Twenty minutes by train from Monaco, on the hill of Cimiez, the Marc Chagall national museum holds a cycle that exists nowhere else: the seventeen canvases of the Biblical Message, in a building designed with the painter himself. Here is everything worth knowing before you go.
Twenty minutes by train from Monaco, on the hill of Cimiez, a low, pale building holds one of the most moving ensembles in twentieth-century art. The Chagall Museum in Nice was designed during the painter's lifetime, with him, to house a single cycle: the seventeen canvases of the Biblical Message. Opening hours, tickets, the works you should not miss, how to get there from the Principality and how to dodge the crowds, here is everything worth knowing before you walk in.
Guests who make the round trip from Port Hercule in a day often say the same thing: this is the museum on the French Riviera that surprises them most. Not for its size, but for its quiet, and for the blue light falling through the auditorium.
Marc Chagall national museum: the essentials
| Address | Avenue du Docteur Ménard, 06000 Nice (Cimiez district) |
| Closing days | Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December |
| Opening hours | 10am-6pm from 2 May to 31 October, 10am-5pm from 1 November to 30 April |
| Tickets | 8 EUR outside exhibitions, 10 to 12 EUR during exhibitions, free for EU nationals under 26 |
| Visit length | 1 to 2 hours depending on the programme |
| From Monaco | 20 to 25 min by train to Nice-Ville, then 15 min on foot or bus 5 |
| Parking | Free on site, cars and coaches |
| Telephone | +33 4 93 53 87 20 |
What makes the Marc Chagall national museum unique?
Few museums can claim this: it was built for a living artist who followed the construction, chose the hang and added works to the building while it went up. That is what makes the visit feel so coherent.
A museum born from a gift to the French State
It began in 1966. Marc Chagall and his wife Valentina, known as Vava, gave the French State the Biblical Message cycle, seventeen canvases the painter had been working on since the 1950s. André Malraux, then Minister of Culture, decided in 1969 to build a museum to house them.
Construction started in 1970 on land given by the City of Nice, where a derelict early-century villa stood. In 1972, Chagall completed his gift with the full set of preparatory sketches, stained glass and sculptures.
Inaugurated on his 86th birthday
The museum opened on 7 July 1973, the painter's birthday, with Chagall himself present alongside André Malraux and Maurice Druon, Minister of Culture at the time. Until his death in 1985 at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the artist stayed close to the institution: he attended openings and, thanks to his friendships, launched a concert programme that still runs today.
In 1986, a payment-in-kind arrangement brought in the complete set of sketches and gouaches made for the Exodus, along with ten further paintings including the triptych Resistance, Resurrection, Liberation. The museum stopped being a single-theme venue and became a genuinely monographic one.
Architecture that deliberately steps back
The building is by André Hermant (1908-1978), a former collaborator of Auguste Perret and Le Corbusier and a member of the Union des Artistes Modernes. His approach: a plain rectangular plan, two perpendicular wings, carefully controlled natural light. Nothing should compete with the canvases.
It was Chagall who asked for an auditorium, then for stained glass and a mosaic, which forced changes to the circulation routes. The Mediterranean garden around the building was designed by landscape architect Henri Fisch, in a harmony of greens, whites and blues. In 2000 the building received the label now known as "Remarkable Contemporary Architecture".
What is there to see at the Chagall Museum in Nice?
The essentials take about an hour and a half, two hours if you linger in the garden and the auditorium. Here are the five highlights.
The Biblical Message room
This is the heart of the museum. Twelve large canvases illustrate Genesis and Exodus in a room built to measure for them. You will find The Creation of Man, Paradise, Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise, Noah's Ark, Abraham and the Three Angels and Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law.
Chagall does not narrate the texts, he transposes them. Figures float, colours saturate, animals cross the compositions. Take the time to step back to the opposite wall: the canvases answer each other from one end of the room to the other.
The Song of Songs
Five canvases, dominated by a deep red, occupy a smaller and deliberately more intimate room. Chagall dedicated them to Vava. It is the most sensual part of the cycle, and often the one visitors prefer.
The auditorium stained glass
The auditorium is bathed in the blue light of The Creation of the World, a set of stained-glass windows given by the painter. Many visitors cross the room without sitting down, which is a mistake. Settle in for a few minutes: the colour shifts with the hour and the cloud cover.
♦ The concierge's tip
Take the first morning train from Monaco station and arrive for opening, at 10am. Groups and cruise passengers rarely turn up before 11.30am, so you will have the Biblical Message room almost to yourself, and that is when the natural light falls most softly on the canvases. Staying at Port Palace, your concierge can set up that departure and book your tickets in advance.
The mosaic of the prophet Elijah
Outside, facing a pool, a mosaic more than seven metres wide shows the prophet Elijah carried to heaven on his chariot of fire, surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac in a Mediterranean landscape. Chagall commissioned it in 1971 from Lino Melano, one of the great mosaicists of his day.
The pool is not decorative: it was designed to reflect the work. Walk around it to find the angle where the reflection doubles.
The garden and the works on paper
Olive trees, cypresses, lavender and pines form a distinctly Mediterranean setting, pleasant even at the height of summer thanks to the shaded areas. Inside, the secondary rooms show gouaches, drawings, prints, sculptures and ceramics depending on the period, revealing the range of techniques Chagall practised.
Which temporary exhibition is on in 2026?
In 2026 the museum is showing Chagall à l'œuvre. Un prêt d'exception au musée, built around the 141 works that entered the French national collections thanks to donations from Bella and Meret Meyer, the artist's granddaughters. First shown at the Centre Pompidou, these pieces are on loan to the Nice museum and presented in two successive parts, with a rotation of works.
The second part runs from 23 May to 21 September 2026. It includes the forty-one sketches and models made for the ceiling of the Opéra Garnier, unveiled in 1964: a rare look inside a monumental commission.
Programming changes, so check what is on via the official website of the Marc Chagall national museum before you set off.
Opening hours, tickets and practical information
What are the Chagall Museum opening hours?
The museum opens daily except Tuesdays, as well as 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
- 2 May to 31 October: 10am to 6pm
- 1 November to 30 April: 10am to 5pm
- 24 and 31 December: early closing at 4pm
The ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum, and the rooms start clearing 15 minutes before closing time. Arriving less than an hour before the end of the day means giving up part of the visit.
☉ Good to know
Opening hours can be adjusted occasionally, in particular with midday closures in high season or during special events. The museum also offers no cloakroom service. Check the official Marc Chagall national museum website the day before and travel with a small bag.
How much does entry to the Chagall Museum cost?
The price depends on whether a temporary exhibition is running.
Chagall Museum ticket prices
| Ticket | Outside exhibitions | During an exhibition | Free entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full price | 8 EUR | 10 to 12 EUR | - |
| Reduced rate | 6 EUR | 8 to 10 EUR | - |
| Groups (10 people or more) | 6.50 EUR | 8.50 to 10.50 EUR | - |
| Under 26 (EU nationals) | Free | Free | Yes |
| First Sunday of the month | Free | Free | Yes |
Entry is free for EU nationals under 26, for visitors with disabilities and their companion, and for everyone on the first Sunday of each month. A twin ticket with the Fernand Léger national museum in Biot is available, valid for 30 days from the date of issue: a good option if you are planning two days of visits inland.
How long should you allow?
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the permanent collections, 2 hours if a temporary exhibition is on and you wander through the garden. The museum is not vast, which makes it easy to combine with lunch in the Old Town of Nice or a second cultural stop.
Is there a cloakroom?
No. Suitcases, travel bags, motorcycle helmets and bulky coats are not accepted: only small handbags and backpacks of roughly 20 x 25 x 40 cm get through security. Travel light, especially if you are coming straight from the station.
How do you get to the Chagall Museum from Monaco?
It is simpler than people expect, and the train remains the best option.
By train, then on foot or by bus
From Monaco station, five minutes' walk from Port Palace, regional trains reach Nice-Ville in 20 to 25 minutes. From Nice station the museum is about a 15-minute walk uphill towards Cimiez, or a few stops on bus line 5, "Musée Chagall" stop.
To plan every leg of your travel in the region, our complete guide to getting to Monaco covers rail, road and airport connections.
By car
Allow about thirty minutes from Monaco via the Basse Corniche or the A8 motorway, Nice Centre exit then the Voie Mathis, Cimiez exit. The museum has a free car park for cars and coaches, rare enough in Nice to be worth mentioning.
Guests who would rather not drive often choose a private transfer, one of the services available to hotel residents, with a saloon car or a van depending on the size of the group.
Five minutes' walk from Monaco station, facing Port Hercule: the ideal base for exploring the Riviera.
Check availabilityFollowing Chagall further along the coast
The Matisse Museum, minutes away
Also in Cimiez, a few stops further up line 5, the Matisse Museum occupies a seventeenth-century Genoese villa in an olive grove. The two painters knew each other and lived a few kilometres apart: putting both visits in the same day gives a fascinating reading of the Riviera as an open-air studio.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where the painter rests
Chagall spent his final years in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and is buried there, in the cemetery overlooking the valley. The nearby Fondation Maeght also holds a mosaic by the artist. Half a day is enough for the trip from Nice.
The mosaics of the French Riviera
Chagall left several monumental mosaics between Nice and the hinterland. The museum suggests a self-guided route linking them: an ideal thread for a second or third day on the coast, easily combined with the medieval village of Èze, which sits exactly halfway between Nice and Monaco.
And on the Monaco side
If the day has whetted your appetite for culture, the Principality has plenty more. The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, perched on the Rock, and the major exhibitions at the Grimaldi Forum make a natural follow-up. Our selection of must-see sights in Monaco helps you order it all across two or three days.
Staying in Monaco and exploring the Riviera
Making Monaco your base for exploring the French Riviera has an obvious logic: the Principality is linked to Nice, Menton and the Italian Riviera by a train that runs along the sea, and you come home in the evening to a lit harbour rather than a city you are passing through.
Port Palace, a four-star boutique hotel facing Port Hercule, is five minutes' walk from Monaco station. All fifty of our rooms and suites look out over the harbour and the Rock, and hotel guests benefit from a concierge service that can book skip-the-line tickets, arrange a private transfer to Cimiez or set up lunch in Nice between two museums.
On your return, the terrace of La Môme restaurant on the sixth floor looks straight down over the yachts: an evening worthy of the morning. For a trip for two, our guide to romantic experiences in Monaco rounds out the cultural programme.
Port Palace Monaco
Explore the Riviera, come home to Port Hercule
All 50 of our rooms and suites look out over the harbour and the Rock, five minutes' walk from Monaco station. Our guests benefit from a concierge service to arrange tickets, transfers and days out.
Book your stayFrequently asked questions about the Chagall Museum in Nice
Where is the Chagall Museum?
The Marc Chagall national museum is on Avenue du Docteur Ménard, 06000 Nice, on the heights of the Cimiez district. It is about a 15-minute walk from Nice-Ville station and served by bus line 5, "Musée Chagall" stop.
How long does a visit to the Chagall Museum take?
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the permanent collections and up to 2 hours if a temporary exhibition is on. The Mediterranean garden and the auditorium are worth another fifteen minutes.
How much is admission to the Chagall Museum?
Outside exhibition periods, full price is 8 EUR and the reduced rate 6 EUR. During exhibitions prices rise, generally to around 10 to 12 EUR depending on the programme. Entry is free for EU nationals under 26 and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.
Is the Chagall Museum open on Tuesdays?
No, the museum is closed every Tuesday, as well as on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. It opens at 10am on all other days.
How do you get to the Chagall Museum from Monaco?
Take a regional train from Monaco station to Nice-Ville, a journey of 20 to 25 minutes. From there, reach the museum on foot in about 15 minutes or by bus line 5. By car, allow around thirty minutes via the A8, Nice Centre exit then the Voie Mathis, Cimiez exit. Parking at the museum is free.
Can you combine the Chagall Museum and the Matisse Museum?
Yes, both museums are in the Cimiez district, about twenty minutes' walk or a few bus stops apart. It is the most logical pairing for a day of culture in Nice.
A morning that stays with you
The Chagall Museum does not impress through scale. It works differently: through the coherence of a place conceived with its painter, through the blue of the stained glass, and through seventeen canvases that exist nowhere else. It is probably the finest cultural excursion to make from the Principality, and the easiest.
From Port Hercule, all it takes is a morning train and the urge. The light of Cimiez handles the rest.
