Region

Museums, galleries and heritage in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur

689 places to discover across Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur.

138 museums545 galleries2 castles4 heritage

Including Musée Granet, Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain and Fondation Maeght.

60 of 74 places, sorted by distance from the center

Museum

Musée de la préhistoire des gorges du Verdon

Quinson

Museum

Musée des Gueules Rouges

Tourves

Museum

Maison de l’Eau et de la Vallée

Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon

Museum

Musée du pays brignolais

Brignoles

Museum

Musée de La Mine de Saint-Maime

Saint-Maime

Museum

Musée des arts et traditions populaires de moyenne Provence

Draguignan

Museum

Artemisia museum

Forcalquier

Museum

Musée de l'atelier de Paul Cézanne

Aix-en-Provence

Museum

Musée du vieil Aix

Aix-en-Provence

Museum

Musée de l'artillerie

Draguignan

Museum

Musée du pavillon de Vendôme

Aix-en-Provence

Museum

Musée de la Légion Etrangère

Aubagne

Museum

MHeMO, Maison d'Histoire et de Mémoire d'Ongles

Ongles

Museum

Musée Provençal

Marseille

Museum

Maison du Patrimoine d'Ollioules

Ollioules

Museum

Musée de l'École Publique

Ollioules

Museum

Musée gallo-romain de Tauroentum

Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer

Museum

Musée National de la Marine

Toulon

Museum

Musée d’histoire de Toulon et de sa région

Toulon

Museum

Musée Suffren et du vieux Saint-Cannat

Saint-Cannat

Museum

Musée des Arts Asiatiques

Toulon

Museum

La Banque, musée des Cultures et du Paysage

Hyères

Museum

Musée municipal d'arts et traditions populaires

Cassis

Museum

Musée Frédéric Dumas

Sanary-sur-Mer

Museum

Musée ciotaden

La Ciotat

Museum

MHAB-Musée d'Histoire et d'Art de Bormes

Bormes-les-Mimosas

Museum

Musée d'histoire de la Ville de Marseille

Marseille

Museum

Crypte archéologique Notre-Dame du Bourg

Digne-les-Bains

Museum

Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne de la Ville de Marseille

Marseille

Museum

Musée des docks romains

Marseille

Museum

Musée Regards de Provence

Marseille

Museum

Mémorial des déportations de la ville de Marseille

Marseille

Museum

Musée de Notre-Dame de la Garde

Marseille

Museum

Musée des troupes de marine

Fréjus

Museum

Musée d'Histoire Locale de Fréjus

Fréjus

Museum

Musée d'archéologie gallo-romaine du Var

Fréjus

Museum

Musée gallo-romain Sisteron

Sisteron

Museum

Musée des Amis de Castrum Vetus

Châteauneuf-les-Martigues

Castle

Musée de l'Emperi

Salon-de-Provence

Museum

Musée du vieux Saint-Chamas

Saint-Chamas

Museum

Musée Jean Garcin 39-45 : l'appel de la liberté

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

Museum

Musée-bibliothèque Pétrarque

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

Museum

Musée d'art et d'histoire de Provence

Grasse

Museum

Galerie de l'histoire de Martigues

Martigues

Museum

Petit Musée de Carro

Martigues

Museum

Écomusée de la Roudoule

Puget-Rostang

Museum

Musée du Masque de fer et du Fort Royal

Cannes (Île Sainte-Marguerite)

Museum

Musée national Fernand Léger

Biot

Museum

Musée Escoffier de l'Art Culinaire

Villeneuve-Loubet

Museum

Musée d'archéologie

Antibes

Museum

Musée Renoir

Cagnes-sur-Mer

Museum

Musée-fondation Louis Jou

Les Baux-de-Provence

Museum

Musée national du sport

Nice

Museum

Musée Frédéric Mistral

Maillane

Museum

Muséoscope du Lac

Rousset-Serre-Ponçon

Museum

Musée archéologique Théo Desplans

Vaison-la-Romaine

Heritage

Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge

Avignon

Museum

Musée du vieux logis

Nice

Museum

Villa Masséna, musée d'art et d'histoire

Nice

Heritage

Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera

Nice

04About

A region shaped by artists and collectors

Few regions in France have attracted as many painters as Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Paul Cézanne worked in Aix-en-Provence until his death in 1906, and his final studio, the Atelier des Lauves, still holds his easel, still-life props and personal belongings exactly as he left them.

In Arles, Vincent van Gogh painted some of his most celebrated canvases during his stay in 1888-1889. The Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles examines his work and legacy through exhibitions that pair his paintings with contemporary art. The same city hosts LEE UFAN ARLES, devoted to the Korean minimalist artist, and the Fondation Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, focused on documentary photography.

Avignon, seat of the papacy in the 14th century, concentrates a remarkable density of collections: the Collection Lambert for contemporary art, the Musée Angladon built on the collection of couturier Jacques Doucet, the Musée Louis Vouland for 17th- and 18th-century decorative arts, and the Musée Lapidaire, housed since 1933 in a former Jesuit chapel built between 1620 and 1655.

05Neighborhoods

Coastal cities, inland towns

Nice combines a strong photographic tradition with natural sciences and industrial heritage. The Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre is built around the archive of Charles Nègre, a pioneering 19th-century photographer, while the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle de Nice occupies a historic building on Boulevard Risso. Nearby, the Espace culturel départemental Lympia has converted the former galley warehouses of Nice's port into an exhibition venue.

Inland, Digne-les-Bains preserves the memory of explorer and Tibetologist Alexandra David-Néel at the Maison Alexandra David-Néel, while the village of Salignac, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, is home to the Paleogalerie, an associative museum founded in 2014 around the paleontological collections of the Vocontian basin.

On the Var coast, the Musée du Niel sits directly on the water at the Port du Niel, on the Giens peninsula in Hyères, presenting temporary exhibitions of contemporary and modern art. Further inland, Draguignan hosts the Hôtel départemental des expositions du Var (HDE Var).

05Artists

Modern and contemporary art spaces

In Aix-en-Provence, Granet XXe occupies the former chapelle des Pénitents blancs and presents modern and contemporary collections alongside temporary exhibitions, complementing the city's Cézanne heritage.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence, long associated with 20th-century modern art, is now also home to the FONDATION CAB St-Paul-de-Vence, dedicated to minimal and conceptual art, which operates alongside a sister venue in Brussels. Nearby, the town of Vence has its own museum, the Musée de Vence.

Marseille contributes to the region's contemporary scene through the Centre de Conservation et de Ressources du Mucem, which holds and studies the collections of the Mucem, the national museum devoted to Mediterranean civilizations. Near Aix-en-Provence, the village of Châteauneuf-le-Rouge houses the Musée Arteum.

09FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the best starting point to explore Cézanne's Provence?

Begin at the Atelier des Lauves in Aix-en-Provence, the artist's last studio, then continue to Granet XXe in the former chapelle des Pénitents blancs to see how his legacy connects to modern and contemporary art.

How much time should I plan for the museums of Avignon?

Allow a full day to cover the Collection Lambert, Musée Angladon, Musée Louis Vouland and Musée Lapidaire, all located within Avignon's compact historic center.

Is the region's art scene limited to the Riviera cities?

No. Significant venues also exist inland and in smaller towns, including the Maison Alexandra David-Néel in Digne-les-Bains, the Paleogalerie in Salignac, and the Musée Arteum in Châteauneuf-le-Rouge.

Where can I see contemporary photography in the region?

The Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre in Nice and the Fondation Manuel Rivera-Ortiz in Arles both focus on photography, historical and documentary respectively.

What links Arles to Vincent van Gogh today?

The Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles occupies the city where the artist lived and painted in 1888-1889, presenting his work in dialogue with contemporary artists rather than as a standalone historical archive.

Are there museums directly on the coast?

Yes. The Musée du Niel in Hyères sits on the Giens peninsula at the water's edge, and the Espace culturel départemental Lympia in Nice occupies former port warehouses.