I just came back from a trip to Cannes in the South of France and I’m not going to lie, it’s not the best place for Coeliacs. It’s very much a gluten heaven (or nightmare!). No matter where you stand, there will be a pizza, bowl of pasta, some baguette bread or a combination of all these in sight.
It’s the first time I’ve been to the French Riviera as a Coeliac and I remember my pre-gluten free past holidays there, many years ago, being filled with so many delicious pizzas and pesto pasta that I really didn’t go with high gluten free expectations.
But don’t let this put you off. Cannes (and the Cote d’Azur in general) is such a beautiful place and I will surely go back, regardless.
Fortunately there are a few health shops that sell gluten free products and there is a Carrefour supermarket in the centre of town which also has a good gluten free section.
So my advice would be to stay in a self catering apartment or hotel room that comes with a kitchenette. This is what I did and thoroughly enjoyed my holiday without having to risk eating out. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I love shopping in supermarkets when travelling. I love seeing and trying all the ‘normal’ different foods people buy/eat. Which is something I loved doing even before I was gluten free.
I see a lot of people on coeliac groups that are scared of travelling, in fear of not knowing where to eat, what to eat, etc. Travelling doesn’t have to be stressful. You can always find naturally gluten free foods in shops and prepare simple non time consuming meals yourself and get on with your holiday without worries. Here are examples of what I ate:
What I ate while in Cannes:
Red pesto pasta on rocket (with a glass of wine, of course).
My breakfasts – gluten free baby croissants with greek yoghurt, apple & rhubarb compote and some fresh fruits.
Tuna salad and biscottes with gouda cheese slices. And of course so many other cheeses which I didn’t take pictures of. 😉
Ketchup crisps! Even on the crisps front, a lot of brands in Cannes contain gluten, but these are safe and delicious. 😀
Olives, of course. So many different flavours too.
Note that I was only there for a few days so while I didn’t personally find anywhere safe to eat, I’m sure there are hidden gems here and there that I didn’t have the time to discover. If any of you have been to Cannes and have recommendations, I would love to know! Feel free to leave a comment below! 😀
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We have 3 celiacs in our family and found Italy to be quite easy. They know all about it. France on the other night, not so easy
I agree Italy is brilliant for Coeliacs, I had a great time in Venice last year. Paris is fantastic and has so many 100% gluten free restaurants, cafes and bakeries, but the rest of France seems a bit hit and miss in comparison.