Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes

What Is the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes?

The Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes is a point-to-point coastal marathon run each November between two of the Riviera’s best-known cities — often described as France’s second-largest marathon after Paris. Organised by Azur Sport Organisation, it draws runners onto the Promenade des Anglais in Nice and sends them 42.195 km along the coast road to finish on Cannes’ Boulevard de la Croisette, passing through five towns in between.

The event is built around several formats sharing the same morning and much of the same route: the full marathon, capped at 15,000 bibs; a 20 km race from Nice to Villeneuve-Loubet for runners who want the same start and setting without the full distance; a two-person half-marathon relay; and a marathon relay for teams of three to six. Total participation across every format is capped at around 22,000. The 2026 edition sold out well before race day, across all distances — a sign of how established this fixture has become on the autumn running calendar.

What sets it apart from most city marathons is the course itself: a single, unbroken stretch of Mediterranean coastline, sea on one side for most of the route, with the finish delivering runners onto one of the most photographed streets in France.

When Does the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes Take Place?

The 2026 edition takes place on Sunday 8 November 2026, with runners set off in successive waves rather than a single gun: the handisport wave at 7:57 AM, the elite field and the sub-3-hour and sub-3:15 pace groups at 8:00 AM, then further waves at 8:25, 8:50 and 9:15 AM; the relay field starts at 8:03 AM. The shorter and relay formats share the same morning and much of the same road as the full marathon field before splitting off at their respective finish or handover points.

Registration for each edition typically opens in autumn, shortly after the previous race — the 2026 early-bird window ran until 30 November 2025 — on the official site, marathon06.com. Given that recent editions — including 2026 — have sold out well ahead of race day, runners planning for a future year should watch for the registration window opening in the autumn rather than assume late entry will be possible, or wait for a following spring that doesn’t come.

Where Does the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes Take Place?

The marathon starts on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, by the Théâtre de Verdure in the Jardin Albert 1er — about 400–500 metres, or a 5–10 minute walk, from the Cours Saleya and the heart of Vieux Nice. From there the course runs west along the coast road, passing through Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Antibes Juan-les-Pins, and Vallauris Golfe-Juan, before finishing on Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes, close to the Palais des Festivals — the same red-carpeted building that hosts the Cannes Film Festival each May.

The route stays close to the shoreline for almost its entire length, alternating between open sea views and the built-up seafronts of the towns it passes through. It is flat by marathon standards, with the coast road providing few significant gradients, which is part of the appeal for runners chasing a fast time as well as those simply enjoying the setting.

How to Get There

If you’re staying in Nice: the start line is a straightforward walk or short tram ride from most central accommodation. Vieux Nice and the Cours Saleya are only 5–10 minutes on foot from the start; the tram serves Nice-Ville station and the city centre, though expect diversions and early closures on the Promenade itself as the course is set up.

Reaching Nice before the race: Nice Côte d’Azur Airport connects to the city centre by tram in around 30 minutes. From Nice-Ville station, it’s a short walk or a few tram stops to the seafront.

Getting home after the finish in Cannes: this is the detail that catches first-timers out, and it’s worth planning for. Every race bib doubles as a free, unlimited TER train ticket between Nice and Cannes for the entire day of 8 November, in both directions — so runners can simply walk from the Croisette finish to Cannes station and travel back to Nice at no extra cost, whenever they’re ready. Non-running companions and spectators don’t get this benefit: they buy a normal TER ticket, and the journey takes around 35 minutes each way. Expect the Nice–Cannes line to be busy from mid-morning onward, with runners and their support crews travelling in both directions; allow extra time and don’t count on grabbing a seat.

Driving is not recommended. Rolling road closures affect the coast road through the morning as the field passes each section, and parking near either the start or the finish is effectively unavailable on race day.

What to See and Do

The start on the Promenade des Anglais. Even for spectators, the mass start of a marathon this size is a spectacle — thousands of runners filling the seafront boulevard at first light, with the Baie des Anges as a backdrop. Arrive before 8:00 AM if you want a clear view of the send-off.

Antibes Juan-les-Pins — the relay handover. For the two-person half-marathon relay, the exchange happens here, roughly at the marathon’s halfway point. It’s a natural place to station yourself if you’re supporting a relay team, and a good midpoint stop if you’re following the race along the coast by train.

The finish on the Croisette. Cannes’ famous boulevard — usually associated with film premieres and red-carpet arrivals — becomes a finish chute for runners for one Sunday each November. The Palais des Festivals, just a few hundred metres from the line, gives the finish area a genuinely striking backdrop, and there’s a real sense of occasion as runners come down the final stretch with the sea on one side and Cannes’ grand hotels on the other.

Following the race along the route. Because the course tracks the coastal railway almost the entire way, spectators can hop between towns by train to catch runners at different points — the start in Nice, the Antibes handover, and the Cannes finish are all realistic to combine in a single morning if you plan the train times.

Where to Stay for the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes

Nice is the natural base, since it’s both the start city and the better-connected of the two towns for accommodation, transport, and things to do outside race morning. Staying centrally means you can walk to the start rather than negotiate the diversions and reduced tram service that come with closing the Promenade des Anglais for the morning.

Vieux Nice puts you within easy walking distance of the start and gives you somewhere pleasant to recover afterwards — a proper lunch and an afternoon off your feet, rather than a long journey home. An apartment on the Cours Saleya, such as Gilli, is about 400–500 metres from the start line — close enough to walk down at 7:30 AM without needing transport at all. See our where to stay guide for the fuller case for Nice as a base, and getting around for the city’s tram and bus network.

Cannes itself is a workable alternative if you’d rather wake up closer to the finish, but its accommodation is smaller in supply than Nice’s and books up around the marathon weekend; Antibes, roughly at the course’s midpoint, is a quieter option with its own direct rail connection to both ends of the route.

Practical Tips

Collect your bib in person, in advance. The expo runs at the Centre des Congrès Nicèa, Port of Nice (Quai Amiral Infernet): Thursday 5 November, 12:00–19:00; Friday 6 November, 10:00–19:00; and Saturday 7 November, 9:00–20:00. Nothing is posted by mail or handed out on race morning — if you miss the expo window, you don’t run.

Keep your bib after the race. It’s your free train ticket back to Nice for the rest of the day, so don’t discard it at the finish line with your other race-day clutter.

Dress for a cool, changeable morning. Early November on this stretch of coast typically runs 9–17°C across the day, with a real chance of a shower — pack a disposable layer to shed once you’ve warmed up, and something dry to change into at the finish.

Plan your spectating route around the trains. If you want to see the start in Nice and still make Cannes for the finish, work out train times in advance; services get busy as the morning goes on.

Book accommodation and travel early. Nice and Cannes both see a genuine bump in demand around race weekend, smaller than during Carnival or the Film Festival but real enough that last-minute options thin out, particularly for Saturday night before the Sunday race.