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Don’t Miss the Amazing Matisse Art Museum in Nice

The Matisse Art Museum in Nice is dedicated to the artworks of Henri Matisse who lived in Nice from 1917 to 1954.

The museum traces the history of Matisse and his artistic development. The exhibition includes a wide variety of his artworks, including sketches, paper cut outs, some paintings and sculptures. It also showcases photos and videos of Matisse.

Henri Matisse Art Museum in Nice
Henri Matisse Art Museum in Nice
Alberto Botella on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Tip: If you bring headphones, you can download the museum App and enjoy the great audio guide of this museum.

The Matisse art museum offers a free locker for your bag when you enter. The ticket costs 10 euros and this ticket provides you with a 24 hour admittance to 9 other municipal museums . Note however, that this ticket does NOT include the Musée Chagall, as it is a national museum.

How to get to the Matisse Art Museum

From Nice center, you can catch bus number 15 from the bus stop near the Place Massena. You can also walk but it is a long uphill walk all the way.

At the end of the day and after your visit to the museum (and the other places nearby), I recommend that you walk back down into Nice through the luxurious neighborhood of Cimiez . It is a lovely walk.

Matisse Art Museum in Nice
Matisse Art Museum in Nice / Photo by francesvirtual  (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Other places to visit near the Musee Matisse:

  • Go visit the beautiful monastery of Cimiez. There is also a fabulous scenic view from the monastery gardens.
  • Adjacent to the Parc des Arenes and to the left of Monastery is the cemetery where Matisse is buried. His simple tomb sits on its own terrace in the garden below, while the painter Raoul Dufy is buried on the opposite side of the cemetery. Aristocratic expatriates from England, Russia and Scandinavia are interred in elaborate memorials decorated with sculptures. Don’t forget to look at the gorgeous views back towards Nice and the Mediterranean Sea.
  • In addition you can go visit the archaeological Roman baths next to the museum.
Matisse's grave in Cimiez cemetery
Grave of Matisse photo by Jajabis (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Musee Matisse Opening Times:

Museum open daily except on Tuesdays 
From 10 am to 5 pm from November 1st to April 30th 
From 10 am to 6 pm from May 2nd to October 31st
Ticket office closes 30 minutes before 
Closed on January 1st, Easter Sunday, May 1st and December 25th

For more information about the Musee Matisse, press here.

Cote D'Azur attractions
The views of Nice and the sea from Cimiez / photo by Magali on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Follow the footsteps of the impressionists & post-impressionists in the French Riviera…. you will discover some magnificent gems