Mid-September is a good time to visit the Côte d’Azur, if you want to avoid the crowds. The downside is that the weather can be quite unstable. It wasn’t exactly beach weather the afternoon we went to Cannes and this definitely coloured my impression of it.

As we walked along the Allée des Etoiles and stood at the foot of the Palais de Festival, it was difficult to imagine that this is the same place associated with glitz and glamour … although the words, Gone with the Wind did come to mind …

It was rainy, windy and cold, much worse than the day we went to Montecarlo. Hard to believe that two days ago I had been dancing outside just a few miles away in Nice. That’s why we didn’t walk up through the Suquet, the oldest and most atmospheric part of Cannes. Instead, we took a bus up to Mont Chevalier to take in a panoramic view of the Bay of Cannes. If you are here on a sunny day, I’m sure it’s worth taking the time to walk up.

The Castre museum, located at the top of Mont Chevalier was just closing when we arrived. Housed within a castle that used to be a monastery, the museum has a collection of art and antiquities, mainly from the Mediterranean and Middle East. After a few windswept photos we took the bus back down and walked around the city centre.

There were quite a few quirky boutiques in the Rue Meynadier. So we finished the day with some shopping, just as the sun started to come out …

The bad weather gave it a ghost-town like feel and everyone we met seemed to be in a bad mood. Having said that, this really was our worst day weather-wise during the week we spent at the Côte d’Azur. All in all, I think Cannes deserves another chance!

Your turn …

Did you ever visit a place that didn’t quite live up to your expectations? Or where you had a different experience than you expected? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!