Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild built this villa between 1905 and 1912 on the narrowest part of Cap Ferrat, with sea on both sides, and filled it with eighteenth-century furniture, porcelain, tapestries and paintings. She had the grounds laid out as nine separate gardens: French, Spanish, Florentine, stone, Japanese, exotic, a rose garden, Provencal and lapidary, arranged around the house. The main French garden is shaped like a ship's deck, and the story is that she had her gardeners wear sailors' caps to complete the effect. Fountains in the central basin play to music at intervals through the day.

What you actually see

• The nine gardens - French, Spanish, Japanese, exotic and others in sequence.
• The ship-deck garden - the main axis laid out like a vessel with sea on both sides.
• The furnished villa - eighteenth-century interiors and collections.
• The musical fountains - timed displays in the central basin.

When to go

April to October for the gardens at their best; the villa opens year-round with shorter winter hours. Roses peak in May. Summer afternoons are hot with limited shade.

Honest expectations

The gardens are the main event and the villa interior is a shorter visit. It is expensive relative to its size. Cap Ferrat parking is very limited and the bus is easier.

Nearby

Villefranche-sur-Mer lies west; Beaulieu is east.