La Promenada de la Croisette is one of the most prominent boulevards in Cannes. Stretching for two kilometres along the Mediterranean shoreline, La Croisette is a hub of well-heeled existence.

With designer shops, five-star hotels,, the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, and, of course, being the location of the Cannes Film Festival, La Croisette embodies every meaning of the word ‘glamour’ – No wonder La Promenada de la Croisette is listed in the cultural heritage general inventory of France!

Whilst one cannot fail to be seduced by La Croisette’s blatant exquisiteness  as soon as they step on to one of the most prosperous boulevards in the whole of France, the history of la Croisette remains less apparent, which is a shame, because, like its vibrant and pulsating aesthetics, the promenade’s history is equally as effervescent.

This stunning boulevard is overlooked by the medieval castle of De La Castre Museum, which was built at the end of the 11^th century in order to defend the rapidly prospering town of Cannes. The castle has managed to retain its most prized possession, the Romanesque Sainte-Anne chapel and cisterns.

De La Castre is now home to the Musee de la Castre, which houses many ancient and treasured artefacts and paintings from all over the world.

The birth of La Promenada de la Croisette began in the 19^th century and was built on a former coastal path known as “chemin de la petite croix” – the “Path of the small cross.”

It was in the second half of the 1800s when the boulevard was heavily developed, when, with the completion of a railway network in the area; high-end tourism began to take off in Cannes, followed shortly by the construction of the Carlton Hotel on La Croisette.

This 343-room hyper-luxury hotel has been listed as a National Historic Building, and is one of the most prestigious dwellings in Cannes during the Cannes Film Festival.

Today there are 280 hotels on La Croisette all as extravagant as each other overlooking the luxurious yachts moored in Cannes bay and providing the perfect view to muse at the elegantly-dressed people walk their equally as elegantly-dressed poodles down one of the most famously prosperous boulevards in Europe.

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