Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, the most expensive real estate in the world attracts the rich and famous.  It includes the connecting deepwater harbour of Villefranche on one side with Beaulieu on the other side.

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat (pronounced: Saint Jean Cap fair-AT)

     Cap Ferrat is a beautiful peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean, and The Côte d'Azur's most desirable address. The commune has a population of 2,248 inhabitants and covers 2.48 square km (0.96 square miles).  It is about 3km (1.86 miles) from Villefranche (30 minutes walking time, and 15 minutes away by car).   The village of Saint-Jean was once a small fishing village with an important port. While fishermen still exist today, much of the port and the town now cater to the wealthy and the tourist industry. Today, it still is a place for billionaires: Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch; Sean Quinn, the Irish insurance magnate; and Steve Allan of Microsoft, all have mansions here… but there is little you will see because most of them are walled off and gated.

     In its history, some of the estates on Cap Ferrat have hosted a plethora of celebrities such as the likes of King Leopold II of Belgium, Baroness de Rothschild, Charlie Chaplin, Rainier III, David Niven, Somerset Maugham, Jean Cocteau, Hubert de Givenchy, Isadora Duncan, Winston Churchill, French Prime Ministers Maurice Rouvier and Raymond Barre and many more. Major Berkeley Levett, an English aristocrat and witness in the infamous Royal Baccarat Scandal, lived in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with his brewery heiress wife, the former Sibell Bass.

TRANSPORTATION:

 There are several means of getting you to Saint Jean Cap Ferrat;  buses, taxis and rental cars. You can take the train or bus to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and do a reverse walk around the Cap.  Taxis are expensive--but it is your choice!  Or walk! (See On Your Own below)

TRAINS:  The quaint, rustic train station is a 5-minute walk right above the beach area and is accessed by the steps behind the Carpaccio restaurant. There are many trains going both ways along the coast, though fewer stop here than at the busier Beaulieu sur Mer station, which is only a 20 minute walk away.

     Train service southbound to Monaco and northbound to Nice and Cannes is frequent and reasonably priced. Note that there are several other stops that the train makes going in both directions. It takes only 15 minutes on direct trains from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Monaco-Monte Carlo. Trains transport you from Villefranche's quaint, rustic train station to nearby Cote d'Azur neighbors Beaulieu-sur-Mer, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, and Monte Carlo.

ON YOUR OWN:
(If you have a rental car, it makes more sense to park the car in the town of St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Bus schedules from Villefranche to St. Jean Cap Ferrat seem to be sketchy. It would be easier to walk to the Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa (30 minute walk) where you could pick up bus information and schedules from Tourist Information Office which is nearby (59 Avenue Denis Semeria)-- plan your walking tour-- and know when and where the bus stop is to take you back to Villefranche.

To explore Cap Ferrat on foot:
     From the Promenade des Marinieres walk the curve of the bay away from the town of Villefranche until you reach the end of the car parking area where you will see a flight of steps to your left, next to the parking payment machine. The steps will take you to Avenue Louise Bordes, which brings you past the gates of the famous Villa Nellcote Bai (leased by the Rolling Stones during recording "1980's Exile on Main Street").   In 1919, the villa, since baptized "Nellcôte," was acquired by the Bordes family, famous ship-owners specializing in the transport of soda nitrate between Chile and France.   Adding infamy to the residence's history, Nellcôte served as the headquarters of the local Gestapo during the Nazi occupation of France in the early 1940s, with the floor vents in the basement of the villa reportedly being decorated with swastikas

     From here, it’s just a short walk to the magnificent Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa and its themed gardens located high on a hill on the road leading into St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The villa of the Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild straddles the centre of the main spine of Cap Ferrat on the Villefranche side.  While the villa is absolutely incredible… the gardens are really the highlight of the property. The nine gardens are impeccably manicured and simply stunning with themes: Spanish, Florentine, Stone Garden, Japanese, Exotic, Rose Garden, Provençal, Sèvres and French. The entrance to the gardens gives you a magnificent view over Villefranche harbour so be sure to take your camera!

     The villa houses an extensive collection of 18th century and Impressionist paintings as well as many oriental artifacts. It gives you an idea how the superrich lived in the early 19th century--in style. In 1883 Beatrice Rothschild, aged 19, married Maurice Ephrussi, a Russian banker. In 1905 she bought land in Cap Ferrat next to the estate of King Leopold II of Belgium, who was none to happy about it as he wanted to extend his already vast holding. Construction started in 1907 and her dream home was finished in 1912. Her husband died 4 years later. Beatrice was a great collector, traveling the world in search of treasures. Upon her death in 1934 she bequeathed her estate to the Académie des Beaux-Arts de l'Institut de France. They host the Azuriales Opera Festival every August here.

Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa and gardens

Cost: 10 Euros which includes a 15 minute intro film (in French with English subtitles), and the wonderful gardens. For 15 Euros you can also see Kerylos Villa.  Stop for tea and cake: a perfect setting for a piece of paradise that you’ll probably see nowhere else.

     One of the most notorious of royalties in Cap Ferrat was King Leopold II of Belgium, basking in his riches from Belgian Congo, where he exercised a brutal colonial regime. He owned a large estate in Cap Ferrat on an artificial lake and three separate villas for his mistresses. Later in life he built another villa for his confessor. This villa was later owned by the writer Somerset Maugham until his death in 1965. The main residence is the Villa des Cèdres, located at 57 Avenue Denis Semeria, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat which has been owned by Marnier-Lapostolle (the makers of Grand Marnier) since 1924 and is now in part a botanical garden called the Jardin botanique "Les Cèdres" in an extensive parkland surrounding Les Cedres.                                                                                                      Part of Leopold's estate housed the Zoo du Cap Ferrat with 350 species from flamingos to Zebras. However, in September 2009 the local papers announced the surprising and imminent closure of Cap Ferrat Zoo with some of the animals heading to Parc Phoenix and others to Frejus zoo. Its not certain what will happen to the bulk of the animals. For many years this charming zoo attracted more than 130,000 visitors. Now closed (October 2009) an English property developer, Robert Bourne, will replace the treasured enclave with a deluxe hotel and wellness center.

     When you are finished with your visit to the villa, you have a choice (depending on your time frame) to either circle the peninsula on footpaths (taking between an additional 1-1/2 and 2 hours) or cut across toward the eastern side to the marina.

Walking Path Around the Peninsula

     Near the villa there is a Tourist Information Office where you can pick up a map and ask about the sentier littoral (walking path) that completely circles the cape around Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.  The famous coastal path walk is a fourteen kilometer (9 mile) long trek taking you to the most beautiful spots on the peninsula. The path runs through the thick pine forests, around the cliffs and to the tip of the Cap, where a beautiful hotel now stands, surrounded by lush gardens. 

     Visitors who do not wish to (or can not manage to) walk throughout the area will find buses to be the next best    mode of transportation to many locations in the area.

Aerial view of Cap Ferrat jutting out from Villefranche

    A small footpath leads from the village (near Rothschild Villa)  to the Plage de Passable, a beach unique in being the only sandy beach east of Antibes. Half the beach is free to the public, and popular with families, while the other half is run by a small restaurant.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Plage de Passable Beach

As you loop around the footpaths of the peninsula you come upon the most beautiful of villas, gardens, and vistas.   Paradise!

                            Gardens galore!                                                   The Grand Hotel at the tip of the peninsula

     At the tip of Cap Ferrat, you will find one of the most beautiful palaces in the world, the "Grand Hotel du Cap" which is set amidst a stunning garden.

Below: Phare du Cap Ferrat, "Phare" is the French word for a lighthouse.
              

Interested?   €5.5 million for this stone house with panoramic views of the Bay of Beaulieu and Cap Ferrat. It is situated along a private path, and has four bedrooms, two bathrooms a garage and an infinity pool.