Tourism cagnes-sur-mer

Let our guide tell you the story of Cros-de-Cagnes, the biggest port of the "Alpes-Maritimes" during the 1920s and the 1930s (era when more than 200 fishermen made live a thousand of people).

Do a spot of fishing on the return journey and meet the professional fishermen of CRos-de-Cagnes who will explain you their passion for their job, will tell you about the main fish that can be caught around our coast and will give you some advice on how to prepare fish (it is possible to buy fish at the fisk market).

A walk along the seaside will help you getting used to the "pointus", the streets with names of flowers, the fishermen's church, the Place Saint Pierre…

• Beautiful warm-toned frescoes, dated around 1530 and discover quite by chance under the plasterwork, decorate this edifice claassified as an historic monument in 1936. The merciful virgin represents the central theme of these images which were intended to educate the peasants and town inhabitants, as well as develop their devoutness.
• The chapel also offers a magnificent panoramic viwe of the "Massif du Mercantour" and the Mediterannean. The same view can be enjoed along the "rue Hippolyte Guis" leading to the "lavoir communal" (public washing-place) and the "Hôtel Dieu" (former hospital) which dates from the 18th century. On the right the "rue Denis Jean Clergue" takes you to the "Porte de Nice" dominated by its church tower crowned with a magnificent wrought-iron bell-tower. from the castle-gate, you can admire the unique perspective of the "montée de la Bourgade" - 777 steps - with its gourmer restaurants and "Cercle des Amis", the oldest association in Cagnes and home of the "Square Boules World Championship".
• The visit continues across the "Place Grimaldi", a pretty internal square in pebblestone. To your left is the church "Eglise paroissiale Saint-Pierre", the oldest part of which dates back to the 13th century. The building as we know it today (open evryday except Tuesdays) is the result of extensions carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries. Backing onto the church is the "Capitainerie" (former guard house), with remarkable arcades, medieval columns and capitals.
• To your right, you will see the impressive fortress built by the Grimaldi family. It was in 1620 that Jean-Henri Grimaldi transformed the citadelle of his ancestors into a family home offering the charm and opulence of a palace. High windows, the monumental staircase, the marble gate opening onto an inner patio embellished with two floors of arched galleries and painted ceilings, the noble floor with its ceremonial hall and magnificient trompe-l'oeil ceiling attributed to Giulo Benso, all testify to the wealth of the period. The second floor gives access to the tower and contained the private apartments. The castle, now a municipal museum, houses numerous permanent exhibitions rooms : the "Musée de l'Olivier" (Olive tree Museum) in honour of the age old culture of olives ; the boudoir containing the "Suzy Solidor Donation" is devoted to 40 portraits of the famous singer by artists such as Foujita, Van Dongen, Dufy, Picabia, Cocteau, Kisling ... ; and the "Musée Méditerranéen d'Art Moderne" (Mediterranean Museum of modern art).
• As you leave the castle, take the "rue du Clapier" on your right, then the "Traverse de l'Eglise" and the "Petit Pontis" which will lead you back to the church square. The recess over the church doors used to house the statue of St. Peter (patron saint of Cagnes) venerated by the fishermen of the .
• Opposite is the "Casa Maria", a medieval orange-coloured house of corbelled construction restored in 1930 by the Colombian architect Santiago Médina who gave it a Spanish-Provencal style.
• The "rue Saint-Roch" on the right takes you to the "Maison Commune" which was used as town hall after the revolution in 1789. The door frame and brick staircase probably dtae from that period. The two superb funerary steles on the facade date from the Roman era. Opposite the edifice, three 16th-century dwellings are characterised by the their half-timbered and overhanging storey. A little furter on, the "Porte d'Antibes" opens onto the "place Saint-Sébastien" (commonly known as the "Place du Mûrier") which offers a viwe of the "Cap d'Antibes".

Cagnes-sur-Mer possesses 3.5 km of pebbled beach, including one dog-friendly beach (opposite the racecourse) and numerous private beaches providing food and other services: hiring of lilos, deck chairs and parasols.

The beaches of Cagnes-sur-Mer are patrolled all year round by professional lifeguards.

• 2 first aid posts in July/August: 1 police post at the racecourse (open every day from 10am until 6:30pm) and a fire station (open every day from 9am until 7pm).
• 'Handi-Plage' disabled facilities next to the fire station (opposite the Saint-Pierre beach): seats for assistance in getting in and out of the sea, specially adapted toilets and showers for disabled people, (Tel: 04 92 12 92 06).
• In high season there are two rafts, two designated zones for water sports and one zone for windsurfing.
• The bathing water is of excellent quality and is subjected to regular analyses carried out by the City of Nice environmental laboratory.

The maritime vocation of Cros-de-Cagnes punctuates the life of this district where the traditions are well anchored.

Around the church of the fishermen, shed port and of its pointed ones, a whole village becomes animated. Narrow lanes, coloured houses, gone in the open air and gastronomy centered on the products of the Mediterranean - Sea-bream, Wolf, Saint-Pierre, Sardine, Putin… reflect an impregnated art of living of the southernmost heat of its inhabitants.

A Crossoise authenticity which you can also find within the associative medium: Free of the Cros,  Amicale San Peire or Painters of the Cros…

For your lunch, go to Restaurant Charlot 1er on boulevard de la plage, wonderfull !

www.charlot1er.fr

With a particularly generous sunning, a pleasant sea and nearly three kilometers of beaches, the Cagnois shores constitute a centre of attraction particularly appreciated by the many amateurs of water sports: sail, board with sail, water skiing, wake-board or even plunged underwater.