The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild: the nine gardens, and when to go

The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild sits on the narrowest part of the Cap Ferrat peninsula with the sea on both sides, and it is the single best reason to go there. Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild built it in the years before the First World War, painted it pink, filled it with a collection that ranges from Renaissance panels to Sèvres porcelain, and surrounded it with nine gardens, each in a different national style. She left it to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and it is run today by Culturespaces. It is open to anyone who buys a ticket, and no other house on this coast keeps both its collection and its gardens intact.

What is there to see at the Villa Ephrussi?

The house takes forty minutes and the gardens take the rest of the afternoon, which is the opposite of what most visitors plan for. The house is a belle époque villa preserved as a museum, with the ground floor rooms furnished as they were lived in and the first floor open too, including the gallery, the blue bedroom and the Salon des Singes. The gardens are the reason to allow a full half day: nine of them, laid out around a central French garden whose musical fountains play on a cycle through the day, then Spanish, Florentine, stone, Japanese, exotic, Provençal and rose gardens spreading down the slope towards the sea.

The villa is open all year, on reduced weekday hours from 3 November to 31 January. Entry in 2026 was 18 € full and 12 € reduced, or 24 € combined with the Villa Kérylos. Fountain cycles run at fixed intervals through the day. Verified August 2026.

When should you go, and how long does it take?

Allow two hours minimum, three if you want the house as well as the gardens. Entry in 2026 was 18 € full and 12 € reduced, with a 24 € ticket combining it with the Villa Kérylos in Beaulieu. Go early in the day or in the last two hours before closing: the villa sits on an exposed ridge, and between about eleven and four in summer the light is hard, the terraces have no shade and the crowds from the coach parties are at their peak.

Season matters more here than at most attractions, because this is a garden. Late spring is the best of the year, with the rose garden at its peak and the temperature still comfortable. Autumn is the quiet alternative, with warm light and few people. Summer works if you go at opening. Winter is beautiful and largely empty, and contrary to what a lot of guides say the villa does not close for it: from 3 November to 31 January it simply runs shorter weekday hours.

How do you get to the Villa Ephrussi?

There is no station on the Cap. The closest is Beaulieu-sur-Mer, from which the villa is 1.8 kilometres, about a twenty five minute walk. Villefranche-sur-Mer is on the same line but 3.4 kilometres away, closer to fifty minutes on foot, so take the bus from there rather than walking. Driving is possible and there is parking, but the roads on the peninsula are narrow and busy in summer.

The walk from Beaulieu is worth doing deliberately. The Promenade Maurice Rouvier runs at sea level from Beaulieu around to Saint-Jean, flat, paved and shaded in places, with the water on one side and the gardens of the great villas on the other. It takes about twenty five minutes, it is flat the whole way, and it is the only approach to the Cap that involves no road and no fare.

What else is on the Cap?

Less than you would expect, and that is the appeal. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has just over fifteen hundred residents, one small harbour, two beaches worth the walk and a coastal path around most of the peninsula. There is no nightlife and no shopping street. The one other house that opens is the Villa Santo Sospir, decorated by Jean Cocteau in 1950 and visitable by reservation, though its opening calendar is irregular and worth checking before you count on it. What there is instead is Paloma beach on the eastern side, Plage de Passable facing Villefranche and the sunset, the Pointe Saint-Hospice walk out to the chapel and the bronze madonna, and the harbour itself, which is one of the few on the coast that still feels like a village.

Our companion guide to the coastal walks of Cap-Ferrat covers all of those routes with times and difficulty, and the best photo spots in Cap-Ferrat maps where the light works.

Can you take photographs at the villa?

Personal photography in the gardens is generally fine, and the villa is one of the most photographed places on this coast for good reason. What is not automatic is a professional session: the villa is a private foundation site with its own rules on commercial photography and on private hire, and a shoot with a photographer needs to be arranged with the site in advance rather than turned up with. The same applies to nearly every historic garden on this coast. Couples arrive expecting to shoot in the gardens and are turned away at the gate.

Where we work instead, when a client wants that Cap Ferrat look without the permissions, is the Promenade Maurice Rouvier, the Pointe Saint-Hospice and the harbour, all of which are public and all of which photograph beautifully in the last hour of light. The Cap-Ferrat photography page covers the sessions we run around the peninsula, and the Cap-Ferrat Instagram photoshoot page covers the shorter content sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild?

A belle époque villa built by Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild on the narrowest part of the Cap Ferrat peninsula, with the sea on both sides, left to the Académie des Beaux-Arts and run today by Culturespaces. The ground floor rooms are preserved as a museum with a collection ranging from Renaissance panels to Sèvres porcelain, and the house is surrounded by nine gardens in different national styles, laid out around a French garden with musical fountains that play on a cycle through the day.

How long do you need at the Villa Ephrussi?

Two hours minimum for the gardens, three if you want the house as well, which takes about forty minutes. Entry in 2026 was 18 € full and 12 € reduced. Go early in the day or in the last two hours before closing: the villa sits on an exposed ridge with little shade, and between about eleven and four in summer the light is hard and the coach parties are at their peak. Late spring is the best season, with the rose garden at its peak, and autumn is the quiet alternative.

How do you get to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat without a car?

There is no station on the peninsula. The closest is Beaulieu-sur-Mer, 1.8 km and about twenty five minutes on foot. Villefranche-sur-Mer is on the same line but 3.4 km away, closer to fifty minutes, so take the bus from there. The walk from Beaulieu along the Promenade Maurice Rouvier is flat, paved and at sea level, with the water on one side and the gardens of the great villas on the other.

Can you do a photoshoot at the Villa Ephrussi?

Personal photography in the gardens is generally fine, but a professional session is not automatic. The villa is a private foundation site with its own rules on commercial photography and private hire, so a shoot has to be arranged with the site in advance. For a Cap Ferrat session without those permissions, the Promenade Maurice Rouvier, the Pointe Saint-Hospice and the harbour are all public and photograph beautifully in the last hour of light.

More reading: the coastal walks of Cap-Ferrat, the best photo spots in Cap-Ferrat, and a seven day Riviera itinerary.