The red-ochre Genoese villa of the Musée Matisse in Cimiez, seen from the olive grove

Museums · Cimiez, city centre, the Riviera

The museums of Nice and the Riviera, by private driver

Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Renoir, Maeght: museums scattered across the hills. Thierry drives you from one to the next.

Rather talk? 06 25 03 03 20 · English, Italiano, Français

Why the museums of Nice are easier by car

Nice’s two most visited museums, the Musée Matisse and the Marc Chagall National Museum, stand on Cimiez hill, north of the centre; the Riviera’s other great museums are in villages or neighbouring towns.

You can reach Cimiez by bus, on foot if you enjoy a climb, or by car. The Picasso Museum is in Antibes, the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the Rosary Chapel in Vence and the Musée Jean Cocteau in Menton: that is a lot of journeys, connections and parking spaces to find.

With a driver, two or three museums fit into the same day without anyone checking a bus timetable. That is what the “museum” service from Driver, Let’s Go! is about: the journey between the artworks, not the visit itself.

Museum days, planned by geography

The museums of the Côte d’Azur fall into four areas; each one fits into a half day or a full day with a driver.

Area	Museums	Suggested option
Cimiez (Nice)	Musée Matisse, Marc Chagall National Museum, Roman arena and Archaeology Museum	Half day · 4 h · €320
Central and western Nice	Villa Masséna, Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, Palais Lascaris, Museum of Asian Arts	Transfers or a half day
Western Riviera	Renoir Museum (Cagnes-sur-Mer), Fondation Maeght (Saint-Paul-de-Vence), Rosary Chapel (Vence), Picasso Museum (Antibes)	Full day · 8 h · €600
Eastern Riviera	Oceanographic Museum (Monaco), Musée Jean Cocteau (Menton)	Full day · 8 h · €600

Opening days and hours vary from one museum to the next: check them on each museum’s official website before you settle on the day.

Cimiez: Matisse, Chagall and the Roman arena

Within a few hundred metres, Cimiez hill brings together the Musée Matisse, the Marc Chagall National Museum and the remains of the Roman town of Cemenelum, with its arena.

The Musée Matisse
Housed in a 17th-century Genoese villa in the middle of the Cimiez olive grove. Henri Matisse lived in Nice from 1917 until his death in 1954.
The Marc Chagall National Museum
A building designed for Chagall’s Biblical Message, set in a Mediterranean garden at the foot of the hill.
The Roman arena and Archaeology Museum
The remains of Cemenelum, the Roman town of Cimiez, right next to the Musée Matisse.

The Chagall museum is at the bottom of the hill and the Matisse museum at the top: on foot, the climb takes time and, in summer, a fair bit of breath. By car, Thierry drops you outside one, then outside the other, and a morning is enough.

The white building of the Marc Chagall National Museum in Nice, surrounded by its garden of olive trees, cypresses and lavender

The museums of central Nice and the Promenade

In central Nice and along the Promenade des Anglais, the museums are within walking or tram distance of each other; a transfer is all you need to arrive or leave with luggage.

The Villa Masséna
Nice’s museum of art and history, in a Belle Époque villa next to the Hôtel Negresco, on the Promenade.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret
Opened in 1928 in an 1878 private mansion: four centuries of painting and Jules Chéret’s poster collection.
The Palais Lascaris
A baroque palace in Old Nice and its collection of early musical instruments.
The Museum of Asian Arts
On the edge of Parc Phoenix, at the western end of the Promenade, a few minutes from the airport: a visit you can fit in just before a flight.

The remains of the Roman arena of Cimiez among the olive trees, in Nice

Museums beyond Nice: Picasso, Renoir, Maeght, Matisse in Vence

The 20th-century painters lived and worked all around Nice: their museums are in the neighbouring towns, half an hour’s drive away or less.

The Picasso Museum, Antibes
In the Château Grimaldi, above the sea. Antibes is €85 from the airport: see VTC in Antibes.
The Renoir Museum, Cagnes-sur-Mer
The Domaine des Collettes, the painter’s last home, and its olive trees. See VTC in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
The Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Opened in 1964 among the pines, at the foot of the village of Saint-Paul.
The Rosary Chapel, Vence
Designed by Henri Matisse between 1947 and 1951, from the stained glass to the priests’ vestments. See VTC in Vence.
The Musée Jean Cocteau, Menton
The Séverin Wunderman collection, by the sea. See VTC in Menton.
The Escoffier Museum, Villeneuve-Loubet
The culinary arts, in the house where Auguste Escoffier was born. See VTC in Villeneuve-Loubet.

The Rosary Chapel in Vence, with white walls, a blue-and-white tiled roof and a tall wrought-iron cross

A “Riviera painters” day, hour by hour

With an eight-hour day (€600, 200 km included), you can see three museums on the western Riviera and have lunch in a village, without driving or parking.

Morning, Cagnes-sur-Mer
The Renoir Museum at Les Collettes, right at opening time, while the gardens are still quiet.
Late morning, Saint-Paul-de-Vence
The Fondation Maeght, then the village and its ramparts.
Lunch
A table in Saint-Paul or Vence; Thierry waits, and parking is included.
Afternoon, Vence
Matisse’s Rosary Chapel, then the medieval town.
The way back
Antibes and the Picasso Museum if the day allows, or straight back to your hotel before 7 pm.

This plan assumes every stop is open on the day you choose: Thierry adjusts the order around closing days, which you will have checked on the official websites. Booked more than 30 days ahead, the full day costs €540 instead of €600.

Museums with children

With children, a museum day works best if you see fewer of them and break it up with time outdoors: a garden, a beach, an ice cream.

The Roman arena and the Cimiez gardens, between two rooms of the Musée Matisse.
The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, on the Rock, a favourite with younger children.
Nice’s Natural History Museum, the city’s oldest municipal museum (1846).
The National Sports Museum, at the Allianz Riviera stadium, in western Nice.

A child seat or booster is fitted on request, and outings for children are the question Thierry is asked most. For a family stay, see also the sightseeing page.

Nice museums by private driver: your questions

What people ask before booking a driver for a day of museums.

Can I see the Musée Matisse and the Chagall museum on the same day?

Yes, they are both in Cimiez. By car, a morning is enough for the two; a 4-hour half day costs €320 with Driver, Let’s Go!.

How long does it take to get from Nice to the Fondation Maeght?

Saint-Paul-de-Vence is about twenty kilometres from Nice by road. The journey time depends on traffic in the Var plain; Thierry gives it when planning the day with you.

Does the driver wait during the visit?

With hourly hire, yes: he drops you off, waits, and takes you on to the next museum. Parking is included.

Are the museums open every day?

No, and closing days vary from one museum to another. Check them on each museum’s official website before you set the date.

Can I visit a museum just before my flight?

The Museum of Asian Arts is on the edge of Parc Phoenix, near the airport. With your luggage in the car, a visit before an afternoon flight is possible.