I had planned to land Tues AM with my wife and 19 yr old son in Nice. We had hoped to go to the Matisse and Chagall museums spend the night in Nice, wake up Wed. drive to Monanco and then down to Antibes before traveling to meet our daughter Wed evening in Arles. We planned to spend the next three nights using Arles as home touring Provence. Now I find out the two museums in Nice are closed on Tuesdays. Should I not change my plans, tour Nice without the two mentioned museums? Should we go directly to Monaco? Am I missing something more interesting altogether? Our first visit to the area and looking for some suggestions - thanks in advance (PS we are renting a car)
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Both the Chagall and Matisse museums are outstanding. If you truly love art, then I suggest you do something like this. When you arrive in Nice, drive to Monaco for a quick look, return to Nice, and explore the old town on foot. Be sure to drive the Grande Corniche either going to or coming from Monaco.
Or drive to Monaco, drive to Antibes to see the Picasso museum, and return to Nice. In either case, spend the night in Nice. On Wednesday morning pay a brief visit to either the Chagall or Matisse museum and then drive to Arles.
Posted by
Nice, France
108 posts
Traditionally, national museums are closed on Tuesdays everywhere in France. In Nice, some close on Mondays instead. I think you will find Musée Jules Cheret (musée des Beaux Arts), musée Terra Amata (paleontology museum) open on Tuesdays. Also, it's not a museum but well worth a visit, you can visit the Russian Cathedral in Nice, it's open every day except Sunday mornings. In Nice, you may also like to see the Cimiez roman arenas with their olive tree garden, the old Castle (the castle is not there anymore but the view from the top of the rock is beautiful). If you're there on a very clear day and early in the morning, you may even catch sight of Corsica in the distance. On Tuesdays, there is also the famous flower market on Cours Saleya. In Monaco, you can visit the Exotic Garden or the Oceanography Museum. You should also have a walk in the old city on Monaco rock (near the palace). In Antibes, visit the harbor and the walls. There is also a path where you can walk along the coast along Cap d'Antibes. There is so much to do and see you'll have to come back if your time is limited this year!
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Don, we just got back from exploring Provence and used Arles as our base. It was perfect,....great little town...great restaurants. Make sure you eat at Bistro a Vins and explore some of the restaurants on the main square.
Do not miss either the Wed or Sat markets. We picked up some wonderful fresh foods and had a great picnic in the park next to the market. My wife bought four Provence style table cloths that made her extemely happy, but added to the weight of my luggage.
A word of caution; do not even attempt to drive into or out of Arles without a GPS! A GPS is a "must"! It is a virtual maze of very narrow streets. Also pick up a small fold out Michelin map of France, and a small fold out map of the Arles city streets. We found the Michelin map at a service station.
We really enjoyed seeing the Pont du Gard. The Carmague is only 30 to 45 minutes from Arles, so my wife had to see the wild horses and real pink flamingos; then we hoped on down to the beach and seaside town of Stes-Maries-de-la Mere We thought that the RS "tour of the villages of the Cotes du Rhone" was a waste of time(but Vaison la Romaine was OK.)
Posted by
OP
USA
152 posts
Thanks very much for the responses and thoughtful insights -
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
The Museum of Modern Art in Nice (subject of a huge scandal when it was constructed) is certainly worth a visit, and it is open every day with the exception of Christmas and a couple of other holidays. Admittance is free, I believe. Interesting garden on the roof.