Beaulieu-sur-Mer (Fr. Beaulieu-sur-Mer) is a seaside village on the French Riviera between Nice and Monaco. It is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department and borders the communes of Èze, and Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Nestled amongst abundant vegetation, Beaulieu means “beautiful place” in French, and the city really proves it.
With its sandy beaches with palm trees and mild climate, Beaulieu is one of the most interesting spots on the French Riviera. Visited in the past by royalty and members of the aristocracy, Beaulieu today continues to be a high-class resort in French Mediterranean style.
Tourism and main attractions
Villa Kérylos built by the architect Emmanuel Pontremoli between 1902 and 1908 on a rocky promontory overlooking the Mediterranean, on the road to the seaside, the villa Kérylos is a dwelling built and furnished on the model of the villas of ancient Greece from the second century and the first century BC. It is entirely decorated with frescoes evoking Greek mythology, works of Adrien Karbowsky and Gustave-Louis Jaulmes.
The former Bristol Hotel, a six-storey building, was built in 1898 by Danish architect Hans-Georg Tersling. This palace was born from the will of a London furniture maker, Sir Blundell Maple, and as soon as it opened on 1 January 1899, welcomed the greats of this world such as Prince Louis Napoleon and the Duchess of Aosta. For a long time, it was one of the largest and most luxurious palaces on the Riviera: 150 employees, 300 rooms, private lounges, several libraries and huge pavilions located at both ends to host concerts or plays. The building occupies 2000 m2, with a south side, a large garden planted with flowers, orange trees, palm trees. Then in 1954, economic constraints and the disappearance of large European families on Riviera caused the Bristol to be sold by apartments.
The Villa de May located on avenue Charles II comte de Provence, next to the Jean-Cocteau college, was built in 1826 by Gaétan de May, then it was bought by the city in 1967 to house the History Museum and Archeology. The two living rooms on the ground floor, the Diane living room, and the Paris judgment room are listed as historical monuments on 25 January 1980. The villa was completely restored between 2013-2014 and now hosts the intercommunal music conservatory.
The Palais des Anglais on Avenue Maréchal Foch was built in 1885 under the name of Hôtel des Anglais and faces the train station. It is one of the first hotels in the city which welcomes the European aristocracy during the winter season. The structure of the four-storey building is rich. Each floor has a different style frieze. The central dome is supported on the main facade by four caryatids. Also, at the level of the dome, we find the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom with the representation of the lion and the unicorn.
The Maurice Rouvier promenade, a pedestrian route along the seaside, allows you to reach St-Jean Cap-Ferrat from Beaulieu in a few minutes along the Bay of Fourmis.
The Beaulieu Casino also hosts concerts. It also has an outdoor terrace restaurant with Italian lunch fix-price menus.
Among the most famous religious buildings are the Church of the Sacred Heart, built in 1899 and its organ, the Chapel of Sancta-Maria-de-Olivo (eleventh century), St. Michael’s Anglican Church, built in 1893 and its organ.
Shopping
Shopping is not a priority on the tourist program. See here shopping in Nice.
There’s a daily food market at Place Marinoni. On Saturday mornings, a Provencal market takes the same space.
Cuisine and restaurants
The restaurants offer mostly Mediterranean cuisine. There are three Michelin restaurants in the city:
- La Table de la Réserve, 5 Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, 23 – 78 EUR • Mediterranean Cuisine, Traditional Cuisine
- Le Restaurant des Rois, 5 boulevard du Maréchal-Leclerc, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, 140 – 280 EUR • Modern Cuisine
- L’eSCentiel, 26 boulevard Maréchal-Leclerc, 32 – 47 EUR • Traditional Cuisine
Beaches
Two beaches that are in the center and Fourmis Beach with its retro style, and the harbor and Greek villa, Kerylos beach. Outside of town Petite Afrique Beach offers a large stretch of sand with a mountainous décor.
Transport and how to get to?
Three bus lines of the Azure Lines network are in service. One of them has its terminus in town. The other two, connecting Nice to Menton and Nice to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, cross the city with several stops.
SNCF lines
Beaulieu-sur-Mer also has a station, served by the TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and allowing travelers to go to Cannes and Grasse (or even Marseille) to the west, and to Ventimiglia to the east.
Shortest distance by car:
From Menton: 38 min (25.0 km) via M6098
From Monaco: 21 min (10.6 km) via M6098
From Villefranche-sur-Mer: 9 min (3.5 km) via M6098
From Nice: 23 min (9.6 km) via M6007
From Cagnes-sur-Mer (tolls): 38 min (22.4 km) via Voie Mathis/Voie Pierre Mathis/Voie Rapide
From Antibes (tolls): 54 min (31.6 km) via Voie Mathis/Voie Pierre Mathis/Voie Rapide
From Cannes (tolls): 1 h (42.2 km) via A8
From Mandelieu-La Napoule (tolls): 48 min (45.7 km) via A8
From Fréjus (tolls): 1 h 9 min (73.4 km) via A8
From Saint-Raphaël (tolls): 1 h 15 min (76.1 km) via A8
From Sainte-Maxime (tolls): 1 h 33 min (107 km) via A8
From Saint-Tropez (tolls): 1 h 52 min (121 km) via A8
From Cavalaire-sur-Mer (tolls): 2 h (127 km) via A8
From Toulon (tolls): 1 h 53 min (158 km) via A57 and A8
From Aix-en-Provence (tolls): 2 h 13 min (184 km) via A8
From Nîmes (tolls): 3 h 17 min (289 km) via A8
From Marseille (tolls): 2 h 30 min (208 km) via A8
From Avignon (tolls): 2 h 56 min (269 km) via A8
From Montpellier (tolls): 3 h 41 min (335 km) via A8
From Sète (tolls): 3 h 51 min (363 km) via A8
From Agde (tolls): 4 h 4 min (388 km) via A8
From Pézenas (tolls): 4 h 5 min (390 km) via A8
From Béziers (tolls): 4 h 13 min (400 km) via A9 and A8
From Perpignan (tolls): 4 h 57 min (483 km) via A9 and A8
From Argelès-sur-Mer (tolls): 5 h 14 min (511 km) via A9 and A8
From Collioure (tolls): 5 h 20 min (518 km) via A9 and A8
From Narbonne (tolls): 4 h 23 min (423 km) via A9 and A8
From La Baule-Escoublac (tolls): 11 h 21 min (1,230 km) via A62
From Saint-Nazaire (tolls): 11 h 18 min (1,216 km) via A62
From Saumur (tolls): 9 h 32 min (1,022 km) via A7
From Nantes (tolls): 10 h 34 min (1,152 km) via A62
From Les Sables-d’Olonne (tolls): 10 h 35 min (1,141 km) via A62
From Cognac (tolls): 8 h 56 min (927 km) via A62
From Angoulême (tolls): 8 h 53 min (925 km) via A62
From Eauze (tolls): 7 h 19 min (699 km) via A8
From La Rochelle (tolls): 9 h 19 min (989 km) via A62
From Rochefort (tolls): 8 h 59 min (961 km) via A62
From Saintes (tolls): 8 h 43 min (925 km) via A62
From Arcachon (tolls): 8 h 21 min (863 km) via A62
From Royan (tolls): 9 h 3 min (929 km) via A62
From Biarritz (tolls): 8 h 23 min (871 km) via A64
From Saint-Jean-de-Luz (tolls): 8 h 25 min (877 km) via A64
From Bayonne (tolls): 8 h 14 min (859 km) via A64
From Dax (tolls): 8 h 14 min (838 km) via A64
From Lourdes (tolls): 7 h 16 min (737 km) via A8
From Pau (tolls): 7 h 28 min (755 km) via A8
From Périgueux (tolls): 8 h 13 min (845 km) via A8
From Bordeaux (tolls): 7 h 53 min (811 km) via A62
From Toulouse (tolls): 5 h 51 min (570 km) via A8
From Carcassonne (tolls): 4 h 56 min (479 km) via A9 and A8
From Andorra (tolls): 7 h 33 min (659 km) via A8
Main information
Area: 0.9 sq. km
Population: 3 700
Languages: French
Currency: euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
Coordinates: : 43°42′18″N 7°19′48″E
See here best sea and ocean resorts of France and Spain (223 objects)
