Museum / Gallery Sights in Nice

Free guided tours of a historic perfume factory in the medieval village of Eze.

Chateau Grimaldi may take you somewhat by surprise if you are expecting the usual historical museum experience - it also holds regular exhibitions of contemporary art and isn’t afraid of displaying bizarre and sometimes challenging installations. The artworks are incongruous in such a traditional context and the collection changes regularly, so you never know quite what you’re going to get when you visit!

A few months before his death in 1955, artist Fernand Léger acquired a farmhouse at the foot of the village of Biot. It was here that his widow Nadia Leger, decided to create a museum to honour him and showcase his life's work.

This museum was set up by outstanding chef Auguste Escoffier who worked as head chef at the Savoy in London. He founded this museum which is dedicated to culinary art.

Housing the largest collection of the Russian painter, Marc Chagall, the Chagall museum is one of Nice's top attractions.

A small collection of some of Matisse's works and items from his own personal collection and that of his descendants are housed in an impressive 17th century Genoese mansion.

The former prison building and clock pavilion in the port of Nice have recently been renovated to include several exhibition spaces and galleries for the public to enjoy.

Museum charting the history of transport in the area, with lots of old vehicles to look at. Located in an old rail warehouse in Breil.

This museum was created to protect one of the most important petroglyph sites in Europe, in the Merveilles Valley (valley of Wonders).

The world-famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir lived at La Ferme des Collettes with his family from 1907 until his death in 1919. Renoir moved to Cagnes-Sur-Mer in the hopes that the warm climate would improve his arthritis, which eventually confined him to a wheelchair. The house in which he spent the last 12 years of his life is set in a beautiful estate full of citrus and olive trees, looking out along the coastline all the way to way to the Cap d’Antibes.

The museum of modern and contemporary art was opened in 1990 and features artworks from the 1960s to the present day.

This astronomical observatory is located on top of mont Gros. It was built in 1881 and was designed by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera House, and Gustave Eiffel, the celebrated creator of the Eiffel Tower.

Founded by Jean Baptiste Barla in 1850 (locals know it as Museum Barla), this museum showcases a rich collection of zoological, botanical and geological specimens.

Grasse is the world capital of perfumes. At this museum you can discover the ancient tradition of parfumerie and learn how to create your own, unique scent.

Just outside Saint-Paul de Vence lies one of France's most famous modern and contemporary art museums. Surrounded by pleasant gardens, this is a nice place to spend your afternoon.

Located in the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, this museum houses more than 45,000 objects ad 400,000 dedicated to all sports, showing their history from the Antiquity to the present.

The museum of palaeontology is located on the excavation site of the Terra Amata where there is evidence of human inhabitation going back 400,000 years.

The area around the Cote d'Azur is rich in prehistoric artefacts, many of which can be found in this fascinating museum.