How we move your car from the UK to Cannes
Every Cannes shipment begins with a collection from a mainland UK address you nominate: most are private garages, family residences, dealerships or specialist storage facilities. At the kerbside, the driver photographs every panel, records the fuel level and mileage and walks through the documentation with you, before the car goes on the transporter for the run south.
From collection, the car travels in a single-vehicle enclosed transporter. Two routings are available, and we recommend one based on the vehicle, the urgency and the season.
The road route uses the Eurotunnel from Folkestone, then runs south through France via Reims, Lyon and Aix-en-Provence, joining the A8 east into Cannes. Around 850 miles of motorway are covered by the transporter rather than the car itself, so the vehicle arrives in the condition it left, with no fuel burned and no mileage added. This routing suits supercars, show-spec collector cars and any vehicle a client needs on the Côte d’Azur quickly.
The sea route runs from Southampton or Felixstowe to Marseille, followed by a short onward enclosed haul of around two hours east along the A8. Transit is three to four days, and it suits multi-vehicle consignments, household-with-car moves and clients whose arrival date is flexible.
Hand-over takes place at the address of your choice: the forecourt of a Croisette hotel, a private garage at a Boulevard de la Croisette apartment, a villa in Super Cannes, La Californie or the hills above Mougins, a berth at the Vieux Port or Port Pierre Canto for clients arriving by yacht, or a permitted parking arrangement near the Palais des Festivals during event week. The Le Suquet old town and its narrow approach roads are also familiar territory. A client should never collect a car from a port, and a hotel concierge should never be left to manage the customs paperwork.
Who we ship to Cannes for
The Cannes route is used by a recognisable mix of clientele. Private owners and seasonal residents with properties on the Côte d’Azur make up the largest share. Film Festival attendees and production companies bring in personal vehicles and character cars for premieres and activations. Business executives attend MIPIM and Cannes Lions with their own cars on the ground. Yacht owners berthed at the Vieux Port or Port Pierre Canto have their cars meet the boat. Dealers, collectors and event organisers move specific vehicles in for shoots, exhibitions and launches.
Cannes arrival, customs and event timing
We lodge the import declaration at Marseille or the vehicle’s first French point of entry, whichever gets the car onto the A8 towards Cannes fastest.
Whether that’s a temporary admission for a festival fortnight or a permanent import for a new Croisette resident, the full mechanics, including Transfer of Residence relief, are covered on our European customs guide.
Event timing matters in Cannes more than at most other Mediterranean destinations. Film Festival fortnight in May, Cannes Lions in June, MIPIM in March and the Royal Regatta each bring tightened access on and around La Croisette, route closures near the Palais des Festivals, controlled drop-off windows at the Carlton InterContinental, the Martinez, the Majestic Barrière and the JW Marriott, and heavy demand on enclosed transporter capacity to the region. Booking ahead gives us the latitude to choose the routing and the arrival window that fits the event schedule.
Storage in the Cannes area can be arranged for clients whose car needs to land before they do. Whether hand-over is on the forecourt of a Croisette hotel or at a private garage above Super Cannes, it comes with the same paperwork: the cleared customs release, the bill of lading, the pre-shipment inspection record with photographs and a hand-over inspection mirroring the UK record, plus the full pack emailed alongside it.
