Not to miss

Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall

The Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall houses the largest public collection of works by Belarusian painter Marc Chagall (1887-1985), known for his characteristic flying animals, flowers, violinists and kissing couples.The exuberant swathes of colour used by Chagall to illustrate Old Testament themes are set off by the severity of this purpose-built museum.

main hall contains 12 huge interpretations (1954-67) of stories from Genesis and Exodus. In an antechamber, an unusual mosaic of Elijah in his fiery chariot, surrounded by signs of the zodiac, is viewed through a plate-glass window and reflected in a small pond. Five paintings (1960s) based on the Song of Songs form the most startling series, an explosion of passionate red (in contrast to the sea greens, deep purples and blues of the main room) dedicated to his wife Vava.Take bus 15 to the Musée Chagall stop, or walk (signposted from av de l'Olivetto).

Musée Matisse

The Musée Matisse, 2km north of the centre, houses a splendid assortment of works by Henri Matisse. Its permanent collection is displayed in a red-ochre 17th-century Genoese villa overlooking the olive-tree-studded Parc des Arènes. Temporary exhibitions are hosted in the futuristic basement building.

The reception hall of the museum is dominated by a colourful, 4.1m by 8.7m paper cutout frieze entitled Flowers and Fruits, designed by Matisse for the inner courtyard of a Californian villa in 1953. Attracted by the weather, scenery and proximity of his friends (Picasso, Renoir and Bonnard lived in neighbouring towns), Henri Matisse wintered in Nice until his death in Cimiez in 1954. Well known pieces in the permanent collection include his paper cut-outs of Blue Nude IV and Woman with Amphora.

Parc du Château

Vieux Nice's eastern extremity is flanked by Parc du Château, a towering 92m-high rock offering a cinematic panorama of Nice and the Baie des Anges.

The château after which the hill and park are named was established in the 12th century but was razed by Louis XIV in 1706. In the one remaining tower, the 16th-century Tour Bellanda, is the Musée Naval. The cemetery where Garibaldi is buried covers the northwest of the park.