Cagnes-sur-Mer and the Renoir Museum, Nice

About Cagnes-sur-Mer

Cagnes-sur-Mer is Nice's largest suburb, on the coast between Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Villeneuve-Loubet. It has three parts: medieval Haut-de-Cagnes on its castle hill, the fishing quarter of Cros-de-Cagnes by the sea, founded by fishermen from Menton, and the modern centre in between.

The town owes its fame to Auguste Renoir. He first came in 1903, hoping the warm climate would ease his arthritis, and soon bought an estate here. Later American writers and artists took to Cagnes, and then Georges Simenon, creator of Inspector Maigret.

What to see

• The Renoir Museum — studio, rooms and olive grove.
• Haut-de-Cagnes — medieval lanes on the hill.
• Château Grimaldi — a 14th-century castle at the top.
• Cros-de-Cagnes — the fishing quarter with boats and fish restaurants.
• The beach — 4 kilometres of pebbles along the bay.
• The Côte d'Azur racecourse — horse racing by the sea.

The Renoir Museum

In 1907 Renoir bought Les Collettes, three hectares of ancient olives, orange trees and a 19th-century farmhouse. He'd have happily lived in the old farm, but his wife Aline wanted a spacious house, so in 1908 the architect Jules Febvre built a Provençal-style house with two studios. The painter lived here for eleven years with his wife and sons Pierre, Jean and Claude until his death in 1919.

At Les Collettes Renoir painted the works of his 'late period', and in 1913–1918 he also turned to sculpture. Matisse, Maillol, Modigliani, Rodin, Picasso and Monet all visited. In 1960 the town bought the estate and opened a museum where everything stays as it was: the rooms, the studio with the painter's easel and wheelchair, his palette.

The collection

The museum has about a dozen rooms of Renoir's paintings, drawings and sculpture, among them the late Grandes Baigneuses, landscapes of Les Collettes and a view of the rooftops of Old Nice. Over time the national museums added work by his friends and followers: Maillol, Dufy, Bonnard and the painter's son Pierre Renoir.

In 1959 another son, the film director Jean Renoir, shot Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe here, in the house where he grew up. The museum holds the 'Maisons des Illustres' label, and the house has been a historic monument since 2001.

Haut-de-Cagnes and Château Grimaldi

Above the town, on a 91-metre hill, stands Haut-de-Cagnes, a medieval village of narrow lanes, archways and steep stairs. At the top is the Château Grimaldi, founded in 1309 by Rainier Grimaldi; today it's a museum, and its tower looks along the coast to Antibes and up to the Alps.

Below, by the sea, is Cros-de-Cagnes, where fishing boats still line the shore and restaurants serve the day's catch. From here a long pebble beach with a promenade runs along the bay.

Tips for your visit

Allow an hour and a half for the Renoir Museum and garden, and another hour or two for Haut-de-Cagnes. A good order: the museum in the morning, then up to the old town, and after lunch the beach or a fish restaurant in Cros-de-Cagnes.

Cagnes pairs well with Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a short bus ride away, or Antibes on the same railway. The Renoir Museum usually closes one day a week, so check before you go.

Haut-de-Cagnes has lots of steep steps, hard going with a pushchair. The museum garden is accessible almost throughout.

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How to do it right

• Don't skip the garden.
• Check the closing day.
• Shuttle up to the old town.
• Lunch in Cros-de-Cagnes.

Questions