Wi-Fi and mobile phones in Cannes

If you’re headed for Cannes for the festival, MIPIM or Midem, one of the most important questions is: will my phone work at Cannes (and almost as important, how much will I pay?). The answer to that, of course, depends on your phone and your provider. Best to check with your provider who their “roaming” partner is and then check their coverage in France.

It’s rare to find a phone that doesn’t work to different standards these days.So the question quickly becomes, how much will I pay for calls in Cannes? Since the European Commission has been chastising mobile phone operators for excessive roaming charges, the prices have come down.

A rule of thumb: if you live in any of the neighbouring countries and/or are staying for up to three days, better to stick with your own mobile number and bear the costs. They won’t make much of a difference. If you’re from further abroad, are staying longer or are organising anything that requires a lot of phone calls, it might be best to pick up a local number. You can buy phone cards anywhere in Cannes, although Rue d’Antibes is probably the best place.

For Wi-Fi freaks (aren’t we all by now), I’ve included a list of hotspots here.Updated January 2018. Note that not all of them are free.