Why Visit
It is sheltered from winds because of its geographical location. It has beautiful cliffs and lush vegetation.
History
Beaulieu-sur-Mer has been inhabited since prehistoric times. A cave located in Little Africa has traces of Paleolithic habitation. Neolithic pottery was also discovered at locations near the Empress Hotel and Giaume. Although there is no known site in the territory during the Iron Age, evidence of habitation from Roman times have been discovered in the area of Norte-Dame d’Olivo, where over a hundred ancient tombs were unearthed. Excavations revealed the presence of a port station there in antiquity. There were also rich roman habitats, which seem to belong to a small coastal town.
Further excavations in the 1950s have uncovered a necropolis of the Late Antiquity and the High Middle Ages, which suggests that the coastal town was not abandoned at the time. In the nineteenth century, Beaulieu-sur-Mer becomes connected to Nice via road and rail and it becomes a popular resort. Many members of royal families and celebrities visit it as a winter resort. From the second half of the 1990s it declined economically but it started to recover from 2005 as new investors moved in and began renovating its famous hotels, the Metropolis Eiffel and the casino.
Museums - Archeological
Beaulieu-sur-Mer has several important sites that are worth visiting. The Villa Kérylos was built between 1902 to 1908 by the architect Emmanuel Pontremoli. It is on a rocky promontory overlooking the Mediterranean, on the style of the villas of ancient Greece second and first century BC. It is decorated with frescoes depicting Greek mythology.
The Bristol Hotel is a six-storey building that was built in 1898. it was hosted word leaders like Prince Louis Napoleon and the Duchess of Aosta, being one of the largest and most luxurious hotels of the Riviera. The hotel is now a luxury condominium, retaining the lobby. It is listed on the inventory of historical monuments.
The villa situated May Edith Cavell Avenue was built in 1826 by Gaetano May and then it was bought by the city in 1967. Today it houses the Museum of History and Archaeology. The two rooms on the ground floor, the living room of Diana, the fair judgment of Paris and loves to lounge on the first floor with their decor are registered as historical monuments January 25, 1980.
Beaches
Beaulieu-sur-Mer has two beaches but they are a beauty. They are both sandy with public and private portions. The Plage des Fourmis is on the western side of the Beaulieu port. It is a fine gravel beach that has no shade. It has a pleasant promenade that runs along the beach. The Plage Petite Afrique is on the eastern side of the port. Most of the beach is public and lies on a protected cove with gravelly sand and some shade under the pine trees.
Religious Monasteries and Churches
There are several churches and religious sites on Beaulieu-sur-Mer that are worth a visit. There is the Church of the Sacred Heart (Église du Sacré-Cœur, which was built in 1899, the Chapel Sancta Maria de Olivo, built in the eleventh century, the Chapel of the Black Madonna (Chapelle de La Madonne-Noire) and finally the Anglican Church of St. Michael (Église anglicane Saint-Michael), built in 1893.
