Grasse tourist information
The surroundings of Grasse can be disappointing at first sight, with its blocks of flats and national road lined with shops, nothing promising can be looked forward to. But, as is often the case on the Côte d'Azur, perseverance pays off. Only a few more minutes drive will take the visitor straight into the heart of the historical centre of the town, with its architecture that is a subtle mixture of Genoese and Provençal styles.
Here, more than anywhere else, flowers occupy an important place in the urban landscape. Roses, jasmin, mimosas and sunflowers brighten up the intertwined medieval streets with their bright colours, while the breeze of the fountains refreshes the balconies decorated with lavender.
This town has a reputation to defend, because it is here that some of the most famous perfumes were created and are still produced today. Chanel no.5. Does that ring a bell? It is with gratitude that the town pays tribute to the two flowers that has made it internationally renowned: in May "Expo-rose" celebrates the queen of all flowers, used in the perfume industry for more than two hundred years. In August, it is the turn of the jasmin flower to be honoured at the occasion of street festivals. Did you know that jasmin essence, a speciality of Grasse, is worth more than gold?
Not to be missed: the visit of the International Perfume Museum. At the end of the visit you will know everything there is to know about this fabulous industry. The local perfume factories will also offer you free visits. Here the extraction process will be explained to you from A to Z and you will also be able to buy their products: essential oils, eaux de toilette, soaps, perfumes, etc. at interesting prices. Some laboratories even offers workshops where you can create your own perfume.
Grasse also has three other museums that equally deserves to be visited: The Art and History Museum of Provence, that presents a remarkable collection of earthenware and provençal furniture of exceptional quality; the Jean-Honoré Fragonard Villa-Museum, constructed during the 18th century, where this painter found refuge during the Revolution of 1789; and the Amiral de Grasse memorial, that retraces the career and epic of its well known inhabitant who became famous during the Independence war of the United States of America.
