You’ll know you’re in Grasse (grahss; pop. 45,000) when the smell of tanning oil turns to jasmine and tea rose. With a unique climate ideal for growing heavily scented flowers, Grasse has been the capital of the world’s perfume industry for over 200 years and houses France’s three largest, oldest, and most distinguished parfumeries. Prepare to be spritzed with a barrage of flowery scents that will leave your nose delightfully overwhelmed. Outside the perfumeries, expansive vistas and tasty restaurants satisfy the other senses. Grasse’s proximity to Cannes (15km) makes it a pleasant afternoon excursion.
Most tourist destinations are concentrated in the pedestrian vieille ville and on the south-facing hillside. From the train station, take the shuttle or bus #3 to any stop along bd. du Jeu de Ballon to reach the tourist office or its annex. From the bus station, walk a short distance along rue Andre Kalin to av. Thiers and make a left to find the tourist office on your right. Continue past the tourist office along av. Thiers and turn left down a flight of steps when you see signs for place aux Aires, a lively square on the edge of the vieille ville. Farther downhill, on your left, lies place du 24 Août, a large plateau with a valley view within walking distance of the Fragonard perfumery and several museums.
Grasse has moderately priced hotels but no hostels or good camping options.
A morning market fills place du Cours (open W 7am-1pm). On Saturdays, the flower market on place aux Aires usually offers fruit and vegetable stands as well as the blossoms (open 7am-1pm). A Monoprix supermarket, rue Paul Goby, is near the bus station. (☎04 93 36 44 36. Open M-Sa 8:45am-8pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Crêperies and cafes occupy the vieille ville. Centered on cobblestone pl. aux Aires, Grasse’s most affordable restaurants also have the best ambience.
In mid-May, Expo-Rose attracts rose growers from around the world for the largest exhibition of its kind. The Grassois pay tribute to their flowery source of income again in early August at the Fête du Jasmin. This fragrant festival features the election of a Miss Jasmin to preside over the festivities. Even the directionally challenged will have no trouble finding their way to Grasse’s three largest parfumeries; wafts of eau de toilette lead visitors to the factory doorsteps.
Fragonard. The most tourist-friendly parfumerie gives free tours of its 225-year-old factory, still in use today. An interesting museum on the top floor of the factory displays a large collection of perfume paraphernalia, including bottles ranging from ancient Egyptian to Calvin Klein. Don’t miss the creative perfume bottle shapes, which include adorable birds, eggs, and—rather ironically—human feet. (20 bd. Fragonard. ☎04 93 36 44 65; www.fragonard.com. Open Feb.-Oct. daily 9am-6pm; Nov.-Jan. M-Sa 9am-6pm. Last tour 5:45pm. AmEx/MC/V.)
Molinard. This parfumerie is housed in a 19th-century factory designed by Gustave Eiffel—of Parisian tower and Statue of Liberty fame. Free tours take you past scented soap production, enormous perfume vats, and elaborate, aging bottle labels. If you don’t find anything to suit your taste, concoct your own personal eau de parfum at the 1hr. Tarinologie workshop for €40. (60 bd. Victor Hugo, 5min. from the centre-ville. ☎04 92 42 33 11; www.molinard.com. Open July-Aug. daily 9am-7pm; Sept. and Apr.-June daily 9am-6:30pm; Oct.-Mar. M-F 9am-12:30pm and 2-6pm, Sa 9am-noon and 2-6pm. Tours July 9:30am-6pm; Aug.-June 9:30am-noon and 2-5:30pm. Reservations required for Tarinologie workshop. AmEx/MC/V.)
Galimard. Louis XIV’s perfume and pomade maker founded the Galimard factory in 1747 to keep the Sun King smelling divine. The factory offers 2hr. sessions with a professional nose, who will help you create a personal fragrance for €45 in the Studio des Fragrances. (73 route de Cannes. From the bus station, take bus #600 (dir.: Cannes) and make sure the driver knows you want to go to La Blauquière (€1). From the stop, walk downhill for 5min. ☎04 93 09 20 00; www.galimard.com. Open daily June-Sept. 9am-6:30pm; Oct.-May 9am-12:30pm and 2-6pm. Reservations required. AmEx/MC/V.)
Musée International De La Parfumerie. To make sense of all these scents, head to this superb museum, where exhibits showcase perfume production across the globe. Look for the 3000-year-old mummy’s hand and foot, apparently preserved by their perfume. (8 pl. du Cours Honoré Cresp. ☎04 97 05 58 00. Open June-Sept. daily 10am-6:30pm; Oct.-May M and W-Su 10am-12:30pm and 2-5:30pm.)
Musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard. This museum features erotic canvases by the libertine painter and Grasse native, whose name was adopted by the perfumery in 1926. (23 bd. Fragonard. ☎04 93 36 01 61. Open June-Sept. daily 10am-6:30pm; Oct.-May M and W-Su 10am-12:30pm and 2-5:30pm.)
Other Sights. The Musée Provençal du Costume et du Bijou, next to the Fragonard factory, offers a small collection of 18th- and 19th-century clothing and jewelry, most of which is displayed on faceless mannequins. A less creepy highlight is the collection of intricate, ornamental crosses. (☎04 93 36 91 42. Open daily 10am-1pm and 2-6:30pm. Free.) At the highest point in the vieille ville, the Romanesque Cathédrale Notre Dame-du-Puy displays three works by Rubens as well as Fragonard’s only religious painting, Lavement des Pieds, commissioned especially for the Baroque chapel. (☎04 93 36 11 02. Open M-Tu and Th-F 9:30am-6pm, W 9:30-11:30am and 3-6pm, Sa 9:30-11:30am and 3-7pm, Su 8-11:30am.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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