Nice-Cannes Marathon 2026: where to stay and how to follow the race from the hinterland<
On Sunday 8 November, nearly 25,000 runners will set off from the Promenade des Anglais to reach the Croisette, 42 kilometres along the Mediterranean. This is the 18th edition of the French Riviera Marathon Nice-Cannes, the largest marathon in France after Paris, and it has been sold out since spring. For runners, their families and spectators, the hinterland offers a calmer base, about twenty minutes from Cannes.
The Nice-Cannes Marathon at a glance
- Date: Sunday 8 November 2026, start at 8am on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice
- Finish: Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes. The first runners are expected around 10am.
- Route: Nice, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Vallauris Golfe-Juan, then Cannes, almost entirely along the seafront
- Formats: marathon, relay for 3 to 6 runners, 2 × 21.1 km duo (changeover at Antibes Juan-les-Pins), 20 km Nice – Villeneuve-Loubet, and handisport races
- Field: around 25,000 entrants, including 15,500 in the marathon, representing some sixty nations
Since its first edition in 2008, the event has welcomed nearly 210,000 participants. It holds an FFA label and AIMS certification.
Following the race without a car
On race day the coast is heavily disrupted, and the train is the simplest way to move between points on the course.
An SNCF Marathon Pass costs €8 and gives unlimited travel between Nice-Riquier and Cannes on Sunday 8 November. Runners travel free on ZOU! trains between Nice and Cannes with their bib. Note that bicycles are not allowed on any train on this line that day.
With this pass, a supporter’s day might run like this: watch the start in Nice at 8am, move on to Antibes or Juan-les-Pins for the middle of the race, then reach Cannes for the finish on the Croisette.
Before the race: bib collection takes place at the Running Expo in the OCEANICE centre at the Port of Nice, from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November. Nothing is handed out on race day.
Relive the 2025 edition
Last year, nearly 22,000 runners started the 17th edition in brilliant sunshine. Kenya’s Dickson Kiprop won in 2h13’30” and compatriot Irene Korir took the women’s race in 2h39’41”. The course record, 2h07’25”, has been held since 2018 by Ethiopia’s Abrha Milaw.
A calm base at Hôtel du Clos
A marathon weekend brings a great many people into a very small space. Between the bustle of the Expo, early starts and late finishes, some prefer to stay slightly away from it all and join the race by train or car.
From Hôtel du Clos, in Le Rouret, Cannes is about twenty minutes away and Nice about thirty. You return in the evening to a quiet Provençal village, to recover or simply have dinner away from the seafront crowds. For supporters, it is also a way to turn a sporting weekend into a short stay: November on the Côte d’Azur is bright and uncrowded.
Book directly on our website, with no intermediary. Rooms for the weekend of 8 November are limited.
→ Check availability
Extending your stay
If you stay a few days, the Ellsworth Kelly exhibition at the Fondation Maeght runs until 15 November: → read our article on Saint-Paul-de-Vence and the Fondation Maeght. Gourdon and the Gorges du Loup are less than an hour away: → read our Gourdon guide. And from the end of the month, the region’s Christmas markets open their chalets.
For the 18th Nice-Cannes Marathon, keep a quiet bed: a few rooms remain at Hôtel du Clos.
→ Book direct