The White Lotus comes to Cannes: the French Riviera takes centre stage

After Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand, HBO’s global phenomenon The White Lotus has chosen the French Riviera as the setting for its fourth season, due to air in 2027. Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Monaco will provide the backdrop for the new storyline, with the Cannes Film Festival itself entering the world of the series. It is a choice that once again highlights the enduring international appeal of the Riviera and its most exclusive destinations.

Cannes, September 2026 - The Croisette, the Palais des Festivals, legendary hotels and hills overlooking the Mediterranean: some places seem made for the screen. They will soon provide the setting for one of the most successful and talked-about television series of recent years.

Season four of The White Lotus, created by Mike White for HBO, is currently filming in France ahead of its 2027 release. The production has chosen the French Riviera as one of the principal settings for the new season, with filming taking place in Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Monaco.

In Cannes, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès and the Hôtel Martinez are among the locations selected, placing the city and its unique relationship with cinema at the heart of a production destined for a worldwide audience.

Beyond the excitement surrounding the filming itself, however, the choice says something about the French Riviera today: a destination that continues to represent, for an international audience, a distinctive vision of travel, elegance and Mediterranean living.

The White Lotus: far more than a television success

Since its launch in 2021, The White Lotus has become an international cultural phenomenon.

Its concept is now instantly recognisable. Each season transports a new group of affluent travellers to a spectacular destination and an exceptional resort. Behind these seemingly idyllic surroundings, Mike White creates a sharp social satire exploring wealth, privilege, power, relationships and cultural contrasts.

The formula has proved extraordinarily successful, turning The White Lotus into one of HBO’s most recognisable international productions.

Yet the influence of the series extends far beyond television.

With each season, its locations have become destinations in their own right. Hawaii in season one, Sicily in season two and Thailand in season three have all experienced what has become known as the “White Lotus effect”: viewers wanting to experience for themselves the landscapes, hotels and destinations they have discovered on screen.

A French season with an international cast

France will not only provide the scenery for season four. French talent will also feature prominently alongside the show’s international cast.

Among the French guest stars announced for the new season is Laura Smet, recently seen in the television series Surface. She joins other French actors including Vincent Cassel, Corentin Fila and Nadia Tereszkiewicz.

Their presence further strengthens the season’s French identity and its connection to the Côte d’Azur.

An international cast, leading French actors, Mediterranean palaces and the Cannes Film Festival: the ingredients are in place to give the fourth season, expected to air in 2027, a distinctly French Riviera identity.

From Saint-Tropez to Cannes: a natural progression along the Riviera

For its fourth season, The White Lotus has not simply chosen a destination. It has chosen an entire territory: the French Riviera.

Saint-Tropez seems almost destined to belong to the White Lotus universe. A legendary Mediterranean village turned international meeting place, it has attracted artists, celebrities and some of the world’s most affluent visitors for decades. Iconic beaches, discreet estates, exceptional hotels, restaurants and a celebrated social scene have made it synonymous with a particular vision of Riviera living.

Cannes is its natural counterpart.

While Saint-Tropez embodies a more hedonistic and secluded side of the Riviera, Cannes adds another dimension: cinema.

Here, the connection between the city and the screen is much more than a backdrop. Every year, the Cannes Film Festival places the Croisette at the centre of the world’s attention, bringing together cinema, international celebrities, luxury hotels, private events and global fashion and luxury houses.

Placing the characters of The White Lotus within this world therefore feels particularly fitting.

A series renowned for its satirical exploration of luxury, celebrity, privilege and social dynamics finds an especially compelling setting in Cannes. The city brings something distinctive to Mike White’s universe: a place where image, fame and exclusivity are themselves part of the spectacle.

Cannes beyond the Croisette

Yet Cannes cannot be reduced to its famous waterfront boulevard.

Just a few minutes from the Croisette, the landscape changes dramatically. The residential neighbourhoods of La Californie, Super-Cannes and La Croix des Gardes reveal another side of the city: villas surrounded by Mediterranean gardens, exceptional apartments with expansive terraces, private estates overlooking the bay and panoramic views extending towards the Lérins Islands and the Estérel.

Le Suquet and the Vieux-Port tell the story of a more historic Cannes, while Palm Beach and Pointe Croisette offer a lifestyle shaped by an immediate connection with the Mediterranean.

Together, these different neighbourhoods create a city far more diverse than its most famous boulevard might suggest and help explain its enduring appeal among international property buyers.

When fiction meets exceptional real estate

The landscapes that millions of viewers will soon discover through The White Lotus are not simply cinematic settings.

They are also places to live.

This is where Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty offers another perspective on the story.

With a presence in Cannes, Saint-Tropez and several of the Riviera’s most sought-after destinations, the company advises French and international clients seeking exceptional properties that embody the Mediterranean lifestyle now being showcased by HBO.

In Cannes, some residences command spectacular views across the bay and towards the Lérins Islands, while others offer the opportunity to live directly on or close to the Croisette and its major international events.

On the heights of La Californie or La Croix des Gardes, exceptional villas and apartments offer a different experience, defined by privacy, landscaped grounds, generous terraces and sweeping Mediterranean views.

In Saint-Tropez and across the peninsula, luxury takes yet another form: secluded estates, proximity to Pampelonne, Mediterranean or contemporary architecture and an enduring emphasis on privacy.

The intention is not to recreate the properties seen in the series, but rather to showcase the real homes and exceptional addresses that define today’s prime property market across the Riviera chosen by HBO.

Could the next “White Lotus effect” be on the French Riviera?

The arrival of The White Lotus comes at a time when film and television productions increasingly influence the destinations international travellers want to experience for themselves. The French Riviera, however, occupies a unique position.

Unlike destinations that may have been introduced or reintroduced to international audiences through The White Lotus, Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Monaco already enjoy extraordinary global recognition.

They have long attracted international travellers, entrepreneurs, investors, artists and some of the world’s most affluent individuals.

The potential effect is therefore different.

When season four airs in 2027, The White Lotus may not introduce the French Riviera to the world. Instead, it could allow millions of viewers to rediscover it through a new lens, particularly an international audience already receptive to travel, exceptional hospitality, culture and luxury lifestyles.

And perhaps that is precisely why the choice of the Côte d’Azur makes so much sense.

After the tropical landscapes of Hawaii, the Sicilian sophistication of Taormina and the lush scenery of Thailand, The White Lotus is coming to a destination where luxury is not confined to the holiday experience.

Here, it is part of a broader way of life shaped by the Mediterranean, architecture, gastronomy, culture and a long tradition of international resort living.

By bringing Saint-Tropez, Cannes and Monaco together in a single season, The White Lotus has ultimately chosen more than a spectacular setting.

It has chosen the French Riviera.

About Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty

Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty specialises in luxury real estate across the French Riviera. Through its agencies in some of the Côte d’Azur’s most iconic destinations, the company advises French and international clients on the acquisition and sale of exceptional properties, combining in-depth local expertise with the international reach of the Sotheby’s International Realty network.

Article modified on September 29, 2026.