Roll Out the Red Carpet: My Not-Quite-Glamorous, Totally Fabulous Cannes Urban Trail Experience

My Travel Shoes
4 days ago
6 min read

Updated: 20 minutes ago

If you’ve ever dreamed of walking the red carpet in Cannes, let me tell you a secret: you don’t need a designer gown or a starring role in the next big blockbuster. You just need a pair of comfortable shoes, a bib number, and a willingness to climb an astonishing number

of stairs.

That’s how, weeks into our winter trip on the Côte d’Azur, I found myself doing something very new: participating in the 2025 Cannes Urban Trail, an annual running/walking event that winds through the city’s most iconic and historic sites.

Cannes sits on the Mediterranean coast, roughly halfway between Monaco and Saint-Tropez, with 15 km of shoreline, including 7.6 km of sandy beaches.

Video Credit: Cannes Urban Trail

Was I a marathon runner?

Absolutely not.

Did I register before leaving Canada?

Yes. I wasn’t sure how much walking my beau and I might do together on this trip (life happens, things change).

Did I imagine that signing up - my first time ever wearing a runner’s bib - might be a fun way to see the city and maybe meet a few people?

Sure.

But not a single event volunteer spoke English. So, I settled for smiling enthusiastically, pretending I knew exactly what was going on, and clutching my event shirt like a souvenir of success.

Welcome to Cannes… urban-trail style.

Why I Signed Up

Before arriving in France, I researched hiking clubs. I wanted a way to explore Cannes on my own, and that’s when I stumbled across the Cannes Urban Trail. It takes place every January and offers options for everyone - from a hardcore 27 km run to a 1.4 km kids’ race.

While I’ve often fantasized about running a marathon, being built like a runner doesn’t automatically qualify me to be one. So, I chose the 9 km walk: proudly untimed, mercifully low-pressure, and conveniently absent from any official results board.

Honestly, that’s a blessing. Had I been brave (or foolish) enough to join the 9 km Run, I would’ve finished… second last. And only because the very last person probably stopped for snacks (handed out by volunteers along the route).

Race(?) Day

We were staying in Villefranche-sur-Mer, so I set an early alarm, woke to a glowing Mediterranean sunrise, grabbed a quick breakfast, and we drove 45 minutes along the A8 toward Cannes. No traffic. No parking issues. Was this a miracle?

With time to spare, naturally, we stopped for a cappuccino and croissant.

Registration was near the iconic Palais des Festivals. With my bib and T-shirt in hand, I joined hundreds of participants gathered on the beach. The pre-event atmosphere buzzed with cold Mediterranean wind, deep golden sand, rolling waves, and that anticipatory excitement that always feels bigger than the event itself.

I felt the adrenaline of a marathon runner - despite wearing nothing but my favourite walking shoes - and layers, including a bulky puffer vest under my t-shirt.

Eventually, the walkers were summoned, and off we went.

Douglas immediately set out in search of the perfect restaurant terrace on Rue Félix Faure to do what he does best: people-watch and soak up the sun. Win-win.

Cannes: A Tourist Route… If Your Guide Loves Sand and Stairs

The course, as it turns out, was not designed by someone fond of flat sidewalks.

Our route went something like this:

soft, deep, energy-sapping sand
a sidewalk stroll past a row of shiny yachts - Esplanade Pantiero
more sandy beach - Plage du Midi (so much deep sand!)
an uphill climb - with sand in my shoes
many, many stairs
through a building (the library - I was tempted to stop and browse)
more uphill
a rocky trail through the woods
down another set of stairs
through Le Suquet, Cannes’ historic neighbourhood
and finally, back toward the legendary Palais des Festivals

And all along the way, runners from longer distances breezed past me as though gravity did not apply to them.

I attempted conversation with fellow walkers, but no one spoke English. At times I wondered if someone had secretly added a scavenger-hunt component.

We “visited”:

Le Campus International

Where students from around the world come to perfect their French. I briefly imagined how much smoother this trip might be if I enrolled. Registration is open year-round ...

Villa Rothschild

Built in 1881, now a public media library. Elegant. Grand. Did I stop to browse?No, this was a serious event, and I had sand in my socks.

Notre-Dame-d’Espérance

A 16th-century Gothic-Renaissance gem perched high on a hill with panoramic views over town and sea. Worth every uphill breath.

Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)

A Beaux-Arts beauty once known as the Hôtel des Anges. I snapped a mental photo - too focused on not tripping to take an actual one.

My Red-Carpet Moment

The finish line was anything but ordinary.

As we approached the Palais des Festivals, home of the famous Cannes Film Festival, I suddenly saw the red carpet. The red carpet. The one celebrities climb in gowns worth more than my car.

I was giddy.

I power-walked (ran?) up the steps, entered the iconic Louis Lumière Auditorium, busted out some (mental-only) dance moves across the stage, then dashed back outside and down the red carpet, through a giant Christmas tree (décor, not real), across ANOTHER red carpet, and under an inflatable FINISH arch.

Time: 1.5 hours

Snack stops: Zero. (The last-place 9 km Runner probably enjoyed a few.)

I collected my wooden medal, feeling ridiculously pleased with myself.

Douglas, of course, had missed my triumphant finish while enjoying his espresso. Naturally.

So, I called him, he returned, and, because I knew he’d want photos, I repeated the entire red-carpet routine again.

Oscar-winning performance?

Probably.

Why It Felt Special

I’d never joined an event like this while travelling, and I’d certainly never worn a runner’s bib, which promptly earned me a new nickname from Douglas: "3047".

I walked up and down stairs built for glamorous people. And I loved every moment.Not because it was easy, but because it was new.

As it turned out, we did a ton of walking on this trip and explored several towns in the region, including Cannes. We’d even done a bike tour three weeks earlier. I could have easily skipped the Urban Trail event, but I’m so glad I didn’t.

Travel, at its best, nudges us out of our comfort zone.

It invites us to learn, explore, stretch (sometimes literally, as my calves will attest). The Cannes Urban Trail let me see the city in a way I never would have otherwise - past beaches and through iconic buildings, through forests and historic plazas, over hills and into neighbourhoods where Saturday-morning café patios are their own kind of culture.

It reminded me that you don’t have to be an athlete to try something new. You just need curiosity… and, ideally, good insoles.

Final Thoughts

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat.

The event was wonderfully organized, scenic, somewhat challenging, and unlike any “tour” I’ve ever taken. For a mere 19 euros, I got to play, briefly, at being both a marathoner and a Cannes star, and I even received official photos afterward.

If you ever find yourself in Cannes in January, check out the Cannes Urban Trail. Or next time you’re travelling, dare yourself to sign up for something unfamiliar - a walk, a workshop, a class… maybe even a trail event with sand, stairs, wind, and a red-carpet finale.

You might surprise yourself.

I certainly did.