Discover Grasse on the French Riviera

Discover Grasse on the French Riviera, about 15km inland from Cannes on the Côte d’Azur, it’s the most perfumed city in France.

Sweet scents assail your nostrils as soon as you arrive in Grasse. Whether you’re wandering in the Parc Princesse Pauline, named after Napoleon’ Bonaparte’s sister who used to holiday here in the winter, and where on warm days they spray jasmine scented water to cool you down, or whether you’re strolling in the old town where there are too many perfume shops to count, plus perfume museums and perfume schools – not to mention some 30 perfume factories in and around the town – the air smells good.

But it wasn’t always like this. It used to reek.

Historically, Grasse had a thriving leather tanning industry which left a foul stench in the air that also lingered on the leather gloves that were the town’s speciality. When commissioned to make a pair of gloves for the wife of King Henri II, Catherine de Medici, local tanner Jean de Galimard came up with the idea of perfumed gloves, steeping the leather in aromatic solutions and fragrant pastes. The queen loved them, and gifted pairs to those in her favour, and so began a 16^th century craze for perfumed gloves. The tanning and perfume industries would evolve to operate hand in glove!

Statue of Jean-Honoré Fragonard in Grasse — *Left: Statue of Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the town*

By the 17th century, perfumed gloves had become so popular it led to the growth of Glovers Perfumers guilds in Grasse who scrambled to meet demand and began to grow flowers to make perfume. Over time the glove making industry waned, and the perfume industry rocketed. It wasn’t until the start of the 19^th century that regular bathing became a thing, so perfume was vital to masking foul smells. Grasse became the place for perfume supplies and King Louis XIV who had his own perfumer, trained in the arts of blending scents, his supplies coming from Galimard in Grasse. And Napoleon loved his eau de cologne so much it’s said he not only dabbed it but drank it, and always carried a small bottle in his boot.

Discover Grasse on the French Riviera

To this day, Grasse is the most important centre of perfume making in France and in 2018 UNESCO awarded the town intangible cultural heritage status, safeguarding this living tradition.

The old town, with its narrow pastel hued buildings, fountains on every corner and a stupendous sweeping view over the Bay of Cannes, still bears the story of its fragrant transformation.

Start your visit at the Musée International de la Parfumerie – the only one of its kind in the world, and you’ll get a great overview of how Grasse became so famously fragrant. Discover how there are more than 4000 listed scents, and that a ‘nose,’ an expert perfume creator, must memorise at least 1000 of them. Stick your nose into ‘essence fountains’ and ‘vapour trails’ and if you take a guided tour, you may be ‘lucky’ enough to be invited to sniff a jar of synthetic civet which mimics the scent of the anal secretions of small animals like beaver, a frequent ingredient in perfume and said to be a particularly favoured aroma of King Louis XIV. It’s a fascinating exhibition including a greenhouse filled with popular perfume plants from roses to ginger, and Queen Marie-Antoinette’s travel case. It’s said that she had the case sent to her sister to avoid attention to such an obviously expensive piece, when trying to flee Paris during the French Revolution – but her famously scented jasmine hair oil led to her being recognised.

Photo Janine Marsh — *Left: Jessica September Buchanan, 1000 Flowers; right: Didier Galglewski of Parfum G*

Perfumers, known as ‘noses’ (nez), abound in Grasse, not just at the big houses of Galimard, Molinard, Fragonard, Dior, Chanel and Lancôme, but single independents too. In a dazzling 12^th century building in rue de l’Oratoire, independent perfumer Didier Galglewski’s skills are in demand with the great beauty and couture houses, but you can buy his unique and exquisite perfumes in his shop Parfum G. He specialises in artisan techniques to create an authentic and personal approach to perfumes, and can tell from looking at someone and asking just a few questions which perfume will suit them.

While in Place Aux Aires, Canadian Jessica September Buchanan, who studied perfumery in Grasse, now lives there. She was drawn to the town for its lifestyle as well as the resources of the area and her quest to create perfumes in a sustainable ecological way. Her shop 1000 Flowers is full of her divine perfumes. Jessica also teaches fragrance creation from her academy on the first floor.

There are plenty of opportunities to create your own unique scent in the town, and I headed to Galimard to channel my inner Coco Chanel. The famous haute couturier worked with top nose Ernest Beaux to create a “woman’s perfume.” He presented her with a range of perfumes numbering 1-5 and 20-24. She chose No. 5 as it was her lucky number. Installed at my own ‘organ’ of perfumes to sniff more than 100 different notes – around 40 each of head, heart and base notes, I mixed essences with help from a nose/instructor to get the balance right, creating perfume is part science, wholly art. I received a bottle of perfume, the blend recorded for posterity (and future orders as I loved it!).

Three big names in Grasse

When creating perfume, the scents are separate to three classes known as notes:

Top/head notes – light citrus, floral and fruity scents that last for around 15 minutes after you apply

Middle/heart notes – these last 2-3 hours and include jasmine, lavender, rose and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Base/soul notes – can last up to 24 hours, and scents include musk, vanilla, sandalwood and cedar wood.

And there are three big names in Grasse:

Galimard – the first to perfume gloves in Grasse – a bath of lavender, jasmine, roses, wild orange blossom, mimosa and myrtle.

Molinard – established in 1849, when chemist J Molinard opened a shop in Grasse – his clients included Queen Victoria.

Fragonard – founded in 1926 by Eugene Fuchs who named his perfumery in honour Grasse-born painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, son of a perfume maker. You can see some of his most famous paintings in the Fragonard Museum in Grasse (next to the Parfumerie Fragonard) as well as a painting commissioned for the 13th Cathedral of Grasse which is well worth a visit.

There are loads of perfumed experiences to enjoy in Grasse but one of the most magical for me was picking jasmine early in the morning, when the little flowers smell their best. At the Domaine de Terre Jasmine, Pierre Chiarla and his small team plucked rapidly, filling baskets with blooms. “If you’re good at it, you can pick 60,000 in a day” says Pierre “and it takes 10,000 blooms to make a kg of essence.” You can book this experience and many more via the tourist office.

But – there is more to Grasse than perfume…

Wander the pink umbrella (the colour of the famous May Rose) shaded streets, admire stunning street art, visit museums – the Provence Art and History Museum is a must-see, it’s housed in an old mansion you could easily pass by, but inside is a stunning time warp of the 18^th century with gorgeous gardens. There are plenty of excellent restaurants in the town where you can indulge in the authentic flavours of Provence – Restaurant La Tannerie is in a rather secret part of town and La Fleur de Lys is loved by the locals for the warm welcome and excellent dishes. For aperitifs, head to the Casino’s terraced bar with fabulous views over Cannes.

What to see around Grasse

Grasse is a fabulous base for exploring picturesque, pickled in the past villages that dot the hills around the town including Gourdon (20 minutes by car from Grasse).

Gourdon

Perched high above the Riviera, the village of Gourdon is exquisitely pretty cobbled lanes and oodles of charm. Officially one of the most beautiful villages of France, it has an ancient castle, 12^th century church and stunning views over the countryside. Nearby family-run Confiserie Florian is a must-visit. Here they still make sweets and cakes to traditional methods by hand just as they have for more than 100 years. You can take a free guided tour of the factory at Pont du Loup, and watch the fascinating processes. They work with flowers and fruits to create speciality products – from crystallised violets to clementine jam, chocolate marshmallows and rose flavoured cakes and all sorts of utterly irresistible sweet things – beware that their shop is temptation central! There’s also a lovely café and a gorgeous garden with views over the monumental bridge of Loup.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup

Just 15 minutes from Confiserie Florian you’ll arrive in the stunning medieval town of Tourrettes-sur-Loup, (around 30 minutes’ drive from Grasse) which is nicknamed the ‘city of violets’ thanks to its cultivation of the flower since the 19^th century. Wander the cobbled lanes, browse the many artists’ studios, dine at the restaurant Il Ponte Vecchio which has magnificent views over the medieval town, and visit the quirky (free) museum Bastide aux Violettes to discover the history of the town’s violet history and favourite flower the Victoria Violet – named for Queen Victoria (they have one of her violet embroidered cushions in the museum!) who often visited the French Riviera in spring when the violets were in bloom.

Cabris

Cabris has sweeping views over Cannes and the Esterel mountains, especially from the terrace of the Auberge du Vieux Chateau restaurant. A picture‑perfect stop. And Mouans‑Sartoux, once an agricultural village supplying jasmine and roses to Grasse’s perfumeries, is today a peaceful, charming, craft‑oriented village. Visit the beautiful gardens of the Musée International de la Parfumerie to enjoy roses, lavender, jasmine and olfactory plant families followed by a meal at the excellent La Cantina restaurant.

Grasse is an enchanting corner of the French Riviera – as fascinating as it is fragrant.

There are few hotels in the centre of Grasse but plenty of lovely B&Bs like the Cottage Massenet in an historic mansion with stunning views over the mountains around Grasse, and a short walk to the centre of town.

Find out more www.paysdegrassetourism.fr

Janine Marsh is the Editor of The Good Life France.