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30–45 min · 2.1 kmRead the guide →Matisse Museum Nice Cimiez: Complete Visit Guide
Matisse Museum
The Matisse Museum in Nice holds the world's largest collection devoted to Henri Matisse, set in a 17th-century villa in the heart of the Arenes de Cimiez park.
Plan your visit
- Suggested time
- 1–2 h
- Musée Matisse
- Check official opening hours and visiting conditions
164 avenue des Arènes de Cimiez, Nice, Tel. 04 93 81 08 08, Open every day except Tuesday: 10am-6pm from 1 April to 31 October, 10am-5pm from 1 November to 31 March. Closed on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December. Admission €12, free for under-18s, students, jobseekers and people with disabilities. Official website.
The Matisse Museum is one of Nice's finest cultural addresses, and not just for painting lovers. Set in a 17th-century villa amid a large wooded park, it tells the story of sixty years of work by an artist who deeply loved the light-filled city of the French Riviera.
The collection is the most complete in the world devoted to Henri Matisse: paintings, sculptures, drawings, illustrated books and personal objects are brought together in a chronological route running from his first canvases of 1890 to the cut-out gouaches of his final years.
Why visit the Matisse Museum in Nice
Unlike the great national museums, the Matisse Museum in Nice is visited in intimate surroundings: a historic villa, human-sized rooms and a park where you can catch your breath before or after the visit. It is a very different experience from a Parisian museum, and that is precisely its strength.
The museum is also the ideal starting point for a morning in the Cimiez neighbourhood: the Roman arenas are a few metres away, as are the Cemenelum archaeology museum and the Cimiez monastery where Matisse is buried. Three major visits fit into the same morning.
The permanent collection
The museum's holdings bring together nearly 70 paintings and cut-out gouaches, more than 200 drawings and engravings, almost all of the artist's sculptures, illustrated books, and around a hundred photographs and objects that belonged to Matisse. It is one of the rare collections in the world that lets you follow the entire career of a 20th-century master, from his youthful self-portraits to the famous cut-outs of the Jazz series.
The route particularly highlights Matisse's research into colour and graphic design, and the role Nice's light played in his work. Personal objects displayed in the rooms evoke the apartment the artist occupied at the Régina, the hotel overlooking the Cimiez hill.
Matisse in Nice, an intimate story
Matisse discovered Nice in the winter of 1917 and returned every year, won over by the light. He settled permanently on the Cimiez hill in 1938, at the Régina, where he lived until his death in 1954. It was there that he produced, among other works, the cut-out gouaches and the design of the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence.
Since 1963 the museum has occupied the Villa des Arènes, built in the 17th century and remodelled in the early 20th. Matisse is buried nearby, in the cemetery of the Cimiez monastery, which gives the visit a very personal dimension.
The Arènes de Cimiez park
Around the museum, the Arènes park is one of Nice's finest green spaces: tall pines, centuries-old olive trees, lawns and children's play areas. It is an ideal spot for a picnic after the visit, in the shade, looking at the remains of the Roman amphitheatre.
The site also preserves the remains of the Roman town of Cemenelum. The archaeology museum dedicated to it is a two-minute walk from the Matisse Museum, on the other side of the park.
Official practical information
Opening hours: the museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 10am to 6pm from 1 April to 31 October and from 10am to 5pm from 1 November to 31 March. It is closed on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December. The ticket office closes thirty minutes before the museum closes.
Prices: a single ticket costs €12 (€9 per person in groups of 10 or more). The Nice Museums Pass, valid for 4 days, gives access to the city's municipal museums and costs €15: it becomes worthwhile as soon as you plan a second visit, such as the MAMAC or the Fine Arts Museum.
Entry is free for under-18s, students, jobseekers and people with disabilities. Details on the official website.
Access: no tram serves Cimiez. From the centre, buses on lines 15, 17 and 22 stop at the Arènes - Musée Matisse stop, a few minutes' walk away. The museum is about two kilometres from the Promenade des Anglais, a half-hour walk through residential neighbourhoods. By car, a free car park is located avenue du Monastère, two hundred metres from the museum.
Visit duration: allow one to one and a half hours for the collection, and up to two hours including the park. The museum has a shop on the lower level, open during the same hours.
Local tips
Tuesday is a closing day: avoid heading up to Cimiez at that time without checking the hours. Since the ticket office closes thirty minutes before the museum does, aim for the 10am opening or an arrival before 3pm to enjoy quieter rooms.
For a full morning in the neighbourhood, combine the Matisse Museum, the arenas and the monastery: the three sites are less than ten minutes' walk from each other, and the park provides a pleasant setting for a picnic break. The Nice Museums Pass pays off from the second visit onward.
- Classic mistake: arriving after 4.30pm in winter, ticket office already closed.
- Classic mistake: assuming a tram serves Cimiez, then losing time waiting.
- Classic mistake: leaving without walking through the Arènes park, even though it is part of the visit.
FAQ
Is the Matisse Museum in Nice closed on Tuesdays?
Yes, the museum is closed every Tuesday, as well as on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December.
What is the admission price for the Matisse Museum?
A single ticket costs €12. It is free for under-18s, students, jobseekers and people with disabilities. The Nice Museums Pass (€15 for 4 days) gives access to the city's municipal museums.
How long does it take to visit the Matisse Museum?
Allow one to one and a half hours for the permanent collection, and up to two hours if you add a break in the Arènes park.
How do you get to the Matisse Museum without a car?
From central Nice, take buses on lines 15, 17 or 22 to the Arènes - Musée Matisse stop. The Cimiez neighbourhood is not served by the tram.
Which sites can you visit near the Matisse Museum?
The Roman arenas and the Cemenelum archaeology museum are two minutes away on foot, and the Cimiez monastery, where Matisse is buried, is less than ten minutes away.
Is the Matisse Museum accessible to people with reduced mobility?
Yes, access is via the Arènes garden, through the gate at 164 avenue des Arènes or the one on boulevard de Cimiez, then across the villa's south forecourt.
After the visit, the Arènes de Cimiez garden is a good spot for a picnic: see where to picnic in Nice.
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