Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is a luxury heaven made in 1910’s

The “Belle Epoque” gave birth to many exciting creations in the Cote d’Azur. Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild must be one of the greatest.

Inspired by the Theodore Reinach’s Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu-sur-mer (a relative of Rothchild and Ephrussi families), baroness Beatrice de Rothchild started to build this extravagant villa & gardens in nearby Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

By the end of construction in 1912, the result was epic: 17-acres of land (69,000 m²) composed from 9 different gardens, fountains, fine art sculptures and the villa in the middle of it.

The multi-story villa is what dreams are made of.
It has 15 rooms inside, from which you can mainly notice the small salon, grand salon, patio, porcelain salon and many other rooms and bureaus with priceless design and furniture. A key feature here are the rich collection of gardens.

The 9 gardens are:

The garden “à la française” is visible from the salons, occupies the central part of the gardens. It is composed of a central pond and is surrounded by side basins and symmetrically arranged plantations. Its main character is the temple of love and the step waterfall.

The Spanish garden is composed of a cool cave, a pergola and a canal filled with aquatic plants

The stone garden showcases, in the shade of a camphor tree and a cinnamon from California , reliefs and gargoyles from civil or religious buildings. Azaleas , camellia japonica, rhododendrons , fuchsias , anabelle hydrangeas and solendra bloom from February to April.

The Japanese garden includes a dry garden lined with green and black ophiopogons , azaleas , revolutas cicas and gardenias.

The rose garden , located at the end of the garden, grows at the foot of a small hexagonal temple with climbing roses.

The zoo , now extinct, was home to an aviary where birds stayed, including parakeets. Each of the residences that Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild attended had its own birdcage.

There is a lot of “Belle Epoque” influence around here. The area that showcases it the most is the tea room near the entrance.
We had the chance to have a cup of coffee with a great dessert, watching the sunset from the classy dining hall.

Directions and entry

We recommend to get to the villa is by car, but in case you prefer taking public transport – bus line No. 15 is at your disposal from Nice. Mind that it doesn’t come too often though.

Entry is available 7 days a week, from 10am-7pm, with a cost of 15€ for adults.

The villa’s website: https://www.villa-ephrussi.com/en

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# Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild