Musée International de la Parfumerie

The Musée International de la Parfumerie in Grasse presents itself as the only public museum in the world devoted to the history of perfume, and it is the most complete place to learn about the subject in the town. It opened in 1989 and was extensively renovated in 2008, and it occupies a group of buildings that includes a stretch of the old town wall from the fourteenth century and the Hôtel de Pontevès, a mansion of the eighteenth century. This blend of medieval stone and later architecture, set at the edge of the old centre, gives a suitably historic backdrop to the displays.

The collection is arranged in five sections that follow a broad chronology, from antiquity to the contemporary period, and it explains how perfume has been made, used and sold. Early rooms look at the use of scent in Egypt, Greece and Rome, in religious ceremonies and in personal care, with objects such as Egyptian cosmetic vessels, ancient oil flasks and incense burners. Later rooms deal with the Middle Ages and the arrival of the perfume trade in Grasse, the rise of the town's glove-makers who began to scent their goods, and the development of the trade from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, with stills, bottles, advertising and packaging. The museum also looks at raw materials, extraction techniques, the creation of formulas, and the modern industry, including marketing, innovation and future trends.

The objects come from five continents and include art, textiles and archaeological finds as well as the equipment of the trade, and there are pieces of the kind found at the smaller Fragonard collection, among them pomanders, bergamote boxes and Egyptian make-up spoons. This is the more comprehensive of the two museums, with a wider view of the industry's global history. Temporary exhibitions and themed tours are organised during the year, so the programme changes.

The museum also has outdoor space. Gardens and terraces on the roofs and the old ramparts are planted with species used in perfumery, so you can smell the plants and see how they grow, and the views over the roofs of the old town and the Mediterranean hills are a pleasure. The best time for the plants is late spring and summer. Visit details, including opening hours and ticket prices, change with the season, and it is best to check the official website before going.

The museum is within walking distance of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-du-Puy, which holds paintings by Rubens and Fragonard, the Place aux Aires, a pretty square with a fountain, and the Rue de la République. The Marsan perfumery, the Fragonard perfumery, the Jardin des Parfums et des Plantes and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire are other places to see. A visit takes around one and a half to two hours, and suits anyone curious about scent, history and craftsmanship.