The Most Expensive Houses on the Côte d’Azur: Villa Leopolda, the Palais Bulles and the Tour Odéon Penthouse
The Côte d’Azur is home to some of the most expensive residences in the world. Their value comes from a rare combination of history, architecture, land and location. Here are three of the most remarkable.
Palais Bulles, Théoule-sur-Mer
Set into the red rocks of the Esterel above the sea at Théoule-sur-Mer, the Palais Bulles is one of the most unusual houses on the Riviera. Designed by the Hungarian architect Antti Lovag as a series of interconnected bubbles, it was originally built for the industrialist Pierre Bernard, then bought by the fashion designer Pierre Cardin in the early 1990s.
Cardin added a 500-seat open-air amphitheatre overlooking the Mediterranean, and the house became a venue for Cannes Film Festival parties and fashion shows. It has been listed as a historic monument since 1999.
Villa Leopolda, Villefranche-sur-Mer
In 1902, King Leopold II of Belgium bought land on the heights of Villefranche-sur-Mer, at the Col du Caire, and built a villa he named Leopolda. The estate was later transformed by the American architect Ogden Codman into the neo-Palladian villa known today, overlooking Cap Ferrat. Read its full history in our article on Villa Leopolda.
Tour Odéon, Monaco: in the top three
Built between 2009 and 2015, the Tour Odéon is the tallest building in Monaco. At its top, the Sky Penthouse spreads over five floors and around 3,300 m², with its own swimming pool, reached by a slide.
Not the only record
The Côte d’Azur has other record-breaking addresses. On Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Villa Les Cèdres, once owned by King Leopold II, has been described as the most expensive house on Earth. Discover the peninsula’s great estates in our article on Cap Ferrat’s great estates and the story of Villa Les Cèdres.
This article was written purely out of historical interest. None of the properties mentioned are real estate listings.
Explore our collection of luxury villas for rent in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat