Grasse

There are countless tourist sites around the hotel, and Grasse, world capital of perfume since the 17th century, easily tops the list. Built along a sloping hill overlooking the Mediterranean, this town on the Côte d’Azur continues to cultivate its skills in perfume-making, something which has led it to being listed as a key piece of world cultural heritage by UNESCO.

The surrounding hills sloping towards the sea are covered in fields of some of the most delicately scented flowers. Centifolia roses, violets, jasmine, and many other flowers find their way to the town's great perfume houses. Breathe in this unique heritage as you wander the museums, factories, and plantations with their vast fields of flowers. You shouldn’t leave Grasse without first exploring one of the great temples to perfume – the Parfumerie Fragonard. This perfume house gets its name from the famous Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who originally came from Grasse. The Fragonard museum and factory are located a short distance from one another in one of the magnificent restored historic 19th buildings at the heart of the old town. 

A town of art and history, Grasse makes a picture perfect whole perfect for wandering, with its colourful four or five-storey buildings, its narrow and winding streets linked by little side streets, and its sloping streets and stairways. Also worth checking out is the Notre-Dame-du-Puy Cathedral with its tall bell tower pointing towards the sky. Built during the 13th century in a Provençal Romanesque style, this building boasts superb architecture, starting with its double-flight stairway and its imposing walnut door. Admire the Baroque-style chapel and the sumptuous ogive crosses decorated in gold, contrasting with the sky-blue tones of the ceiling.

A 5 minute walk away, the Place aux Aires and its old houses with irregularly-shaped arcades hosts a charming flower and vegetable market every morning around its elegant Louis XV Fountain. As you look at the façades, notice the arches and the windows with small columns, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. At number 33, the Hotel Isnard, with its lovely forged iron balcony and its numerous windows, is a fine testament to the wealth of the merchants in the 18th century.