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Housed in 18th-century buildings in the heart of the old town, this is one of the best ethnographic museums in France. It tells the story of Provençal life from its earliest days to the beginning of the 20th century with tableaux, models, reconstructions and audio-visual devices.

One of Europe’s finest museums of medieval and Renaissance art, with exceptional early works by Botticelli.

Conceived as a triumphal arch on four marble columns linked by transparent walk-ways, the museum’s modern architecture is startlingly effective. It is an exceptional setting for collections tracing the story of the avant garde from the 1960s to the present day. Particularly notable are the US Pop Artists and European New Realists, including Nice’s own Yves Klein (see Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Nice).

A dazzling work of contemporary architecture in its own right, with marble-faced towers and glass corridors, the contemporary art museum contains works by some of the 20th century’s greatest avant-garde artists, including Andy Warhol (see Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC)).

Mosaics in primary colours, carried out to Léger’s own design, identify this strikingly modern museum. The Cubist painter planned to build a studio here just before his death in 1955, and the museum contains more than 400 of his works (see Biot).

Sited opposite the Palais Longchamp, this museum is set in the former private mansion of a 19th-century rich, art-loving Marseille family. Its original decor has been carefully retained, recreating bourgeois life at the peak of the city’s prosperity. If the house itself is elegant and sober, the art collection is wonderfully eclectic. Walls are decorated with a unique collection of Gobelin and Aubusson tapestries, while the 10 different salons boast an overwhelming abundance of sculpture, paintings, drawings and furniture from the 13th to 19th centuries, and much more besides. A discreetly sensual delight.

Many of Provence’s aromatic plants are used in the perfume industry. This museum covers perfume’s 3,000-year history, from both practical and fashion angles. It includes exhibits from the Chanel fashion house and other designer names, plus Marie-Antoinette’s travelling kit and a greenhouse of exotic and regional plants. Perfumes are also available for sale (see Grasse).

The multi-talented Jean Cocteau, a playwright, author and film director as well as artist and designer, converted this 17th-century fort into his personal museum, donating tapestries, set designs and drawings to the collection.

Shortly before his death in 1954, the artist (see Henri Matisse) donated a collection of paintings to the city in which he had lived for 37 years. They have found a superb home in a 17th-century Italianate villa on Cimiez Hill overlooking the city centre. Boosted by subsequent donations, the collection affords a comprehensive overview of Matisse’s work, from 1890 through to the gouache cut-outs of his later years. It is made all the more effective by the presentation of items from his daily life (see Musée Matisse, Nice).

The most attractive collection in Nice, the Musée Matisse was founded in 1963, nine years after the painter’s death, and is housed in the 17th-century Villa des Arènes. The collection includes sketches, paintings and bronze sculpture by the prolific artist, as well as some of his personal effects (see Musée Matisse).