Villefranche-sur-Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer
So close yet so different… The first, laid out like an amphitheatre on the Mediterranean, gives priority to colourful buildings and superb plunging views. The second, languishing on the shore, recalls the “Belle Epoque”, a sumptuous era when members of the world’s elite succumbed to Beaulieu’s charm, leaving their architectural imprint on this luxuriant territory.
Bordering on the Niçois neighbourhood of Mont-Boron, Villefranche-sur-Mer is home to 6,870 residents. Crossed by the three Corniche roads, it looks out to the prestigious Cap Ferrat and one of the loveliest bays in the world. This favourite stopover among cruise passengers climbs from the sea up to Mount Leuze, culminating at an altitude of 500 metres. From the medieval town with its narrow 13th-C. streets to the Chapelle Saint-Pierre decorated by Cocteau, the Saint-Elme Citadel, built in the 16th century, and the harbour of La Darse, the visitor is spell-bound by its charm. A world-renowned atmosphere regularly described in the international press whenever “La Leopolda”, the world’s most expensive property, hits the headlines. A picture-postcard town making neighbouring addresses turn green with envy… Beaulieu, however, only 7 km from Monaco, puts up a worthy fight : a seafront lined with palm-trees, two yacht harbours, one with 800 berths, two beaches, La Petite Afrique and La Baie des Fourmis, and buildings as majestic as La Rotonde, Le Bristol, the Casino and Palais des Anglais. Not forgetting the Villa Kérylos, an exact replica of an ancient Greek residence. It’s hardly surprising to learn that Beaulieu’s population expands from 3,760 in winter to 8,000 in summer…
“Buyers drawn by both towns could well be very similar,” says Jessica Bovis of the Agence Générale Bovis. “Except that fans of Beaulieu prefer the flat layout of its built-up centre and easy access to beaches and shops, whereas those giving priority to Villefranche don’t mind having to use their cars all the time, as long as they can enjoy a breathtaking, plunging view of the bay.” The two town centres clearly have nothing common. Beaulieu has a wonderful array of “Belle Epoque” buildings, while the Old Town of Villefranche offers character of a distinctly medieval kind. The very few properties still privately owned in the centre of Beaulieu rarely show up in estate agencies, usually being handed down from one generation to the next. Fans of panoramic views of the azure-blue sea head for Boulevard Edouard VII. At the top end of the market, the two towns post much the same prices. Buyers at these levels - East Europeans joined by Italians, Scandinavians, North Europeans and French hoping to retire in the Riviera sun - mostly pay from 1 to 2 million euros for apartments with at least two bedrooms, prolonged by good-sized terraces and facing the Med, or 1 to 6 million euros for villas. Currently, a property of 378 m2 in good condition with a small garden in Villefranche is up for sale at 1.2 million euros, while another of 265 m2 with a garden of 600 m2 on Boulevard Edouard VII in Beaulieu is on offer at 2.75 million euros. Some properties are priced over and beyond 10 million euros, though completions of sales at this level are rare under present conditions.
“These cosmopolitan clients think more in terms of the neighbourhood and the type of home they want, rather than in terms of the town itself,” adds Florent Husté of Blue Immobilier. “Villefranche and Beaulieu thus prove to be rather homogeneous.” The Domaine du Castelet in Villefranche, a gated estate of very desirable properties worth up to 25 million euros, tops the popularity polls. 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s houses on Boulevard Edouard-VII, priced up to 15 million euros, are also highly-prized. Just like “Belle Epoque” villas, from 2 to 6 million euros, on the small plateau between the Baie des Fourmis and access to the Pont Saint-Jean, a neighbourhood near the shops in Beaulieu. Given its surface area, Villefranche has more properties for sale. Demand is just as steady in both enclaves and the homes proposed end up finding takers, on condition that sellers agree to discuss prices.
Among the latest sales orchestrated by Century 21 Lafage Transactions, Benjamin Mondou describes a house in need of renovation near the village and beach of Villefranche, offering a sea view and acquired by an English client as a holiday home for 1,460,000 €. Its location below the Basse Corniche ensures peace and quiet. Since it met the buyer’s criteria, the property sold quickly, following bargaining of around 8 %. Drawn by the proximity of the market place in Beaulieu and the prospect of abandoning his car on weekends, another client working in Monaco then treated himself to an apartment of 67 m2 with 2/3 main rooms, in need of a revamp, and priced at 480,000 €. Finally, a Russian buyer, a clientele particularly fond of properties right at the water’s edge, paid 2 million euros for an apartment of 120 m2 with a terrace, in a residence in Villefranche with direct access to the sea and a private harbour. “Overall, real-estate activity is doing well in this part of the Alpes-Maritimes,” sums up Bejamin Mondou, “as long as prices reflect market realities”.
