Riviera Pebbles Blog: Cagnes Sur Mer

Posted on 12th Nov 2018 in Go & Do

French Riviera Towns: Cagnes

A seaside town between Nice and Antibes with unbeatable picturesque views, Cagnes sur Mer is a hidden gem. The town is most famed for the Musée Renoir (link to phoebe’s art Renoir blog post), as well as the below.

Château-Musée Grimaldi
Place Grimaldi
Tel: 04.92.02.47.35
Open 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00 (July&August),
10:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00 (Sept,April,May&June),
10:00-12:00, 14:00-17:00 (October-March).
Closed Tuesdays.
Adults €4, under 26 y/o free.

Directions: take the free shuttle from the centre of Cagnes to Haut de Cagnes and get off at the last stop.

Built by Rainier Grimaldi in 1309 on the site of an earlier fortress occupied by the Greeks then Romans, this palace came into its own when Jean-Henri Grimaldi transformed it in 1620. It now houses a mix of museums including a huge wooden oil mill, a renaissance courtyard, and a permanent collection of modern Mediterranean paintings, frescoes and portraits, including some of Suzy Solidor, the French actress and singer. Our favourite sight here though is the more than 200-year-old pepper tree: spectacular.