Marc Chagall National Museum in Nice: tickets, hours and works

Updated on 24 September 2026

At the top of boulevard de Cimiez, in a deliberately sober building opened in 1973, the Marc Chagall national museum holds one of the artist's largest collections — including the Biblical Message cycle made for the place. Hours, prices, free entry, access and how long to allow.

What you will see

The museum opened on 7 July 1973, on the artist's 86th birthday: it was the first French national museum dedicated to a living artist. The building, by architect André Hermant, was designed with Chagall, who added the auditorium stained glass and a mosaic.

• The Biblical Message: the cycle given to the French state in 1966 — twelve large canvases illustrating Genesis and Exodus, plus five paintings of the Song of Songs. The hang, in interlocking lozenges, was decided by the artist himself;
• Prophetic figures: Chagall spent more than twenty years illustrating the Bible — 105 etchings published in 1956, gouaches, lithographs. “I shall paint the prophets”, he wrote in 1925: patriarchs and prophets haunt his work, down to the garden mosaic, Elijah's Chariot;
• Three monumental works given with the museum: the mosaic Elijah's Chariot in the garden, the stained-glass windows The Creation of the World and the Gobelins tapestry Mediterranean Landscape;
• The Mediterranean garden, planted with cool-toned species at the painter's request — open even during the midday break.

2026 opening hours and the Tuesday closure

The museum is open every day except Tuesday, plus 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

• Until 31 October 2026: 10 am to 6 pm, with a break from 1 pm to 2.30 pm (the garden and bookshop stay open while the galleries are closed). Exception: Monday 12 October 2026, closing at 4.30 pm;
• 1 November to 31 December 2026: 10 am to 1 pm and 2.30 pm to 5 pm, with a midday break throughout November and December;
• Tickets stop selling 30 minutes before closing, galleries are cleared 15 minutes before. On 24 and 31 December the museum closes at 4 pm (ticket office until 3.30 pm).

Note: some rooms may close at short notice — an exhibition changeover causes a partial closure from 24 September to 10 October 2026. Check the notice on the day. Up-to-date details: the museum's practical information page.

Tickets, prices and free entry

• Outside exhibition periods: full price €10, reduced €8, groups (10+) €8.50;
• During exhibitions: full price €12, reduced €10, groups €10.50. The price applied depends on how many rooms are open on the day of your visit;
• Free: the first Sunday of every month for everyone, under-26s who are EU nationals or residents, teachers with an Education Pass, people on certain social benefits, and visitors with a disability mobility card plus one companion;
• Joint Chagall – Léger ticket (Musée national Fernand Léger, Biot), valid 30 days from issue.

Payment by cash, credit card (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express) and holiday vouchers. Booking is no longer required for a simple visit, and tickets are also sold online: official prices.

Getting there from Nice

• By bus: line 5, stop “Musée Chagall”, or the open-top Nice Le Grand Tour bus at the same stop. The Grand Tour is included in the French Riviera Pass;
• By tram then on foot: line 1, stop “Gare Thiers”, then about 15 minutes through Cimiez;
• On foot from the station: 15 minutes from Nice-Ville along boulevard de Cimiez;
• By car: A8 motorway, “Nice Centre” exit, then the Mathis fast road, “Cimiez” exit — free parking for cars and coaches;
• GPS: 43.709136 | 7.269527. Routes and maps: tram and bus in Nice.

How long to visit, and what is nearby

Allow at least one hour: the permanent route and the garden easily fill 90 minutes. The museum pairs well with Cimiez:

• Matisse Museum and the Roman arenas, a few minutes away;
• Cimiez Archaeology Museum (Cemenelum) and the abbey church;
• MAMAC, modern and contemporary art, for a change of programme;
• All Nice museums: hours, prices and closures in one place;
• Exhibitions currently on in Nice, to check whether a show changes that day's price.

Frequently asked questions