if someone is waiting at the entrance of the Palais des Festivals, if so you’ll be able to use the « priority access » (quick entrance) « Tournois jeux vidéo ». Just tell the security guard at the entrance that you’re coming for the « tournoi de jeux vidéo » (video game tournament)

 

Once you’re in the tournament area, please head for the REGISTRATION area at once: your presence will be confirmed for all tournaments and you’ll receive a bracelet. With this bracelet, you’ll gain access to the tournament and casuals areas. This bracelet will also give you access to the exclusive « Tournois de jeux vidéo » (video game tournament) entrance, the quickest way to enter the Palais des Festivals every day.

 

Expressions

Parlez vous anglais?  Do you speak English?

Sac! You’re a punching bag! (Low level player) (This can be taken as an insult)

Je pleasante! – I’m joking! (say this if they look like they will hit you / start crying after saying the phrase above)

S’il vous plait!  Please!

Merci! Thank you!

Excusez moi – Excuse me. 

 

Avez vous … papier de toilette? – Do you have ….toilet paper?

Ou est le …. super marche ? Where is the … supermarket?

Excusez moi, Ou est l’hotel, s’il vous plait?  Excuse me, where is the hotel, please?

Prendre a gauche – take a left

 

Prendre a droit – take a right

Continuez tout droit – continue straight forward

J’ai mal a la tete – I have a headache

Asobi wa owari da! – Playtime is over!

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