# Cagnes-sur-Mer and the Renoir Museum, Nice > Cagnes-sur-Mer is a seaside town 15 minutes by train from Nice, where the painter Auguste Renoir spent his last eleven years. His Les Collettes estate among ancient olives became a museum where everything stays as he left it, from the studio with its easel to the orange garden. Above the town, medieval Haut-de-Cagnes stands on a hill with the Château Grimaldi, and by the sea are 4 kilometres of beach and the fishing quarter of Cros-de-Cagnes. Allow half a day for the museum and old town. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/nice/cagnes-sur-mer - City: [Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice), France - YesGo score: 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 3 h - Opening hours: Town always open, Renoir Museum by day except closing day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Town free; Renoir Museum ticket - From Nice: ≈ 15 minutes by train - Renoir Museum: ≈ 1–1.5 hours with the garden - Beach: ≈ 4 km along the bay - Duration: ≈ half a day - Location: Between Nice and Antibes, near Nice airport - Coordinates: 43.66360, 7.14830 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1907** — Renoir bought Les Collettes (source: English Wikipedia) - **11 years** — the painter lived and worked here (source: English Wikipedia) - **1309** — Château Grimaldi founded (source: English Wikipedia) - **4 km** — of beach along the bay (source: English Wikipedia) ## 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 painter's garden** Don't rush off after the rooms: the **garden and olive grove** are just as much a part of the museum. These are the very trees Renoir painted in his last years. The terraces look across to Haut-de-Cagnes and the sea. Spring and autumn are loveliest; in hot weather come at opening. ## 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. ## How to get there 1. By train from Nice to Cagnes-sur-Mer station, about 15 minutes. 2. From the station to the Renoir Museum, a 15–20-minute uphill walk. 3. To Haut-de-Cagnes, by free town shuttle bus or on foot up the stairs. 4. From Nice airport, by bus or taxi in 15–20 minutes. ## 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](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-paul-de-vence), a short bus ride away, or [Antibes](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Check the Renoir Museum's closing day - [ ] See the painter's studio - [ ] Walk through the olive grove - [ ] Climb up to Haut-de-Cagnes - [ ] Have fish for lunch in Cros-de-Cagnes ## Places in Nice: compare and choose Places in Nice rated by YesGo. - [Chagall Museum](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/musee-chagall) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Ticket - [Saint-Paul-de-Vence](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-paul-de-vence) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Antibes](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/antibes) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free - [Musée Matisse](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/musee-matisse) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Nice museums ticket - [Cagnes-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/cagnes-sur-mer) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free ## Don't mix it up Cagnes-sur-Mer is the town near Nice with the Renoir Museum; Cannes is the famous film-festival resort 30 kilometres further west. ## Tips - Don't skip the garden. - Check the closing day. - Shuttle up to the old town. - Lunch in Cros-de-Cagnes. ## Questions ### How do I get to Cagnes-sur-Mer from Nice? By train in about 15 minutes. ### What is there to see in Cagnes-sur-Mer? The Renoir Museum, Haut-de-Cagnes with Château Grimaldi, and the beach. ### How much is entry to the Renoir Museum? Entry is ticketed; see the town website for current prices. ### How long do I need at the Renoir Museum? About an hour and a half including the garden. ### How long did Renoir live in Cagnes-sur-Mer? Eleven years, from 1908 to 1919. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Prices, hours and the museum's closing day weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Cagnes-sur-Mer and Musée Renoir - Cagnes-sur-Mer official tourism website, cagnes-tourisme.com --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.