Grimaldi Castle Museum

Presentation

Contact details

Haut-de-Cagnes – place du Château
06800 Cagnes-sur-Mer

Contact: +33 (0)4 92 02 47 35 – chateau@cagnes.fr

Schedules

July and August: 10am-1pm // 2-6pm.
September, April, May and June: 10am-12pm // 2-6pm.
From October to March: 10am-12pm // 2-5pm.
Closed on Tuesdays and on 25/12 and 01/01.

Rates

Adults: 4 €.
Under 26s, Cagnois and 1st Sunday of the month: free.
Double ticket (applicable to people wishing to visit the Château-Musée and the Renoir Museum on the same day): 8 €.

Intérieur du château musée Grimaldi - Haut-de-Cagnes

Access

Highway A8 + Exits 47/48 CAGNES-SUR-MER + Direction Centre-Ville.
Limited free parking on site.

Smart: to avoid parking problems, take the free shuttle bus n°44 from the downtown bus station to Haut-de-Cagnes every 15 minutes 7 days a week from 7am to 12:30am (free parking nearby)
Download the route and timetable of the shuttle n°44

The jewel of the medieval village

Built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes, this castle will withstand sieges and assaults before being transformed around 1620 by Baron Jean-Henri Grimaldi into a seigneurial residence combining the charm and wealth of a palace.

Acquired by the city in 1937, it became a municipal museum in 1946 and was classified as a historical monument in 1948. Today it is a wonderful setting that houses the Musée de l’Olivier, the Solidor Donation and exceptional baroque painted ceilings.

The Château-Musée Grimaldi also hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, as well as numerous concerts.

The Olive Tree Museum

The Musée de l’Olivier presents a particularly extensive collection on this Mediterranean emblem and its traditions.

The Solidor Donation

Exhibition of 40 portraits of the famous cabaret singer, Suzy Solidor, painted by famous artists: Foujita, Kisling, Laurencin, Lempicka, Picabia, Van Dongen…

Download the brochure

Musée de l'olivier - château musée Grimaldi
Museum of the Olive Tree
Donation Solidor - château musée Grimaldi
Solidor Donation

History

The fortress of the Grimaldi family

In its original conception, this fortress built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes and Admiral of France, is only intended for watch and defense.
For two centuries, the castle will withstand sieges and assaults before being transformed around 1620 by Baron Jean-Henri Grimaldi into a seigneurial residence combining the comfort and wealth of a palace.
It is from this period that the transformations visible from the outside date: the monumental double-flight staircase, the monumental door with marble frame surmounted by a balcony of honor, and the large windows that replaced the archways.

Acquired by the city in 1937, it became a municipal museum in 1946 and was classified as a historical monument in 1948. Today, it serves as a sumptuous setting for the collections of the Musée de l’Olivier, the Solidor Donation and numerous temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.

Illustration ancienne du château Grimaldi - Haut de Cagnes
Photo ancienne de l'extérieur du château Grimaldi

The remains of the ramparts

The medieval village, strategically perched at the top of the rocky spur of the hill, occupies a natural defensive position overlooking the plain and the Bay of Angels from Cap Ferrat to Cap d’Antibes.

These defensive walls, of rather rough construction, had resistance only thanks to their massive thickness of 3 m on average at the base and 1 m at the top. They enclosed the town in a horseshoe shape with uneven branches, which followed the uneven terrain.

These ramparts bear witness to the eventful past of a coveted border zone, since the nearby Var River was for a very long time, from 1388 to 1860, the natural border between the County of Provence and the country of Nice, i.e. between the Kingdom of France and the States of the House of Savoy (now Italy).

The inhabitants then used the collapsed walls as a stone quarry and reused the materials to build their houses on the site of the ramparts that were no longer needed. They drilled doors and windows into the remaining wall sections, which they integrated into their barns and houses.

Guided tour

The jewel of the medieval village

Built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes and Admiral of France, this fortress will withstand sieges and assaults before being transformed around 1620 by Jean-Henri Grimaldi into a seigneurial residence combining the charm and wealth of a palace.

Acquired by the city in 1937, it became a municipal museum in 1946 and then a historical monument in 1948. Today it is a wonderful setting that houses the ethnographic museum of the Olive Tree, the Solidor donation (40 portraits of Suzy Solidor painted by illustrious artists such as Cocteau, Dufy, Foujita, Lempicka, Laurencin, Picabia, Van Dongen…), and exceptional baroque painted ceilings.

The Château-Musée Grimaldi also hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art in a harmonious setting adorned with bright, typically Italian colors and decorated with marble, sculptures and trompe l’oeil.

Guided tours of the Grimaldi Castle-Museum

October to May: Wednesdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.
June to September (summer season): Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.

Meet at the entrance of the Grimaldi Castle-Museum.

Tours of the medieval village of Haut-de-Cagnes
Every 1st Sunday of the month during the “Haut-de-Cagnes Art en fête” event.

Reservations required on the following days: Fridays May 3 & 17, Fridays June 14 & 21, Thursdays September 19 & 26 and Thursdays October 10 & 17. Reservations required at reservations.musees@cagnes.fr minimum 2 people.

For cancellations, please notify the museum at least 48 hours in advance at the same e-mail address, giving your number and name.
Price of the guided tour: 3 € (+ 4 € for an entrance to the museum).

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