Have you ever been to the Villa Ephrusi de Rothschild?

[Looking for Sunshine]

If you have....I'd like to know your impressions. I love stately home and beautiful gardens....but I'd like to make sure that it is worth taking time away from Eze & St Paul de Vence!

 

Thanks,

Lee

[cruisingmimi]

Hi Lee,

 

Yes, we visited Villa Ephrusi this past Oct. on our cruise. I would say that it is absolutely worth the visit! We loved it. The gardens in back of the villa are unbelievable. There are 9 themed gardens: Florentine, Spanish, Stone (azaleas, rhododendrom, fuchsia, hydrangea), Japanese (waterfall w/ koi pond and a Zen garden w/ a tea house), Exotic (succulents, cacti, etc.), Provencal (olive trees, pines, lavender), French and Sevres (hibiscus, orange trees) gardens, as well as a Rose Garden.

 

When you walk to the highest point of the gardens, you can look down and see a beautiful view of the Villa and pools w/ beautiful waterfalls, fountains.

 

The Villa sits up high w/ views of the Bay of Villefranche on one side and the Bay of Beaulieu on the other. You can see the homes of some of the rich and famous that live in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat from there.

 

The Baroness loved the colors rose and pink. The outside of the Villa is also pink! The interior of the Villa has lots of art work. There are 12 rooms in the Villa. We only toured the downstairs. I believe you have to pay extra to have a guided tour of the upstairs apartments.

 

The Baroness had a passion for art and was a collector. You can go from room to room viewing the contents of each room. You will see exhibits of how they dressed in the 18th century. There is a Porcelain Room which has a collection of beautiful porcelain, a Louis XVI Room w/ beautiful furniture, etc.

 

They have a small tea room w/ an outdoor terrace where you can sit and have tea and enjoy the spectacular views.

 

We were on a tour so only had about an hour and a half for our visit. You could easily spend more time exploring the gardens.

 

Here is a website you can go to for further information. The Villa is about 5 minute drive from Villefranche where our ship was docked.

 

http://www.villa-ephrussi.com

 

I do hope you will go and see this beautiful villa. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

Mary

[Benita]

We have done all three. We spent a week driving around the South of France after a cruise on Windstar. In order of enjoyment, I would rank St. Paul de Vance first. It is a lovely town and you can easily spend hours wandering. The second favorite was Eze, although you have to walk up and down inclines. The gardens are beautiful and the town lovely. The villa would rank third. It is beautifully maintained and the gardens and furnishings are exquisite. All three are great, but if we only had time for two, it would be St. Paul de Vance and Eze.

[Looking for Sunshine]

thanks Mary!

[talyanka]

We have visited all three in one day with Michel Legrand from Revelation Tours.

To my opinion St.Paul de Vence and Eze both were interesting villages but they looked pretty similar. Eventually when I’ve got my pictures printed at home it was hard to distinguish between two of them where they was taken.

Villa definitely stands aside. It is gorgeous, with beautiful gardens and collections. When later on that cruise we visited Achillion Palace on Corfu the palace of Austrian Empress Elizabeth was not as impressive as this villa.

[cruisingmimi]

Hi Talyanka,

 

We also did the all day tour w/ Michel Legrand. It was our absolutely favorite tour. He is fantastic. He and I planned the itinerary and we did the Villa as the last stop of the day. We drove into the Villa parking lot and he got out and went inside & purchased our tickets (E6.50 because we were a group tour), then drove around the back of the Villa and let us out. We were able to go in the side entrance by doing this. We had about an 1 1/2 hours for the tour. Michel suggested we do the Villa as the last stop because it wouldn't be crowded and we would have time to see everything.

 

I would have to agree also that St. Paul deVence and Eze both looked pretty similar. If I had to pick, I would say to visit Eze because it was easier to navigate the grounds there and not as hilly as St. Paul de Vence. If you have any difficulty walking, then St. Paul is definitely more challenging. Many people did not walk to the top of St. Paul and see the castle and views because it was an uphill climb w/ lots of stairs. Also, I didn't think there were as many shops, etc. to browse in compared to Eze. Eze is definitely an "artsy" type of place but you can wander around w/ lots to see. It's all a matter of what you want to see.

 

We went to Monaco and I thought that was definitely worth visiting. We had been there b4 and enjoyed it as much the 2nd time around. The gardens in Monaco are truly beautiful and the view of the harbor is spectacular. I also have heard that the oceanographic museum is worth visiting but we didn't have time.

 

Lee, whatever you choose, you will love visiting the French Riviera.

 

Mary

[talyanka]

Hi Mary,

I am completely agree with you that Michel Legrand is a fantastic guide. He spoiled us so much at the beginning of the cruise that it was hard to find another guide up to his standard. I guess we were lucky to have such a great tour.

[Nikki_DC]

My mom and I went last year with another couple on our cruise. There was a public bus from Villefranche that went to the entry way. The beauty of this place is that it isn't swarming with other tourists. We had the place to ourselves and it was pleasant.

 

It has fountains that play to music just like the Bellagio in Las Vegas!

[uk1]

If you have....I'd like to know your impressions. I love stately home and beautiful gardens....but I'd like to make sure that it is worth taking time away from Eze & St Paul de Vence!

 

Thanks,

Lee

 

If you are going to the villa then it would be a shame not to visit Villa Kerylos which has a joint ticket and is a 20 minute sublime walk away.

 

http://www.villa-kerylos.com/www.culturespaces.com/kerylos/index.htm

 

Jeff