From the beach clubs of Pampelonne to the villas of Cap-Ferrat and the harbour of Monaco, the Côte d’Azur is where the luxury summer was invented and where it is still lived at full volume.
Stay
- Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes
- La Réserve Ramatuelle and Cheval Blanc St-Tropez
- Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons hotel
- Maybourne Riviera, Roquebrune
Do
- Club 55 and Nammos on Pampelonne beach
- The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild gardens on Cap-Ferrat
- Lunch at La Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- The Monaco Grand Prix in May and the Cannes Film Festival
- A day on a yacht to the Îles de Lérins
Gavalia’s rules
- Stay between Antibes and Menton for the calm, around Saint-Tropez for the scene.
- Rent a villa with a chef and a boat: the coast is best seen from the water and the restaurants are best avoided at 21:00 in August.
- Nice airport is the gateway; the helicopter to Monaco takes seven minutes, the drive to Saint-Tropez two hours in summer traffic.
Three Rivieras
Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle for the beach clubs, the villas of Les Parcs and the summer scene. Cannes and the Cap d’Antibes for the festival, the Croisette and the Eden-Roc. Nice, Cap-Ferrat, Èze and Menton for the belle époque villas, the gardens and the quieter, older money. Monaco is the harbour at the centre of it all.
How to do it
A villa in the hills above Saint-Tropez or on the Cap d’Antibes, rented for two weeks with staff; a boat chartered for three days; lunch at Club 55 or the Colombe d’Or; dinner at La Vague d’Or or at the Eden-Roc. The coast rewards those who plan and punishes those who improvise in August.
The property market
Riviera villas are priced on the sea frontage and the address. Cap-Ferrat and Cap d’Antibes trade at 20 million to well above 100 million euros; Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez from 15 million; the hills of Grimaud, Gassin and Mougins from 3 to 15 million. Buyers are international; sellers rarely need to sell. Off-market is the norm at the top.
The property market
Cap d’Antibes, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Saint-Tropez’s Les Parcs are the three most expensive villa addresses in Europe outside Monaco, at 20,000 to 50,000 euros per square metre and trophy prices far above.
Try it yourself
Villa Cost CalculatorPurchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Questions people ask
Where is the most expensive part of the French Riviera?
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cap d’Antibes and Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez, followed by Èze, Villefranche and Cannes’ Californie district.
How much does a villa rental cost on the Riviera?
From about 50,000 euros a week for a good villa with a pool in high season to 200,000 to 400,000 for a staffed estate on the water.
When is the best time on the Côte d’Azur?
June and September: warm sea, open beach clubs and restaurants, no August crowds.
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