Things to see and do Alpes-Maritimes

Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the international heritage of scents, aromas and perfumes, this unique museum is dedicated to the perfume industry. Here, the history of fragrances, raw materials, manufacturing, industry, innovation, trade, design, uses are revealed... The visit takes place in magnificent historical buildings around a large transparent nave with gardens and terraces. Olfactory workshops are organized.

Guaranteed childish and family atmosphere! This amusement park of 34,000 m² is dedicated to the pleasures of children with many activities: mini-golf, large pond, small train, deer park, ponds, wooden huts and giant chess. Botany lovers will appreciate the very diverse flora present on the site with particular attention to the palm trees. A very pleasant place for families, providing a good escape in the shade when the sun of the beach is too hot.

You will find all the information on activities and outings organized in the 15 municipalities of the French Riviera, from Menton, the city of lemons, to the peaks of the Mercantour massif, through the Roya valley and its hidden treasures of nature. The new tourist office offers "discovery" tours between the sea and the mountains on history and heritage, accompanied by a guide speaker as well as tours, tastings etc..

Until the th century, Nice had no port: it was dug at the initiative of King Charles-Emmanuel III in Lympia Cove, to the east of the hill hill, where there is so far an important marsh zone. The work began in 1749 thanks to the military engineer Antonio-Felice Devincenti (from Turin, 1690-1778) who expands and deepens the marshy lake. Opened for navigation in November 1751, it will be a small shelter for almost a hundred years to reach its final dimensions around 1880, when it tînt an important role in the export of local products. At this same time, many painters of passage to Nice, croquèrent, designed and peignirent in all the seams: Ernest Louis Carelli (1848-1925), Gabriel Carelli (1821-1900) and Charles Martin-Sauvaigo (1881-1970), with their fishing scenes and their accents represented in vibrating tones. Between the 1940 s and 1970 s, several improvements allowed it to host larger vessels, improving also links with Corsica. In the vicinity you will notice the Place de l'Île-de-Beauté, bordered by buildings with porticos red facades fortified with bas-reliefs and balconies, and the church Notre-Dame du Port completed in 1853 and built by the architect Jules Febvre, which is itself framed by the houses Pius-Astraudo and Honoré Malbequi, respectively from 1844-50 and 1885-90. Cassini Street in the north-west offers a very valuable concentration of antique dealers for those interested in paintings, trinkets or beautiful antique furniture. Today, the port of Nice is France's first cement port, in conjunction with the galets treatment plants of the Paillon valley. As a second cruise port in France, more than 500 000 passengers per year embark on a journey to Corsica. It has a fishing-related economic activity and hosts a significant number of boaters. From 1 June to 30 September, it is possible to take walks at sea from the port Lympia and discover the promenade of the English and the Baie des Anges as a whole.

The naive art museum settled in the Château Sainte-Hélène de Fabron in 1982, ancient house of the perfumer François Coty. This site owes its existence to the donation of arts critics Anatole and Renée Jakovsky who gave him their name. It shows works unique in the world tracing the history of from the 17th century to nowadays: South America, Haiti, Croatia, Central Europe, Europe… Three themes feature the permanent collections: the city in the countryside; fables and popular tales and the history of naive art. You will find the works, sculptures, posters and drawings of more or less famous artists such as Rabuzin, Bauchant, Party, Ivan and Josip Généralic, Grandma Moses, O'Brady, Haddelsey, Rimbert, Vivin, Séraphine, Lefranc, Vivancos….

This hotel is the most luxurious and best preserved witness of the baroque residences of the nobility and bourgeoisie. Property of the Comtes Lascaris-Vintimille, it was built at the end of the sixteenth century by Jean-Paul Lascaris de Castellar, great master of the order of the Knights of Malta with the help of his nephew Jean-Baptiste. In Genois style, this building is built around two inner courtyards. A very beautiful staircase, real well of light, gives access to the first floor where the weapons of the Lascaris are proudly trashed: a bicephal eagle adorned with a cross of Malta. Original paintings date from the seventeenth century while baroque elements were added in the eighteenth century. The apartments are decorated with vaulted vaults and the ceilings are decorated with frescoes with mythological subjects, including a magnificent Phaéton Fall. During your visit, do not miss the furniture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Flemish tapestries, the apothicecerie founded in 1738 of roquaille style, the complete collection of vases, violes and chevettes as well as the regional collections of art and popular traditions. In 1942, the City of Nice bought the building: fully restored and classified as Historic Monument in 1946, the Lascaris Palace became the Musée de la Musique de Nice and the second of France by the importance of its collection, which gathered around 500 old European pieces from the saqueboute of Schnitzer (1581) to Grafton saxophone (1960). This collection also features many instruments manufactured before 1800: Baroque guitars, luths, violes and Denner's scarcity flute.

Located on Cimiez hill, these arenas are classified Historical Monument. Real open-air archaeological museum, they form an enclosure of 67 by 56 meters and is one of the smallest known Roman amphitheaters in France. Built by the Romans in the first century BC the "Cemelenum arenas" were the scene of many events: gladiator fights, games and other great shows held there regularly in the pure traditions of the Roman Empire. Today, with a capacity that is estimated around 5,000 spectators, they have a beautiful setting to host some Nice cultural and folkloric events. Just next door, the park with the same name is an ideal place for a picnic in the middle of olive trees, close to the Matisse Museum and the Archaeological Museum.

The portal with sculpted wooden wings of this ancient cathedral, listed as Historical Monument, was made round 1710 by Jacques Dolle. The square bell tower of the 12th century is an ancient watchtower. The choir of the 12th century has also a unique feature in the world: the apse stops vertically because of the presence of the walls at the time of construction. Do not miss the very beautiful altarpiece of Brea, the Virgin of Mercy, or the Virgin of the Rosary. At its right, a sixteen century statue of Christ, carved in the trunk of a lime tree.

In a rampart house, you will find the museum of Arts and Crafts and traditional museum of Prehistory, retrospective of 38,000 years of prehistory tourrettane exposing the heritage found in the caves of Merle and Baume Périgaud dating from the Upper Palaeolithic human remains, ornaments, tools, animal remains....

Place Saint-François is named after the Franciscan monastery (13th century), abandoned and demolished during the Revolution. Only a small part of the cloister is left from the Minor Saint-François convent. The clock tower, recently restored, dominates the lively square that host the famous fish market around a small fountain with dolphins from Tuesday to Sunday. The Municipal Palace (former Town Hall), still present and in Turin baroque style, dates from the 16th century: restored several times and classified as a Historical Monument since 1949, it is one of the few public buildings of the old town in baroque style and has housed the Labour Exchange since 1893.