The ceremonial staircase
A grand Baroque stair with statues and arches — the palace's showpiece.
CC BY-SA 2.5 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Palais Lascaris hides in the narrowest lanes of old Nice: a façade that promises nothing, then you step into a complete seventeenth-century Baroque palace — a grand ceremonial staircase, fully painted ceilings, gilded rooms that belonged to one of the city's great families. Today it holds one of France's most important collections of antique musical instruments: hundreds of rare guitars, violins and wind instruments, displayed in the ornate rooms themselves, so you take in both arts at once — architecture and music. The visit is short and sits in the heart of the old town, folding naturally into a wander through the lanes and the nearby Cours Saleya market.
A grand Baroque stair with statues and arches — the palace's showpiece.
Rooms ceilinged entirely with seventeenth-century mythological scenes.
Hundreds of rare instruments spanning centuries — among France's finest collections.
15 Rue Droite, 06300 Nice
The Church of Saint James the GreaterA Jesuit church in old Nice, built in the seventeenth century and known locally 1 minute walk4.7
Cathédrale Sainte-RéparateIn old Nice's lane-maze, Place Rossetti opens suddenly onto a Baroque cathedral 2 minutes walk4.7
Old NiceOld Nice is the maze between the castle hill and the sea: a dense network of nar2 minutes walk
The Church of the AnnunciationThe oldest church in old Nice, known among residents as Santa Rita after Saint R2 minutes walk4.9
The Prefectoral PalaceA palace at the edge of old Nice, once the residence of the rulers of Savoy and 3 minutes walk4.6If you are already wandering the old town, yes — it is on the way, the visit is short, and the surprise is the point: nothing in the lane hints at what is inside. As a standalone destination, Nice's bigger museums come first.
The Cours Saleya flower and food market minutes away, the old-town lanes themselves, and Castle Hill, whose stairs start at the near eastern end. Together the four make a perfect full morning.
The odd instruments catch their eye and the visit is short, but the rooms are tight and nothing is hands-on — tolerable with them, no more.