THE BLOG

Cité Immersive Nice: a unique cultural venue, also designed for businesses

Open to the public since February 7, 2026, Cité Immersive Nice offers a new way to discover history and heritage through an unprecedented sensory and narrative experience. Located at 1 rue Massenet, in the immediate vicinity of the Promenade des Anglais, this 1,000 m² immersive venue, designed to welcome both the general public and businesses, is becoming a long-term part of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ecosystem of Nice Côte d’Azur.

Interview with Anthony Samama, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cités Immersives (photo)

What is the origin of Cités Immersives and what is your positioning?

Cités Immersives is a company I co-founded in 2023 with my business partner, Jean Vergès. We develop and operate immersive cultural venues dedicated to history, heritage, and culture in the broadest sense. Our ambition is to design what could be described as the museum of the 21st century.

The founding idea is to create venues that are both visually spectacular and educational in substance. All our installations serve a single purpose: to transmit knowledge and ensure that visitors leave more informed than when they arrived.

In order to attract the general public, we fully embrace a spectacular, entertaining, playful, and sensory approach. It is this demanding combination that defines our uniqueness and positions us as a distinctive player within the Cultural and Creative Industries.

How does Cités Immersives differ from a traditional cultural or museum venue?

It is a venue positioned at the crossroads between a traditional museum, a theatre, and an escape game. Along our routes, visitors encounter both collection objects, as in a conventional museum, as well as special effects, smoke, scents, monumental sets, 360° video projections, and characters embodied by costumed actors with whom interaction is required.

What fundamentally changes is the visitor’s role. They become an active participant in their journey. They must touch, smell, open, and discover for themselves in order to form their own understanding of the history we aim to convey. It is a true journey, an experience to be lived, not simply an exhibition to be observed. This hybrid approach, combining artistic creation, immersive technologies, and cultural mediation, lies at the heart of what the CCIs represent today.

What role does B2B play in your model, and how do you envision this dimension in Nice?

B2B plays an essential role in our model. We are a venue designed to attract the general public, but the general public is also found within companies. We have strong ambitions to welcome businesses into our venues.

First, there is the team-building aspect. The experience functions as a large-scale historical quest, a form of collective game in which participants set out to uncover the mysteries of history. This format is particularly well suited to hosting groups, especially professional groups.

Then there is the privatization aspect, which is a major component. Cité Immersive Nice is one of the rare indoor venues available for private corporate events, so centrally located in the heart of Nice and close to the Promenade des Anglais, while offering this immersive dimension. We can host seminars, cocktail receptions, dinners, professional breakfasts, and works council and staff committee events, both during the day and in the evening, in a truly unique and exceptional setting.

The experience is fully available in both French and English thanks to an audio headset system. We also offer guided visits led by guides or mediators for groups seeking a more VIP approach. Naturally, specific discounted rates are available for companies and groups.

Why did you choose Nice for this long-term location?

The choice of Nice extends a relationship already established with the region. In 2025, we presented the immersive exhibition L’Océan de Léa at the OcéaNice Convention Center, which allowed us to assess the potential of this destination. We had the pleasure of welcoming 30,000 visitors in two months.

Nice brings together several decisive strengths for our model. First, an international tourist presence that ensures a steady flow of visitors throughout the year. Second, a local audience that is particularly receptive to innovative cultural offerings. And above all, a growing dynamic around the Cultural and Creative Industries, with a structured ecosystem and institutional stakeholders actively supporting these sectors.

The site at 1 rue Massenet offers an ideal configuration: 1,000 m² in an exceptional location, immediately close to the Promenade des Anglais, at the intersection of local and tourist flows. This environment is particularly conducive to the development of our hybrid model, capable of reaching highly diverse audiences.

How were you supported in this project?

We were fortunate to benefit from valuable and structured support from the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Tourist Office, the City’s cultural services, and Team Nice Côte d’Azur. These stakeholders drive the CCI dynamic in the region and facilitate the establishment of companies such as ours.

For a private company, these synergies with local institutions are extremely valuable. They enable us to build strong local roots and to introduce, promote, and share this venue with a wide range of audiences: families, young residents of Nice, senior citizens, businesses, works councils and staff committees, and French and international tourists. All these institutional partnerships provide significant support and reflect the region’s vitality in terms of cultural and economic attractiveness.

What is the economic and human impact of this establishment?

In terms of direct employment, 15 people work for Cité Immersive Nice. In addition, there are around 30 indirect jobs, notably through the use of service providers located in the region for scenography, technical production, and event management. This creation of local employment contributes to structuring the CCI ecosystem within the metropolitan area.

Studies have shown that for every euro invested in the cultural sector, through the creation of a new venue such as a museum or cultural space, eight euros in economic benefits are generated for surrounding shops, restaurants, and hotels. We are delighted to contribute to this dynamic and to play our part in the economic vitality of Nice.

Beyond economic activity, we created the association Lumières d’Histoire, a non-profit organization whose mission is to democratize access to culture for underserved or disadvantaged audiences. We regularly organize initiatives in university hospitals, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and structures supporting people in social reintegration. For example, we are currently working on organizing an event in which we will bring, using medical transport, children with multiple disabilities to discover cultural venues in the city of Nice.

What are the future prospects for Cité Immersive Nice?

This venue is intended to establish itself permanently within the local cultural landscape and to fully integrate into the CCI ecosystem of Nice Côte d’Azur. It will host a different exhibition every 6 to 8 months, the first being entitled Vikings, the odyssey to the ends of the world. The next will focus on The Fables of La Fontaine. Two very different imaginaries, illustrating the breadth of the cultural field we wish to explore.

We are also considering synergies with other local events, such as the Nice Carnival, which will take place just a few days after our opening, as well as collaborations with other cultural stakeholders in the region. The objective is to create connections, extend these themes into the streets and everyday life of the city, and contribute sustainably to Nice’s cultural attractiveness.

Practical information

Cité Immersive Nice has been open to the public since February 7, 2026. The inaugural exhibition Vikings: the immersive odyssey to the ends of the world is currently available.

Address: 1 rue Massenet, Nice (immediate proximity to the Promenade des Anglais)

Bookings and information: https://nice.cites-immersives.fr/viking/