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Visiting Beaulieu-sur-Mer on foot: Villa Kérylos and the Belle Époque
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Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small Belle Époque resort with a famous microclimate, where a Hellenist rebuilt an ancient Greek house facing the sea. This short route links the seafront promenade, Villa Kérylos, the village and the Baie des Fourmis.
Where to start
The route begins on Promenade Maurice-Rouvier, which runs along the sea beneath palms and oleanders. Beaulieu claims, along with Menton, the best microclimate in France: the Alps block the cold winds, the sea gives back its warmth. Queen Victoria stayed at the Grand Hôtel until 1899. The Murmure audio tour starts on this promenade.
Villa Kérylos appears around a bend, white and colonnaded, on the Fourmis point. Three of the seven stops take place inside: check its opening hours and tickets before coming.
What you will see on the way
Villa Kérylos was built from 1902 to 1908 by the architect Emmanuel Pontremoli for Théodore Reinach, a Hellenist, numismatist and member of parliament who spoke ancient Greek and wanted to live in Antiquity rather than read about it. The atrium with its dolphin mosaic, the library of two thousand volumes on lemonwood shelves, then the terraced gardens planted with cypress, laurel and olive, form the heart of the visit.
The old town of Beaulieu, where Reinach did his shopping, brings you back to everyday life: lanes, ochre façades, a fountain, a market. The church of the Sacré-Cœur, built between 1899 and 1903 and partly paid for by Russian, English and German winter residents, says what the resort was at its height.
The route ends at the edge of the Baie des Fourmis, with the overall view: Cap Ferrat to the west and, on its rock, the white columns of Kérylos.
How much time to allow
The published route is 1.8 km long with seven stops and no notable climb. The walk alone takes less than an hour; the indoor visit of Villa Kérylos takes an hour and a half to two hours at your own pace. Allow two and a half to three hours in all.
Villa Kérylos (15 € per adult in 2026, reduced rate 10 €) is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm from October to March and from 10 am to 6 pm from April to September, with late openings in summer; it closes on 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November and 25 December. Guided visits run at fixed times for a supplement.
The Beaulieu market is held on Place du Général-de-Gaulle, known as Place Marinoni, Monday to Saturday mornings, with a Provençal market on Saturdays and an Italian market on the first Sunday of the month. The church of the Sacré-Cœur is open during the day on weekdays.
Practical tips
This is one of the easiest routes on the Riviera: a flat promenade, short distances. Still bring water and a hat, the promenade is sunny. The Baie des Fourmis is a free gravel beach, with showers and toilets in season.
At Villa Kérylos the ground floor is reached by a ramp; the upper floor by a staircase of about thirty steps with landings, and the gardens are gravelled. Without the indoor visit the walk still makes sense, but is shorter.
To listen on site, bring headphones and battery. Promenade Maurice-Rouvier and the old town suit pushchairs.
Getting there and parking
Beaulieu-sur-Mer station, ten minutes by train from Nice and eleven from Monaco, is a seven-minute walk from Villa Kérylos: it is the simplest way to come. Lignes d’Azur buses 15, 83 and 84 and ZOU coaches 600 and 601 between Nice and Menton also stop in the centre.
By car, town-centre parking is paying during the day from Monday to Saturday; a free two-hour blue zone exists on Boulevard Marinoni, and the station car park is open around the clock.
The seven stops of the route
- Promenade Maurice-Rouvier
- Villa Kérylos: entrance and atrium
- The villa’s library
- The gardens and the sea terrace
- The old town of Beaulieu
- The church of the Sacré-Cœur
- The Baie des Fourmis
Listen to “Villa Kérylos, a Dream of Greece”
The Murmure audio tour tells of the man who rebuilt ancient Greece stone by stone: seven stops over 1.8 km, from Promenade Maurice-Rouvier to the Baie des Fourmis. Listen to a preview and check the villa’s opening hours before you leave.
Plan your visit
Information checked in September 2026 with the villa, the town hall and the tourist office: Villa Kérylos, tickets and hours · Beaulieu markets · getting to Beaulieu · parking. Opening hours and prices may change: check them before you leave. The Murmure audio route is an independent offer.