Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Cap Ferrat, French Riviera, France

Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small town situated between Nice and Monaco, near the peninsula of Cap Ferrat, where the famous Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is located and many celebrities and business world peoples have their properties.

How to get there

If you live in greater distance from Beaulieu-sur-Mer, you can get to this city using local roads or the highways. We do not recommend, however, driving through Nice. This is a very crowded city with traffic jams and other difficulties of driving. If you decide to take the highway, it is best to leave it at exit No. 56 (Monaco, Cap d'Ail, Beausoleil), and then get to Beaulieu-sur-Mer using local roads (D6007 and D6098) leading through Costa Plana and Saint-Laurent.

Parking in Beaulieu-sur-Mer

We suggest to park in the parking lot near La Reserve de Beaulieu hotel (1; GPS: 43.706298, 7.335552). Limited parking is also available on the Av. Fernand Dunan street (2; GPS: 43.704094, 7.331733). In this way you can easily walk to the peninsula of Cap Ferrat, passing by the Villa Kerylos.

Villa Kerylos

Villa Kerylos (A; GPS: 43.703159, 7.333892) was built in Greek style in the early twentieth century. Surrounded by gardens, it offers a magnificent view over the Mediterranean Sea and the neighbouring peninsula of Cap Ferrat. The ticket costs 11,50 €. It is probably possible to buy a combined ticket, which allows visiting both the villa Kerylos and the villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. In the spring and summer months the villa is available daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (July and August to 19:00). More information is available on the website of the villa Kerylos.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

The goal of our walk, the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (C; GPS: 43.696389, 7.328948), is available for tourists. It was built between 1905 and 1912 for the Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. The villa is surrounded by gardens in French, Spanish and Japanese styles. In the spring and summer months the villa is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (July and August to 19:00). The ticket costs 16 € (discount: 13 €). We recommend however to purchase a combined ticket to also visit the exotic garden in Èze. Because village of Èze is a must to visit, you will be able to have cheaper access to really wonderful botanical garden.

Going further along the street Fernand Dunan we can turn to the Promenade Maurice Rouvier path that leads through the peninsula of Cap Ferrat. There are many beautiful residences. One of the distinguishing properties is Maryland (B; GPS: 43.693508, 7.331829), which is owned by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. Unfortunately, access to the property is strictly restricted.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

It's also really worth visiting a nice little town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. You can park your car in the parking lot located nearby the marina (3; GPS: 43.691424, 7.333199). From the Paloma Beach (D; GPS: 43.686238, 7.341798) we have interesting views of Èze and the bridge leading to it, located on the Moyenne Corniche road. This bridge appeared in Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" movie.

Walking trail around the peninsula

Being in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat you can take a very pleasant walk the Promenade des Fossettes (also known as the Sentier du Bord de Mer that can be translated as "The path along the seashore"). It is also called the "Tour of the Pointe Saint-Hospice" (fr. Tour de la Pointe Saint-Hospice).

The path actually runs along the Mediterranean coast, and a walk allows you for complete relaxation and rest. We start in the garden Jardin de la Paix, near the Les Fossettes beach (E; GPS: 43.6864747, 7.3398186). The path leads in the southern direction, encircling a part of the peninsula. Halfway through, you can shorten your trail and return to the town via Sentier Edmund Davis (the entrance - F; GPS: 43.6848842, 7.3452689). Those who want to go the whole trail, will finish it on Paloma Beach (G; GPS: 43.6861025, 7.3420717). To get back to the town, go upstairs and walk down the Avenue Jean Mermoz. The trail (except the stairs at Paloma Beach) is very simple and can be attended by elderly and disabled people. The length of the route is about 3 km, and it can be walked calmly within an hour. Highly recommended!