Croix-des-Gardes Cross
A hill with a cross above the Bay of Cannes
The story
The Croix-des-Gardes is a wooded hill in western Cannes, about 80 hectares of Mediterranean forest. It belongs to the Conservatoire du littoral, France’s coastal protection agency, and the town looks after it. Legend says that in 1525 King Francis the First placed a garrison of Swiss guards on the summit. They watched the sea for pirate ships, which is where the name comes from: the Guards’ Cross. The steel cross, 12 meters high, was made by the sculptor Jean-Yves Lechevallier in 1990. In January 2024 the wind bent it, and on December 30, 2025 a carbon-fiber copy took its place. It can stand winds of up to 240 kilometers an hour. From here you can see the Bay of Cannes, the Lérins Islands, the Estérel and the foothills of the Alps.
Visiting
There is a parking area next to the cross. No smoking and no fires in the park.
On the trail
- Croix-des-Gardes Forest — about 2.3 km, about 1 h
On the way
Sources
- Cannes town hall — leaflet “Parc naturel forestier de la Croix-des-Gardes” (February 2025): 80 ha, routes of 3.1, 4, 1.7 and 1.8 km, park rules
- Cannes town hall, December 30, 2025 — the Croix-des-Gardes cross is back in place
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