Musée International de la Parfumerie (MIP) — Attraction in Grasse

If you're even "thinking" about visiting Grasse—the perfume capital of the world—then you absolutely "cannot" miss the "Musée International de la Parfumerie"! This place is an absolute gem, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to our fragrance journey.

What makes this museum so special? Well, it’s not just about "looking" at exhibits—it’s a full sensory experience! You’ll see, hear, and most importantly, smell your way through the fascinating history of perfumery. And the best part? The museum gives you an unbiased, educational deep-dive—no brand hype, just pure perfume passion.

Now, here’s where our visit went from great to "unforgettable": we were lucky enough to get a kind of a "private tour" with the incredible "Marie", our guide. Not many visitors on that day, so she did the tour only for us. Honestly, she’s an absolute treasure! Her knowledge was astounding, her storytelling was captivating, and her enthusiasm was infectious. It’s clear she "loves" what she does, and her ability to explain everything in perfect English with her lovely French accent made the experience even better. Marie deserves every bit of praise—trust us. You'd be just as impressed as we were!

So, if you’re heading to Grasse (or even just "considering" it), do not skip this museum. Whether you’re a perfume fanatic or just curious, you’ll leave with a whole new appreciation for the art of fragrance. Go, smell, learn, and fall in love with perfumery!You won’t regret it.

Rating: 5...

For a true afocionado of perfume and a historian of smell this was a sad site to behold. First of all there are the Covid restrictions. Everything smell-related is shut down. Which is a bit like blindfolding people for the Louvre and then telling them what the art looks like. But even all interactive exhibits were closed. Now with a little imagination one could have worked around this, e.g. by handing out individual smell kits to visitors at a surcharge and (perfumed?) gloves for the touchscreens. But setting Covid aside, the museum seems in bad shape. The plants in the aromagarden were all half dead - has the gardener been retired? 30 years of museum didactics have passed this place by. You can't just clobber people with display case after case of perfume vessels. In many ways, this museum is as much a relic of the past as the entire town, which, quaint as it may be, is covered by an oily film of flimsy for-tourists-only perfume kitsch. I wish Robertet, a genuine state of the art producer of perfume oils offered tours rather than the...

Absolutely fascinating and well worth a visit! I spent over 2 hours in this wonderful museum learning about the manufacturing of perfumes and the history of scent. You begin by learning about how modern perfumes are produced and then learn about the art of perfume through the ages, starting with the ancient Egyptians. There are educational documentary videos in each room, along with historical artefacts and areas where you can smell the perfumes. As a history geek with an absolute fascination of the ancient civilisations it was wonderful to be able to smell the worlds most ancient perfume - Kyphi. And where else in Grasse can you see the hand and foot of an Egyptian mummy? There is also a fabulous greenhouse area at the top of the museum where you too may be lucky enough to spot Ginger the cat. Overall if you are at all into history or perfume, or both, this is...