Next March, we~re going to visit Vence, St. Paul and Grasse on our way out of Nice and into Aix-en-Provence.
What do you suggest. In which order visit these towns .
How can we visit Chapel de Rosaire in Vence.We ll be there on a Friday.
Thanks a lot for you help
Ismael

Begin with St.-Paul, which is right on the way up to Vence. Visiting the Matisse Chapel can be a real adventure, as knowing when it will be open requires the skills of a Sherlock Holmes. The chapel is open on a regular schedule, BUT it is closed on those days when there's one of the many religious holidays. The best thing to do is to have your hotel call and ask for the schedule, but don't have your heart set on seeing the chapel: we finally did so only on the third try.

You can see both St.-Paul and Vence in a half day, then proceed to Grasse for a short visit. The perfume museum is interesting if you have time--are you planning to stay one night in the area or do you just want to have a quick look around the town? It will be a very full day if you want to go on to Aix, which is about a two-hour drive once you get back down to the autoroute.

The Matisse Chapel is usually open on Tuesday and Thursday only, if then.

Thanks Underhill for the informations.
I ve tried to see the Chapel three times and I didn~t see it : I am very curious about it. Once I tried the bureau de tourisme for the schedule. They were very informative.
I will try again.
We Wiil be there on Friday.
In Grasse we want to visit a parfumerie.
Then proceed to Aix and finally we will go to a hotel in Avignon.
Thanks again, Ismael

We have concluded that there's someone stationed in the convent attached to the Chapel who has a telescope trained on the road. When she sees us coming, up goes the Closed sign!

The best perfumerie to visit in Grasse is the one you will see on coming into the town; it's just across from the small park. You'll spot the place by the pile of rose petals (or other flowers) in front. This one has a good-sized parking lot on a street lower down, which is very useful--and also toilets at one side.

Good luck with seeing the Matisse chapel! It's stunning in its simplicity, and there's an excellent exhibit on the way through the gift shop that shows Matisse's preliminary designs and how they changed over time. Also on display are some beautiful liturgical vestments that the artist designed.

Thanks Underhill,
this time we ll see the Chapel finally !
I got the phone number and e.mail of the Dominican nuns
04.93.58.03.26
e mail : [email protected]
Ismael