Cannes township has a wonderful system in place for those who just want to comfortably soak up the sun without spending a fortune on a private beach. In French, it's called "regie municipal" which loosely translates to "managed by the municipality and there's one of them in Cannes, placed on the glittering stretch of beach known as "La Croisette".

Zamenhoff is on the eastern end of La Croisette and you can rent an umbrella and a lounge chair at less than half the price of a private beach including restroom facilities and a hot shower.

The lounge chairs are not reclining as on private beaches but they are certainly comfortable enough at least for a half-day. Unlike private beaches which offer restaurant dining, the municipal beaches don't provide food. Not to worry! There are snack and sandwich kiosks just up the stairs and on the seaside promenade.

The municipal beach is open from 8.30am to 6.30pm from mid-June to mid-September. It's wise to reserve here.