Musée National du Sport in Nice

The Musée National du Sport is an excellent place to go for families visiting or living on the French Riviera.  Located at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice, it is the only national museum in France dedicated to sport.

The Musée National du Sport (National Sports Museum) in Nice is the only national museum in France dedicated to sport

What is on display at the Musée National du Sport

The museum has a wide collection of different sports memorabilia dating from the 16th century to modern times spread across 2500m2 of exhibition space.

You will see historic sports items including Olympic medals and torches, team uniforms, sports equipment, postcards, photographs, posters, sculptures and trophies.

It is a great place for children to see recreational items which are not in use today such as vintage bicycles and wooden skis. 

There are displays for cycling, snow sports, running, boxing, fencing, racquet sports, football, rugby, handisports, martial arts, sailing, skateboarding and motorsports.

There are also interactive sports animations such as trying a game of fencing, Wii controllers, baby football tables and a Formula car simulator.  A film room screens sports footage and documentaries.

The museum has a room dedicated to the OGC Nice football team with signed shirts, supporters gear and a jukebox with team chants. It is called Café des Aiglons but isn’t actually a cafeteria; there is a snack vending machine though!

The museum is excellent for families with kids of different ages because it has a good mixture of cabinet displays as well as interactive educational screens to keep children entertained.  It is in my opinion one of the more modern museums you can visit on the Cote d’Azur and is definitely underrated for families!

Temporary Exhibitions

As well as many permanent collections, the museum holds temporary exhibitions throughout the year.  There is a dedicated zone of 500m2 where you can explore different displays based on specific themes or subjects.  You can buy entry just for the permanent collections, or purchase a combined entry for the permanent and temporary exhibitions – the difference in price is €1 – €2 only.

Currently, the temporary exhibition at the museum until 11 March 2018 is ‘Jouez’ which is a fantastic showcase of games and toys, with a special focus on vintage items.  You’ll see retro game consoles, vintage wooden toys and games and modern video games.

The current temporary exhibition ‘Jouez’ has some excellent vintage games and toys including a ping pong set from 1901, a pinball machine from 1933 and a steeplechase game from the 1850’s

Slot cars and toys from the 1950’s and 1970’s

Mattel figurines from the 1960’s

Games consoles from 1975 onwards – who remembers Pong, Intellivision, Atari and Nintendo?

What other things do they offer?

The museum offers guided tours for individuals, groups, or associations; guided tours are additional to the cost of museum entrance.

They run children’s workshops throughout the year (including school holidays and Christmas).  They also host kids birthday parties where you choose between several options that can include a visit of the museum, a sport-related activity and snacks.

Onsite, just to the right in the museum entrance foyer you’ll find a boutique selling items such as football shirts, books and posters.

(image: Insep)

Additionally, they have a huge collection of sports brochures, books, tickets, photos and films that have been collected since the 1960’s and the public can access this research area by pre-reservation every day (except Tuesday or the weekend).  Find out more here:  Le Centre de Researche et Ressources du Sport

You can also combine a visit to the museum with a tour of Allianz Riviera stadium; the cost varies between €8 to €13, reserve this via the museum site.  The tour goes for 1.5 hours and is hosted in French language, tour participants must be minimum 6 years of age.

Another thing to note (which parents will appreciate) is that the toilet facilities include a baby change table. Such a small consideration, but it is not so common to find a baby change table here on the French Riviera so it is a much appreciated amenity.

How to get to the Musée National du Sport

By car:  Getting to the museum is very simple.  If you’re driving, simply come off the A8 autoroute at Sortie 52 (Saint-Isidore) and follow the signs to the stadium and/or museum which is located on boulevard des Jardiniers.  There is free car parking right outside the museum entrance.

By train: Note, the museum can not be reached by train from either Nice Ville train station or Nice Saint-Augustin train station so don’t be led astray.  You can get the Chemin de Fer de Provence train line from the Gare Nice station (4 bis rue Alfred Binet) to Saint-Isidore stop, and then it is a 10-minute walk from Saint-Isidore to the museum.  See this map for the route from St Isidore station to the museum/stadium:  http://www.allianz-riviera.fr/sites/allianz-riviera.fr/files/media/plan_daccecs_stade_evenement_pieton.pdf    Chemin de Fer de Provence also have special fares when matches are on at the stadium too.

(image: Allianz.Riviera.fr)

By bus:  The museum’s brochure says you can get there using bus lines 11 and 59 that stop at Saint-Isidore.  🙂 However, for a tourist it’s not so easy to find more information online about these bus lines and where they travel to/from.  So, to make things easier here is the information you need if you want to go by bus!

Bus 11:  Travels between Carras / Frémont and Saint-Isidore. The line is called ‘Carras / Frémont – Centre Commercial Saint Isidore’ with Lignes Azur.  For the museum, you can get off at stops ‘La Carrière’ or ‘Saint-Isidore Église’ and walk less than 10 minutes.  The timetable at February 2018 is here:  https://www.lignesdazur.com/ftp/lines/170904ligne-11.pdf

Bus 59:  Travels between Nice and Plan du Var.  The line is called ‘Plan du Var-Trésorerie-Cathédrale Vieille Ville’ with Lignes Azur.  For the museum, you have to get off at stop ‘Les Baraques’ and walk 10 minutes to the museum/stadium.  It’s important to note that the roads around this area are part of a semi-industrial area and can be quite busy with the autoroute nearby, so be cautious walking along here and crossing roads.  The timetable at February 2018 is here:  https://www.lignesdazur.com/ftp/lines/180110ligne59.pdf

Note:  These bus routes have changes until the end of February 2018 because of roadworks and Nice Carnival, so check on the Lignes Azur website before you travel on these buses.

Opening hours / entry prices for the Musée National du Sport

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays).

Between October and April, hours are 11am to 5pm.

Between May and September, hours are 10am to 6pm.

Ticket prices:

The best tip I can share is that on the first Sunday of every month the museum is free of charge for everyone. 

They also participate in the yearly Journées Européennes du Patrimoine held each September when museums open their doors to the public for free (or a very low cost).

Every other day, children under 18 years of age get free entry.

Groups, 18-25 years of age or job seekers = €3 for one exhibition, or €4 for permanent + temporary displays.

Adults = €6 for one exhibition, or €8 for permanent + temporary displays. There is no special rate for seniors.

If you are visiting the French Riviera for 3 days or more, the museum participates in the Côte d’Azur Card sightseeing pass.

The National Sports Museum is an excellent option for travellers on a budget, families looking for an interesting attraction or rainy day activity or anyone interested in history of sport.

Watch the promotional video of the museum below (video credit:  MuséeduSport / YouTube):

Accessibility information

The Musée National du Sport is suitable for persons with restricted mobility and is wheelchair accessible.  The museum is on the ground floor with no interior steps or steep inclines and there are wheelchair accessible toilets in the main entrance foyer.  I forgot to check if there are mobility spaces in the carpark but I’m 99% sure there will be some and the entrance path to the museum is flat and paved.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog post about the Musée National du Sport in Nice!  Please do share this post on social media if you found it useful, or for more information about the Sports Museum in Nice, go to their website www.museedusport.fr

 

How to survive summer on the French Riviera with kids

Say what you will about the French Riviera in the summer. Sure, there are traffic jams, crowded public transport, longer queues at attractions, sweatier tourists, and pricier airfares, but there’s also ice-cream on the seafront, dining al fresco in village squares, open-air concerts and firework displays in the warm evenings, and most important, no school for eight weeks.

If you are visiting the French Riviera with children, it’s a great time to bond as a family and experience first-hand history, art, traditional festivals and nature; and develop a real appreciation for French culture.

However, travelling with children is a whole different ballgame to travelling solo or as a couple and it’s vital to plan ahead so your Riviera trip is more incroyable than catastrophe.

How to survive summer on the French Riviera with kids

Here are Access Riviera’s tips for how to survive summer on the French Riviera with kids:

Make the journey fun

For flights, I print out a map of the world and put stickers on from the origin to destination and little ones can follow the flight path and circle each ‘stopover’ when you arrive – it builds anticipation and if they have their own ‘map’ they feel involved in the process.

Keep any train or bus tickets for their ‘travel bag’ so you can invent games later on.

iSpy sheets are good for killing time – here are few free downloads I made for my eldest son when he was aged around 2 years and they helped keep him occupied when we had to travel, visit busy supermarkets etc.  They are customised for things you are likely to see while travelling in France and FREE!  You can download them here: iSpy  iSpysupermarket  iSpynature

A great family-friendly destination

The French Riviera is an excellent family-friendly destination, and while it’s easy to blow your budget at theme parks and attractions, it is also a viable destination on a small budget.

Plan outings at the beach, evening strolls around hilltop villages when many of the historical buildings are lit up and look spectacular, and mix up the transport you use if you can – trains, buses, ferries, petit train (the little tourist trains) may seem boring to you but kids love transport!.

Le petit train can be great for kids (image: trainstouristiquedenice)

There are some excellent national parks in the region that are perfect for biking and hiking, and you can find an overview of many of the Riviera’s playgrounds here Playgrounds on the French Riviera.

Bear in mind the length of guided tours especially in summer as little ones can get hot and bored quickly.

Visit websites such as http://www.cotedazur-en-fetes.com/ for information and dates of local events.

Don’t cram too much into one day

Consider your child/children’s normal routine and try to stick to similar times for meals, naps, bedtime.

It can be hard with many summer events on the French Riviera starting late in the evening so choose one or two events where you can stretch to a late night, but don’t try to cram too much into one day or you’ll find you’re left with overtired and grumpy kids which will quickly make your holiday stressful.

Research family discounts

Tourist offices are a wealth of knowledge and can advise about entry discounts for groups or families.

Search on the internet and social media for family passes, ‘2-for-1’ deals or last-minute specials.

Here are 5 useful links for French Riviera family discounts:

1. Family discounts for TER trains: http://www.sncf.com/en/discounts/family-children and http://www.ter.sncf.com/paca/loisirs/promos-bons-plans
2. Regional discounts with Lignes D’Azur buses where you can use your bus ticket to get discounts across the French Riviera http://www.lignesdazur.com/presentation/?rub_code=1010
3. Cote d’Azur Card – includes sightseeing, activities, shopping discounts. Available in 3 or 6-day validities. Generally, you will get value out of this card if you use it at least once a day. https://www.cotedazur-card.com/

(image: cotedazurcard)

  4. Groupon – web-based discount site for accommodation and activities. Site is in French; you will need to search ‘France’ then ‘Sud-Est & Corse’ to find discounts applicable for the French Riviera. www.groupon.fr

5.  La Fourchette – Dining discounts; site is in French. Search by town/city, e.g. Nice, Cannes, Antibes. They often have specials such as ‘20% off your total bill’, ‘Buy 1 main meal, get one free’ or ‘Kids dine free’ so it pays to have a quick look before you eat out on the French Riviera. www.lafourchette.com

Teach your kids basic French

Kids learn languages much easier than adults. Teach your child a few basic French phrases – it’s amazing how responsive wait staff or shop assistants are to a small child saying ‘Merci’.

We love the free French lessons at Monde des Titounis in our house as they are short duration and fun (it’s aimed at preschool kids with animated vocabulary lessons).

Make use of Google Translate and apps such as Duolingo.

Be flexible about meal choices

France is not particularly well known for specific children’s menus – you will see A LOT of frites (French fries), basic pasta and chicken nuggets on kids menus here.

Many restaurants will however split menu costs from the a la carte menu for a smaller portion size so don’t hesitate to ask, and it pays to take along a few snacks to restaurants in case your child completely turns their nose up at what is on offer.

Also, a trip to the French Riviera is an opportunity to try new foods that they may not be familiar with – I know 3-year olds who love escargot cooked in butter and garlic, marinated artichokes and steak tartare so try to be flexible about what is on offer and what they are used to at home.

Escargot anyone?

For vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free travellers and people with food allergies or intolerances you may find dining in France is a bit trickier but do some research online first and you’ll find plenty of other travellers who have ‘been done and done that’ so are more than happy to recommend restaurants.

Consider your accommodation carefully

Holiday rentals are ideal for families travelling with small children, because you can cook some of your own meals and unpack and spread out. Most holiday rentals on the French Riviera have excellent proximity to beaches or towns so you are never far away from supermarkets and essential shops.

French campsites are generally in scenic locations and have good facilities such as swimming pools, games rooms, restaurants though try to book ahead especially in peak season.

French campsites usually have good facilities (image: Camping Green Park, Cagnes sur Mer)

Also, explore the idea of staying in themed accommodation that will intrigue little ones – you can stay in a yurt (Mongolian tent), treehouse, tepee, castle, restored chapel or old mill so think outside the box if your budget and patience for research allows it.

Stay safe

Sometimes travel can make you complacent about basic safety. Ensure your holiday accommodation is safe for your family (e.g. cleaning chemicals locked away, electrical cables out of reach of little fingers, smoke alarms installed etc) and don’t hesitate to ask the landlord in advance what safety precautions they have in place for families.

It can be extremely tempting to leave doors and windows open all night at your hotel/B&B/apartment/villa but exercise caution as burglars do prey on the fact there is warm weather and they are experts and can be in and out before you blink (and sometimes even striking when you are on site!).

The French Riviera climate can be scorching in summer, so drink plenty of water and always wear sun cream and a hat. Occasionally, jellyfish are present on the beaches here and it takes 2-minutes to check local jellyfish reports, more details can be found here Jellyfish on the French Riviera

I morally ummed and ahhed about including this next piece of advice, and while I think every tourist office along the Riviera coast (and certainly every town mayor) would state otherwise, I believe it’s important to honestly inform tourists of potential hazards or dangers.

As with every destination, there are some undesirable people you’ll come across on your travels and the French Riviera is no exception. Don’t be surprised to see homeless people, tramps and gypsies especially at areas of high pedestrian traffic and where money is transacted frequently (they sit outside supermarkets, beside ATM machines, outside banks, at bus terminals etc).

I’ll put it out there and state that 9 out of 10 times homeless people and drunks here on the Riviera are harmless – unlike experiences in other countries, here in France they usually do not verbally abuse you if you don’t give them money or follow you down the street. However, exercise caution in all circumstances.

Families should be cautious around gypsies as they are renown for pickpocketing people with baby strollers and/or lots of luggage – be extra alert if you travel on the train or bus as families often stand in the doorways (as it’s convenient for getting your stroller on/off) and this is when many pickpocketing incidents happen at the stops when the change of people getting on and off the train/bus creates a diversion.

Encourage your child to collect souvenirs

Finding inexpensive souvenirs can be fun when you’re travelling – encourage your child to find souvenirs when you’re visiting towns and cities. Some popular souvenirs for the French Riviera are postcards, pretty soaps, keyrings, santons.

Visiting a vide grenier (car boot sale/flea market) or local antiques market can unearth some fantastic retro toys such as tin cars, comic books or vintage airplanes.

French markets are great for finding vintage toys

Diaries and photographs

Older children may enjoy keeping a travel diary and writing about highlights of their day, and you can always buy them a disposable camera or two so they can take their own pictures of the trip.

Allow your kids to enjoy the simple pleasures

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of having a full itinerary and seeing everything in a tourist hotspot, but you’ll find some of the best experiences will be when you slow down and go with the flow.

Stop for an ice cream or gelato. Grab some take-out pizza and sit on the beach watching the sunset. Let your kids play at the park, interacting with local children. Stroll along the harbourside quays and chat to the fishermen. Pause for a while to watch locals play petanque.

Stop to watch the locals play petanque (boules)

Most of all, enjoy your summer holiday on the French Riviera and spending time together.

Do you have other  family travel tips to share?  I’d love your feedback. Please share this post on Facebook or Twitter.