Grasse
The world capital of perfume, with century-old perfume workshops where you can create your own scent and the International Perfume Museum tells the story of three thousand years of fragrance.
Grasse sits on a hillside about 40 km northwest of Nice. Known for leather and perfume since the 16th century, it is called the 'World Perfume Capital', and its perfume-making craft is on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. Long-established perfume houses such as Fragonard, Molinard and Galimard offer free guided tours explaining distillation and extraction. For a fee, you can also join a perfume-blending workshop and create your own fragrance (about €50 to 100). The International Perfume Museum traces three thousand years of perfume history. In the narrow old streets and the cathedral there are early paintings by Rubens. The Rose Festival in May and the Jasmine Festival in August are especially distinctive. From Nice, the TER train takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Opening hours
Open all day (perfume factory about 9:00 am–6:00 pm)
Nearby sights
- Gourdon
- Cannes / Palais des Festivals
- Lérins Islands
- Fondation Maeght
- Chapelle du Rosaire (Matisse Chapel)
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- Antibes Old Town
- Musée Picasso Antibes