Mougins (Fr. Mougins) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in south-eastern France. Part of French Riviera.
It is located on the heights of Cannes, in the district of Grasse. Tourism is mainly developed in art: gastronomy and artists’ exhibitions (painters and sculptors). Its strategic location makes Mougins a common “crossroads” between the agglomerations of Cannes and Grasse connected to the Sophia Antipolis technology park, which causes significant traffic jams daily during rush hour.
The tourist activity of the town is mainly oriented around art: gastronomy and art galleries. Most of these activities can be found in the old village. There is also in the village the Museum of Classic Art of Mougins (MACM) as well as the André Villers Photography Museum.
In the Mougins-Est district is the Notre-Dame-de-Vie chapel, the Fontmerle pond which brings together the largest number of Asian lotuses in Europe, as well as the departmental forest of Valmasque. The presence of two golf courses located to the east and to the west of the municipal territory strengthens the tourist offer of the well-to-do classes.
Mougins also has a cultural centre called “Scene 55” which notably houses a large performance hall with 600 seats.
Mougins has been inhabited by many artists and famous people, including Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Yves Klein, César Baldaccini, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Winston Churchill, Catherine Deneuve, Édith Piaf, Jacques Brel, and others.
Pablo Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life living in Mougins (1961–1973), where he died.
Tourism and main attractions
Museums
The municipal museum: in the former Saint-Bernardin chapel of the white penitents which has become the current town hall under the mandate of the mayor Jacques Sauvan.
The André Villers Photography Museum was created thanks to André Villers, friend and official photographer of Picasso. We can see other portraits of the painter made by other photographers including Denise Colomb in particular as well as a collection of cameras, such as the ancestor of the cartoon, the cidoscope. Temporary exhibitions of contemporary photography are also organized.
The Museum of Classical Art. The founder chose a medieval residence with a surface area of 400 m2, to house the Museum of Classical Art of Mougins – MACM. It has been completely renovated to accommodate this collection, and the facade remains original to maintain its harmony with the Mouginian heritage.
The architecture of the building and the staging of all these works have made this place a unique cultural site. The museum hosts the collections of Peter Paul Rubens, Hubert Robert, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and Damien Hirst.
Religious buildings
- Parish church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur, 11th century, several times altered
- Saint-Martin church, chemin des Peyroues, 16th century, desecrated during the Revolution
- Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Vie, 16th century, built on the site of a Roman temple, housing in its inner courtyard a monumental tomb for the Guinness family, built in 1931
- Saint-Barthélemy chapel, 10th century, octagonal chapel
- Chapel of Saint-Sébastien-et-Saint-Fabien, boulevard Clément Rebuffel, 15th century
- Saint-Bernardin des Pénitents-Blancs chapel, Place du Commandant Lamy, built in 1618, desecrated during the Revolution and currently town hall.
Cuisine and gastronomy
Mougins has around 40 restaurants.
Mougins has a strong culinary history with such great chefs as Roger Vergé and Alain Ducasse having managed restaurants in the village. Both were synonymous with the restaurant L’Amandier, which is situated in the heart of the old village. This restaurant still exists today and is housed in an important ancient building.
The village hosts the International Festival of Gastronomy each year in September.
How to get to?
Distance by car:
Nice (tolls) – 36 min (31.6 km), via A8
Cannes – 23 min (8.8 km), via D6
Sain-Tropez (tolls) – 1 h 30 min (92.9 km), via A8
Coordinates: 43°36′03″N 6°59′44″E
