Cannes trade show season: a practical guide (November–March)

From November to March, Cannes changes pace. The beach clubs on the Croisette close for the winter, and the Palais des Festivals fills week after week with professional markets: retail property, luxury travel, private capital, artificial intelligence, real estate. For a business traveller, the goals are simple: arrive on time, move between meetings without losing an hour, and make the return flight.

This guide brings together the dates of the 2026–2027 season and the practical points that make the difference on the ground. The dates below are those published by the organisers and the Palais des Festivals when this guide was written. Always check the official website of your event before booking.

The 2026–2027 season at the Palais des Festivals

The scale varies a great deal from one event to the next. MAPIC expects around 4,000 participants from 75 countries. ILTM Cannes reported almost 10,000 attendees in 2025, including more than 2,500 buyers from 83 countries. MIPIM, the largest market of the winter, announces more than 20,000 participants from some 90 countries.

The weeks when Cannes fills up

Winter Cannes is not July Cannes: the roads are clearer and restaurants are easier to book. But during a show, everything happens within the same few hundred metres around the Palais. Three periods deserve particular attention this season.

• ILTM week (30 November – 3 December). Thousands of luxury travel professionals, with dinners and receptions every evening, many of them away from the Palais.
• Mid-February (10–17 February). WAICF and Canneseries follow each other with almost no gap: two different audiences, the same hotels, the same streets.
• MIPIM week (15–19 March). The biggest event of the winter. Hotels, restaurants and cars are reserved months in advance, and the area between the Palais and the Old Port stays busy from morning to late evening.

Outside the summer season, fewer chauffeur-driven cars operate on the Riviera. On show weeks, availability goes quickly: book your ground transport when you book your hotel, not the week before you travel.

Nice Airport to the Palais: your options

Most visitors land at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, about thirty kilometres from the Palais. Several options cover that distance; the right one depends on your luggage, your arrival time and your schedule.

Train. Regional TER trains leave from Nice Saint-Augustin station, a short tram ride or walk from the terminals, and reach Cannes in about 25 to 35 minutes. Cannes station is around five minutes on foot from the Palais. For a solo traveller with hand luggage arriving during the day, it is quick and inexpensive.

Express coach. The regional Zou! network runs an express coach between the airport terminals and Cannes. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, plus waiting time at the stop.

Taxi. Available at the terminal exits, at a flat fare to Cannes, no booking needed. Convenient when everything runs to plan; less so when your flight lands late or colleagues arrive on different flights.

Private chauffeur. Your driver follows your flight, meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you straight to your hotel or the Palais. Via the A8 motorway, allow 30 to 45 minutes outside rush hours. The price is fixed and confirmed before you travel. This option makes most sense for teams, heavy luggage, late arrivals and tight schedules.

For business aviation, Cannes-Mandelieu airport is just a few kilometres west of the city, and a helicopter transfer from Nice takes less than ten minutes. In both cases, plan a car for the last stretch.

Getting around during the show

The Palais des Festivals is at 1 boulevard de la Croisette, next to the Old Port. Most of the large hotels on the Croisette are within walking distance, and many delegates cover short distances on foot. A car becomes useful in other situations:

• Arrival and departure days, with luggage, especially when you check out in the morning and fly in the evening.
• Visits outside Cannes: retail sites during MAPIC, hotels and villas between Cap d’Antibes, Cap-Ferrat and Monaco during ILTM, development projects during MIPIM. A chauffeur booked by the hour saves juggling several separate bookings.
• Evenings: dinners in the hills around Mougins, receptions on yachts in the Old Port or at Port Pierre Canto, late returns to your hotel.

At opening and closing times, traffic around the Palais slows down considerably. Agree a precise pick-up point with your driver, such as a hotel entrance or a side street, rather than “in front of the Palais”. Keep your phone on: a one-minute call saves a quarter of an hour of searching.

Book in the right order

1. Confirm your flights, outbound and return, with their flight numbers.
2. Book your hotel, ideally within walking distance of the Palais.
3. Book the airport transfer straight away, with your flight number so that the pick-up follows any delay.
4. Plan the days with outside meetings: an hourly booking or a series of scheduled transfers.
5. Plan the return with a margin: on the last day, many participants leave at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

Is a private chauffeur worth it for a two-day show?

Not always. If you travel alone with hand luggage and stay near the station, the train is a sensible choice. A chauffeur makes the difference when you travel as a team, arrive late, carry luggage or have meetings outside Cannes.

How far ahead should we book?

As soon as your flights are confirmed. For ILTM and MIPIM weeks, booking several weeks ahead is wise.

Can one car handle a team arriving on different flights?

Yes, provided we have all the flight numbers and hotel addresses. We then plan the pick-ups in the right order, or several vehicles if the arrival times are too far apart.

Are your prices fixed?

Yes. The price is confirmed in writing before you book.

Official sources to check

• Palais des Festivals et des Congrès — events calendar
• MAPIC
• ILTM Cannes
• IPEM
• World AI Cannes Festival
• Canneseries
• Festival International des Jeux
• MIPIM
• Zou! regional transport network