Bucket list experience:
Conceived as Nice’s answer to Paris’s Pompidou Centre, MAMAC’s twin towers – connected by a sculptural glass facade – contain a core collection of intriguing art from the 1950s to the present.
Stroll through some 1,400 bold, edgy works by the likes of Ben, Yves Klein, Christo, Niki de Saint-Phalle, Dine, Warhol, Oldenburg, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg, Tiguely and Kelly, framed by luminous white-cube rooms – and don’t miss the striking public art on your way in. MAMAC also holds frequent, excellent temporary exhibitions.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
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France
Where to go and what to see in Nice to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
Take the local tram to Garibaldi, or there is parking at Promenade des Arts and Marshall.
You can see the collection online on the website – worth a browse before you go. One-hour guided tours are available in French and English on Saturdays (for a small additional fee). No need to book, you can buy a ticket for it at the entrance. Allow around two hours for your visit.
If you’re visiting a few art museums in Nice, it’s worth buying the French Riviera Pass which gets you into several for free.
The museum is open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[0.6 miles]
Contemporary suites and apartments set in an attractive 18th-century building, in a superb location in Old Nice. A great base for a few days in Nice.
Official star rating:
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[0.6 miles]
A charismatic and reasonably-priced boutique on the eastern end of Nice’s iconic Promenade des Anglais. It comes with panoramic sea views, handy parking, and access to a private beach club.
Official star rating:
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[0.9 miles]
Peaceful hotel next to Old Nice with to-die-for views over the ‘Bay of Angels’. The Cours Saleya market and Old Town are a few minutes’ walk away. Great for a first visit to the French Riviera.
Official star rating:
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[1.2 miles]
This fun, colourful and affordable design hotel channels this area’s beach clubs, just off Nice’s Promenade des Anglais.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Cote d'Azur, France
Money, glamour and bombshell looks: this beach-trimmed stretch of French coast offers decadent hotels, lounging in beach clubs, fine restaurants and world-class art.
Cote d'Azur, France
The buzzing, art-filled, foodie capital of the French Riviera, with a charming, Italian-influenced historic centre. The ideal base for a first-time visit to the Cote d’Azur, and home to the world-renowned Nice Carnival.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[0.5 miles]
An opulent Baroque palace from the 17th century, containing lavish interiors, 17th and 18th-century decorative and fine arts collections, and a collection of 500 musical instruments.
Best for ages: 18+ | £9
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[0.8 miles]
Nice’s food and flower market, held along the pedestrianised Cours Saleya esplanade, is packed with all the vibrant, sensuous colours, flavours and scents of the south: lavender, marzipan, sugared almonds, spices, herbal teas, takeaway socca and pissaladiere snacks. Held Tuesday to Sunday, around 6.30am to 1.30pm.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[1.2 miles]
This modern museum showcases Chagall’s joyful series of artworks inspired by the Bible – an explosion of colour and light. It’s the biggest public collection of works by one of the greatest 20th-century artists.
Best for ages: 18+ | £8
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[1.3 miles]
A spectacular train ride on a narrow-gauge railway through scenic French countryside, that you can ride from Nice on the Cote d’Azur to Annot in Haute Provence.
Best for ages: 4+ | £22 | 1 day
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[2.5 miles]
This magnificent former private mansion – built by a Russian princess – contains a fine collection of paintings and sculptures from the 16th to 20th century, by artists who lived in the Cote D’Azur.
Best for ages: 18+ | £8
Villefranche-sur-Mer , Cote d'Azur, France[3.2 miles]
Tucked between chi-chi St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Nice, the charming Medieval village of Villefranche-sur-Mer is the relaxed, boho antidote to the moneybags Riviera. A kilometre of coarse, gently shelving golden sand and crystalline waters, it’s all free and open to the public.
Best for ages: Any | Free
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[4 miles]
A superb collection of art from France’s ‘Naive’ art movement, housed in a delightful pink mansion. Over 600 works from 27 countries.
Best for ages: 18+ | £5
Nice, Cote d'Azur, France[4.5 miles]
Built in 1908 in an ancient-Greek-style, this villa in a ravishing seaside garden setting features replica 2nd-century AD interiors typical of the island of Delos. The project of two scholars obsessed with the period.
Best for ages: 18+ | £8
