Château Grimaldi, Medieval castle in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.
The stone fortress rises from the hilltop of Haut-de-Cagnes with defensive towers, a triangular courtyard, and views extending to the Mediterranean Sea.
Rainier Grimaldi, an admiral of France connected to Monaco's ruling family, constructed this fortress in 1309 as a strategic military installation.
The castle museum displays contemporary art exhibitions and maintains a collection of 40 portraits of French performer Suzy Solidor by different artists.
Visitors can reach the castle via a free shuttle service from downtown Cagnes-sur-Mer, with guided tours available in English and French from June to September.
The great hall features a 1620s painted ceiling depicting the Fall of Phaëton by Genovese artist Giulio Benso, demonstrating baroque architectural refinement.
Location: Cagnes-sur-Mer
GPS coordinates: 43.66722,7.14583
Latest update: June 23, 2025 09:45
The French Riviera offers numerous sites beyond the main tourist routes. Medieval hilltop villages such as Èze and Saint-Paul de Vence perch above the coast, while historic fortifications like Fort Carré in Antibes preserve the region's maritime past. Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Château Grimaldi in Cagnes-sur-Mer display architectural styles from different eras. The region extends from the coastline to the backcountry. The Îles de Lérins off Cannes are accessible by ferry, Col de la Bonette reaches 9,193 feet (2,802 meters) elevation, and Vallée des Merveilles in the Mercantour preserves prehistoric rock carvings. Hiking trails cross Parc national du Mercantour and follow the coast at Cap d'Ail. The Gorges du Verdon to the north form one of Europe's deepest canyons. Museums in Nice focus on Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and Asian art. The Musée de la Mer on Île Sainte-Marguerite documents the island fortress's history. Smaller towns like Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Le Cannet lie a few miles from the coastal cities. Lac de Saint-Cassien near Montauroux provides water sports in a rural setting.
Between the ramparts of the old town and the pines of Cap d'Antibes, this seaside resort on the French Riviera preserves an architectural heritage spanning eight centuries. Grimaldi Castle, a 12th-century fortress turned Picasso’s first museum in 1946, overlooks the seafront from Place du Safranier. Further south, Fort Carré stands with its four bastions on a 26-meter-high (85 ft) rocky promontory, built in 1565 to defend the border between France and the Duchy of Savoy. Cap d'Antibes features about twenty residences built from the late 19th century through the interwar period. Villa Eilenroc (1867) covers 27 acres with French-style gardens and a rose garden facing the sea. Château de la Croë (1927) once hosted the Duke of Windsor and is now a private estate. Notable visitors included Anatole France, who resided in Villa Soleil, and Karl Lagerfeld in the 1990s. Villa Thuret, established in 1857 by botanist Gustave Thuret, currently hosts a research garden of the INRAE with 2,500 plant species suited to Mediterranean conditions. Modernist architecture is represented by Villa Aujourd'hui (1938), a rare example of geometric design from the 1930s on the Côte d'Azur.
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Eglise Saint-Marc
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Domaine des Collettes
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Plage de l'Hippodrome
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Aquapark06
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Saint-Paul-de-Vence Le Pontil
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Plage du Grand Large
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Chapelle Saint-Pierre
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Chapelle Saint-Michel de Saint-Paul-de-Vence
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Handiplage – Espace Claude et Thérèse Faivre
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