Step back into the glamour of the Belle Epoque Riviera with a visit to the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and surrounding gardens – the jewel of the Côte d’Azur.

We can include a visit to this beautiful villa and gardens in any of our French Riviera tours

 

Villa Ephrussi and fountain

The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and some fountains, © Max Pixel

 

 

The History of the villa and its creator

Béatrice de Rothschild, daughter of the famous banker and art collector Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, was born in 1864. She was intelligent and charming, and enjoyed living in some of the most opulent homes from that time in Paris and around Paris. She married Maurice Ephrussi in 1883, but divorced him in 1904, in part due to his huge gambling debts.

 

Béatrice de Rothschild Ephrussi

Béatrice de Rothschild Ephrussi, Source Père La Chaise

 

The divorce allowed her to concentrate on her passion of collecting art. The family motto was “Ars Patriae Decus,” meaning “Art is the honor of the fatherland.” After her father’s death in 1905, she inherited his huge fortune, and decided to build her dream home in the Riviera.

Work started immediately to create a garden – not an easy task given that the land was on a rock and exposed to strong winds. After rejecting projects from various esteemed architects, Béatrice chose Jacques-Marcel Auburtin. The villa was built from 1907 to 1912, and became the Baroness’ winter residence in 1912.

The house became the backdrop for the impressive art collection that included paintings, furniture, and porcelain from various eras, resulting in an eclectic decoration.

Béatrice died in 1934 of tuberculosis, a year after she had given the villa, gardens, and the art collection to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. During World War II, the villa and the gardens were abandoned. But the gardener, Louis Marchand, returned after the war, he restored the gardens to their original beauty, and choose a new color for the villa which he changed from the original ochre yellow to pink.

The Villa

Reminiscent of an Italian palazzo, the villa still showcases Béatrice’s impressive art collection. From the state apartments where she received her guests, to her personal bedroom and boudoir, her exquisite taste is apparent.

 

Villa Ephrussi - Apartments

Part of the State Apartments inside the Villa Ephrussi, © Pikist

 

The Gardens

The gardens are made up of nine different gardens: the classic French garden, the exotic garden (originally called the Mexican garden), the Japanese garden, just to name a few. Music accompanies the various fountains' waterworks.

 

Gardens of the Villa Ephrussi

The gardens at the Villa Ephrussi, © freeimg

 

Take the time to wander around and enjoy the amazing viewpoints of the peninsula of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.

For a virtual visit, see Irresistilbe Riviera's 360° visit here.

Make the most of your visit to the Villa Ephrussi

  • Make sure to download the free application before your visit. It includes a 1-1/2 hour guided visit of the villa, a visit of the gardens and a glossary of some of the emblematic plants in the gardens. An audio guide is also available. If you do not want to visit the entire house, you may skip around within these two guides as well. However, do not miss the outside terrace on the second floor, with the view on the gardens.
  • If you want to have a drink, you should definitely go to the tearoom, where prices are reasonable (for the Riviera) and the view is amazing!
  • We recommend spending the evening in nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer, a colorful port that will give you a taste of the Mediterranean way of life. Enjoy dinner in the small streets around the port for a better quality-price meal, then enjoy the port view for just a drink or stroll.

 

Villefranche sur Mer

The pretty town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, ©Pikist

 

- Laura Crotet, France Just For You

If you would like to walk in the steps of Béatrice as part of your French Riviera road trip, contact us - we would love to plan the perfect trip, just for you!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Kate
Thank you Emilie for such a wonderful honeymoon! Every detail was taken care of so that my husband and I could just relax and enjoy ourselves! It was absolutely the easiest trip we have ever planned and we will certainly be using France Just For You on our next trip to France!
Ellen & Ray
This was the best trip to France we have ever been on! It was the second trip that Emilie and Laura at France Just for You set up for us. The first was a trip around Provence, which we loved so much that we asked them to set up our second trip to the Loire Valley, Normandy, and Paris. Both trips were tailored to our interests - food, wine, art …
Mary & Dan
Emilie, Our trip has been fantastic! We appreciate all that you did to make it so wonderful. Many, many thanks! The itineraries, special experiences--- like the 4x4 wine tour, wine picnic, and cooking with Catherine---and the unique accommodations made our vacation very very special. We start toward home tomorrow, leaving your beautiful country but …
Ricki & Craig
There are not enough superlatives, or kind words, to describe the level of service Emilie, with France Just for You, provided us from the moment we contacted her, throughout our trip, and even her thoughtful emails upon our return. We contacted Emilie with a list of all the places we wished to go, the things we hoped to do, and our budget. We …
Mounir from Dubai
Laura and Emilie organized a magical trip for us. Every little touch, every recommendation, every part of the trip was absolutely perfect and made our trip even more special! We definitely plan to organize more trips with them!
Elliot
My wife & I completed a 2 week self-driving tour engaging the thorough and knowledgeable services of Emilie A France Just for You. Every detail was flawlessly accounted for, GPS app, wonderful B&B's, and she planned our itinerary according to our desires. The advantage of enlisting her is to get a reality check on time spent in each area as well as …