If I had to name a city in France that reminds me of top-notch art and it wasn’t Paris, it would definitely be Nice. The proof lies in its museums, galleries, and street art.
Nice’s museums share one common trait – each is completely different. Does that sound too simple? Not when I add that there’s something here for fans of contemporary art, impressionism, Asian art, sacred art, or naïve art. Throw in works from the 19th and 20th-century design category, photography, sports collections, archaeological finds from prehistoric times, and names like Chagall, Matisse, Monet, or Rodin. Intrigued? Then let me invite you to a museum feast full of places that proudly fill Nice’s cultural map.
GOOD TO KNOW: Tickets to many museums in Nice and beyond can be found on GetYourGuide.
Museums in Nice on the map
Even when exploring the old town of Nice, you have the opportunity to visit museums located nearby. Some are situated along the Promenade des Anglais, while others require a trip to Cimiez Hill. To make planning your visit easier, I’ve prepared a map below that shows the locations of all the museums mentioned in this article.
MAMAC – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
MAMAC is one of the most popular museums in Nice, partly because its impressive structure is hard to miss, being located right in the heart of the city. For me, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nice made the biggest impression for another reason. I love art that not only offers aesthetic value but also conveys something deeper. At MAMAC, every piece meets this condition, as each touches on different contemporary global issues such as globalization, environmental protection, wars, or human migration. Quite subjectively, I can say that in this regard, it’s one of the best museums I’ve ever visited.
Matisse Museum
Nice isn’t just about contemporary art. To experience this, you can visit the Matisse Museum located in a beautiful villa in the Cimiez district (I’ll talk more about this district later in the article). The Musée Matisse in Nice holds one of the largest collections of works by the famous Fauvist. A large portion of the collection consists of collages created from shapes cut by the artist from colored paper. This technique became one of the key methods that cemented Matisse’s name in the art world.
Chagall Museum
Nice is also home to the Chagall Museum, or more formally, the Marc Chagall National Museum. Although the building itself isn’t large, what you see inside makes a much bigger impact. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, as we’re talking about one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. The works exhibited at the Chagall Museum in Nice focus on religious themes, with the main collection featuring 17 paintings that form the “Biblical Message” series.
The auditorium is another fascinating place, where you’ll find a stained-glass window by Chagall depicting the biblical creation of the world. It’s worth spending some extra time in this room to learn how to “read” this artwork and the symbols within it, as it’s not as straightforward as it may seem.
Masséna Museum
The Masséna Museum is housed in a beautiful, historic villa located at the intersection of the Promenade des Anglais and the Old Town. The building, constructed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, is an example of Belle Époque architecture. The museum’s collection is dedicated to the history of Nice, with works displayed across several spacious floors. These include paintings, portraits, old photographs, newspapers, posters, as well as furniture, décor, handicrafts, period costumes, and accessories. It’s a perfect place to learn more about the city’s history and the centuries-old culture that shaped it.
Fine Arts Museum of Nice
The Fine Arts Museum of Nice is situated in a historic residence built in 1878 at the initiative of Ukrainian Princess Kotchoubey. This was the first museum of its kind in the city after Nice was annexed to France in 1860. The museum’s collection spans paintings and sculptures from the 14th to the 20th centuries. Notable works include The Crucifixion by Agnolo Bronzino (1540), Yellow Console with Two Windows by Raoul Dufy (1948), Lunch on the Grass by Jules Chéret (1904), and Open Window on the Seine by Pierre Bonnard (1912).
Museum of Asian Arts
This extraordinary museum is housed in a building designed by Kenzo Tange. The modern structure was completed in 1998 in a remarkable location—right in the middle of a park and set atop a lake. The combination of white marble and glass panels with the surrounding nature gives the impression that the building defies the laws of gravity.
The Museum of Asian Arts’ exhibition features historical and ethnographic works, as well as decorative arts and contemporary pieces. The thematic scope is divided into sections by region: China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. There is also a separate section devoted to works focused on the theme of Buddhism.
Archaeological Museum and the Roman City of Cemenelum
What would a tour of Nice be without understanding the past of the lands on which this city was built? To explore this topic, I encourage you to visit Cimiez Hill, where you’ll find the remains of an amphitheater, thermal baths, streets, and a residential district from the time when the Roman city of Cemenelum stood here.
In addition to the excavations on Cimiez Hill, it’s also worth visiting the Archaeological Museum – one of the most important of its kind on the French Riviera. Opened in 1989, its collections span the Iron Age, Antiquity, and the Middle Ages. The exhibition features objects uncovered during archaeological excavations conducted between 1950 and 1969. Here, you can see impressive statues, steles, sarcophagi, figurines, vases, jewelry, coins, fragments of furniture, and many other everyday items that offer a glimpse into the lives of the communities that once inhabited the area now known as Nice and its surroundings.
Museum of Naïve Art
Located in the city center, the Anatole Jakovsky International Museum of Naïve Art in Nice showcases a collection of naïve paintings from the 18th century to the present day. A defining characteristic of naïve art is its spontaneous, individual nature, through which the artist invites viewers on an intimate journey into their creative visions. At the Museum of Naïve Art in Nice, you can admire paintings, sculptures, drawings, and posters by artists such as Bauchant, Bombois, Vivin, Rimbert, Lefranc, Vivancos, and many others.
Palais Lascaris
Situated in the heart of the Old Town, Palais Lascaris is one of the most emblematic examples of Baroque architecture in Nice. The building was erected in the mid-17th century at the request of the Lascaris-Ventimiglia family. In 1942, the palace was purchased by the city of Nice, and between 1963 and 1970, extensive renovations were carried out, eventually opening the landmark to the public.
The interiors of Palais Lascaris display decorative arts, paintings, tapestries, furniture, and other artworks from the 17th and 18th centuries. As you tour the museum, pay special attention to the ceilings, many of which are adorned with mythological frescoes. The museum’s collection also includes European musical instruments, making it one of the most important collections of its kind in Europe.
National Sports Museum (Musée National du Sport)
Time for one of the more unique museums. This time, we’re not talking about an art museum in the traditional sense of the word. The National Sports Museum in Nice was opened in 1963, thanks to the initiative of Maurice Herzog. Its collection includes over 45,000 objects and more than 400,000 documents that capture key events in French sports history.
The museum’s exhibition showcases a variety of equipment used in different sports disciplines such as swimming, skiing, martial arts, cycling, and many more. It offers a rare opportunity to see how various standards, techniques, and technologies used in the creation of sports equipment have evolved over time. Tickets to this museum can be purchased online through GetYourGuide.
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum in Nice is one of the most intriguing museums on the French Riviera and one of the earliest to open in the city. Founded in 1846, today it houses a collection of over a million specimens divided into three areas of natural history: botany, zoology, and geology. The collection aims to raise public awareness about the importance of environmental protection. Visiting this museum provides a chance to view nature both through the lens of history and from the perspective of contemporary processes that cause irreversible changes in nature due to human activity.
Charles Nègre Photography Museum
Do we have any photography enthusiasts here? I hope so, because the place you’re about to discover was created with you in mind! The Charles Nègre Photography Museum holds a collection of over 2,000 objects and photographic devices, which offer a glimpse into the early days of this art form and the realities faced by the first photographers. An important part of the exhibition includes old photographs of Nice and its surroundings, taken from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
Other interesting museums near Nice
While staying in Nice, it’s worth visiting nearby towns, which are usually no more than a half-hour drive away. One reason to take such trips could be to explore their museums. In Antibes, located 30 km away, you’ll find the Picasso Museum. In Cagnes-sur-Mer, you can visit the Renoir Museum (fr. Musée Renoir), and in Le Cannet, there’s the Bonnard Museum (fr. Musée Bonnard). The fastest way to visit each of these towns and tour the mentioned museums in one day is by car. If you don’t have your own, you can rent one via sites like RentalCars.
GOOD TO KNOW: While in Nice, it’s also worth visiting Monaco, which is less than a half-hour away from the capital of the French Riviera. You can also book organized tours to Monaco on sites like GetYourGuide.
Other Attractions in Nice
Of course, there’s more to life than just museums, and given the rich cultural and entertainment offerings of the unofficial capital of the French Riviera, I guarantee you won’t be bored here. The Promenade des Anglais, Old Town, Old Port, Mont Boron Hill, Garibaldi Square, and Cours Saleya are just a few of the many spots you shouldn’t miss during your stay. You can also learn about the top attractions in Nice from our separate article, which you can find here.
