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Grasse town, Alpes-Maritimes

2 Rue Mirabeau, Grasse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Description

Grasse is a town in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the Southwest of France, about 20km inland from Cannes. It is considered the world's capital of perfume, having been the center of the French perfume industry since the 18th century thanks to a micro-climate ideal for flowers farming. The main production is natural raw materials (e.g. essential oils and molecular distillation) and many "noses" are trained there to learn to distinguish up to 2,000 kinds of scent. Highlights of the town include perfumeries tours (e.g. Molinard, Fragonard or Galimard), the International Perfume Museum, the monumental gate of the Hôtel de ville, Place aux Aires and the Palais des congrès, the Provence Art & History Museum, the Saracen Tower, and the various old streets.

Access & Transport

Grasse is located 40km to the west of Nice and 17km northwest of Cannes. There are regional trains linking the town with both Nice (65mins) and Cannes (25mins). The train station is about 500m south of the center of town.

Instructions & Recommendations

We suggest combining this activity with one of the following visits: 1) the village of Mougins with its Classic Art Museum, 2) The Chateau de Gourdon (15km to the northeast) with the nearby Waterfalls of Saut du Loup, or 3) the Saint Cézaire Cave (15km to the west).

Meta review

The town is famous as a historical perfume production centre and, as expected, the most popular activities revolve around that with the International Perfume Museum high on the list. Visitors there enjoy the comprehensive amount of information covering the use, production and marketing/selling of perfume although they often found the historical part a little lengthy (and not very engaging). Tours of the famous perfume houses such as Fragonard also get good feedback, some of them are free and available in English.

Environmental & Social

Most of the activities are environmentally neutral and help to preserve the city's manufacturing, cultural and architectural heritages.

Conclusion

Grasse combines a very unique background (perfume) with a pleasant and typically Provencal atmosphere that compensates the relative lack of monuments within town with several visit-worthy attractions in the area (30mins drive range). An excellent option when planning a day trip from the Cote d'Azur riviera or a regional itinerary.

Key positive

Best place to learn about perfumes

Charming center of town

Key negative

No top-tier attraction to see in town besides perfume museums / shops

Suitability

Most of the town is accessible for visitors with reduced mobility but it is unclear if the major buildings / museums are.

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

June 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:0h 40m

est. visit time:3h

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningNo

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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