# Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villa Kérylos, Nice > Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small resort between Nice and Monaco, 10 minutes by train from Nice. Its name means 'beautiful place by the sea': it has quiet beaches, a marina full of yachts and Belle Époque villas where Leo Tolstoy, Gustave Eiffel and Igor Stravinsky spent their winters. The main sight is the Villa Kérylos, a faithful copy of an ancient Greek house on a headland above the sea. A footpath to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat starts here too. Allow 2–3 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/nice/beaulieu-sur-mer - City: [Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice), France - YesGo score: 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h 30 min - Opening hours: Town always open, Villa Kérylos by day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Town free; Villa Kérylos ticket - From Nice: ≈ 10–15 minutes by train - Area: 0.92 km², the department's smallest commune - Villa Kérylos: ≈ 1 hour to visit - Duration: ≈ 2–3 hours - Location: Between Villefranche and Èze, by the Cap Ferrat isthmus - Coordinates: 43.70720, 7.33170 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **0.92 km²** — area of the town (source: English Wikipedia) - **1902** — Villa Kérylos begun (source: English Wikipedia) - **1928** — left to the Institut de France (source: English Wikipedia) - **1966** — listed as a historic monument (source: English Wikipedia) ## About Beaulieu-sur-Mer Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a seaside town on the Riviera between Nice and Monaco. It borders [Villefranche-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/villefranche-sur-mer) and [Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-jean-cap-ferrat), with [Èze](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/eze) on its rock above. At under a square kilometre it is the department's **smallest commune**, separated from Villefranche only in 1891. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Beaulieu became a **winter resort for Europe's elite**. Leo Tolstoy, the engineer Gustave Eiffel, the American publisher James Gordon Bennett and the composer Igor Stravinsky all came here, and the playwright Alexander Sukhovo-Kobylin spent his last years here. Today it's a quiet town with a marina, beaches and villas, free of the big resorts' noise. ## What to see - **Villa Kérylos** — an ancient Greek house on a headland above the sea. - **Baie des Fourmis** — a palm-lined promenade with views of the cape. - **The marina** — yachts, cafés and a stroll along the quays. - **The Cap Ferrat path** — a seaside walk to the next peninsula. - **The beaches** — small and calm, good for swimming. - **Belle Époque villas** — mansions from the winter-season days. ## Villa Kérylos The **Villa Kérylos** stands on a rocky headland in the Baie des Fourmis, surrounded by sea on three sides. It was built by the archaeologist **Théodore Reinach**, who was in love with antiquity. The architect Emmanuel Pontremoli recreated a Greek noble's house from 2nd-century-BC Delos: rooms around an open colonnaded courtyard, a peristyle. Construction began in 1902 and took six years. Inside are frescoes, mosaics and **exact copies of ancient furniture** from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Yet the house also had plumbing and underfloor heating, the very latest for the early 20th century. 'Kerylos' is Greek for **kingfisher**, a bird of good omen. > **Two villas, one family** Théodore Reinach's wife Fanny was a cousin of the banker Maurice Ephrussi, husband of Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild. Kérylos is said to have inspired them to build the [Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/villa-ephrussi-de-rothschild) on the neighbouring cape. Both villas belong to the Institut de France and fit easily into one day. ## The villa today When he died in 1928, Reinach left the villa to the Institut de France, of which he was a member. His children and grandchildren lived here until 1967, and today Kérylos is a **museum** open to visitors. It has been a historic monument since 1966. A visit takes about an hour: the audio guide leads you through the rooms around the courtyard, the library, the dining room where guests reclined as in ancient Greece, and the bedrooms. The terraces look out over the bay and Cap Ferrat. ## The seafront and the path to Cap Ferrat From the villa a palm-lined promenade with old mansions runs along the **Baie des Fourmis**. Past the marina a seaside footpath leads to the village of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the next peninsula, about half an hour each way and almost flat. The town has several **small beaches**; hills shelter Beaulieu from the wind, so the water is often calmer than in Nice. Beaulieu has been in films too: in the 1988 comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels it played the fictional resort of Beaumont-sur-Mer. ## How to get there 1. By train from Nice to Beaulieu-sur-Mer station, 10–15 minutes. 2. By bus from Nice along the Lower Corniche, 20–30 minutes. 3. From the station to Villa Kérylos, a 10-minute walk. 4. From Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, 30 minutes on the seaside path. ## Tips for your visit Two or three hours covers Beaulieu with the Villa Kérylos. A good day plan: the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in the morning, then walk down to Beaulieu, lunch by the marina, Kérylos in the afternoon and the train back to Nice in the evening. Beaulieu combines easily with Èze and [Menton](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/menton), all on the same railway. Swim in the morning while the beaches are empty. Kérylos is small and intimate, so arrive at opening in season. The promenade and path are fine with a pushchair; access inside the villa is limited. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Buy a Villa Kérylos ticket - [ ] Walk the Baie des Fourmis promenade - [ ] Follow the path to Cap Ferrat - [ ] Swim at one of the beaches - [ ] Have lunch by the marina ## Places in Nice: compare and choose Places in Nice rated by YesGo. - [Promenade des Anglais](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/promenade-des-anglais) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · Free - [Villefranche-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/villefranche-sur-mer) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Èze](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/eze) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-jean-cap-ferrat) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Vieux-Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/vieux-nice) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Beaulieu-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/beaulieu-sur-mer) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Saint-Paul-de-Vence](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-paul-de-vence) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Menton](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/menton) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free ## Don't mix it up The Villa Kérylos is the Greek villa by the sea in Beaulieu; the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is the pink villa with gardens on neighbouring Cap Ferrat. ## Tips - Two villas in a day. - 10 minutes by train. - Walk to Cap Ferrat. - Swim in the morning. ## Questions ### How do I get to Beaulieu-sur-Mer from Nice? By train in 10–15 minutes or by bus in half an hour. ### What is there to see in Beaulieu-sur-Mer? The Villa Kérylos, the Baie des Fourmis, the marina and the Cap Ferrat path. ### How much is entry to the Villa Kérylos? Entry is ticketed; see the official website for current prices. ### How long do I need at the Villa Kérylos? About an hour with the audio guide. ### Can I combine Kérylos with the Villa Ephrussi? Yes, they're close together and easy in one day. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Villa prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villa Kerylos - Villa official website, villakerylos.fr --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.