Biot – An Exceptional Estate In The Heart Of The Mediterranean

Located in the heart of a private estate spanning approximately 182 hectares (450 acres) between Cannes and Antibes, this château is one of the largest and most remarkable private properties ever offered for sale on the French Riviera.

Tucked away from prying eyes yet located just a few minutes from the Mediterranean coast, this exceptional property combines absolute privacy, rich history, and extraordinary heritage potential. At its center stands an elegant Belle Époque château of approximately 1,700 m², commissioned in the 1920s by the famous French press magnate Léon Bailby and designed by the architect Messiah, whose works are among the most prestigious on the Riviera, notably the iconic Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

Over the decades, the estate has belonged to some of France’s most prominent families, including the founders of the Monoprix group, thus becoming one of the most iconic private properties on the French Riviera. Its majestic avenues, remarkable gardens, and historic buildings still bear witness today to the grandeur and refinement of the Riviera’s golden age.

The estate covers approximately 4,000 to 5,000 m² of built-up area, comprising several villas, guest houses, staff quarters, pavilions, and outbuildings. Served by an extensive network of private roads, the estate is set within an exceptional landscape of forests, landscaped gardens, meadows, and hills offering unobstructed views of the Côte d’Azur hinterland.

Among its most remarkable features is a legendary Art Deco Olympic-sized swimming pool, considered the first of its kind on the French Riviera. Built in the 1930s, it made Riviera history when Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich inaugurated it during the Riviera’s heyday. It later served as a training center for French athletes preparing for the 1936 Olympic Games. With its historic diving board and period pool house, it remains one of the estate’s rarest and most iconic architectural features, evoking an era when the Riviera was the favored vacation destination of royalty, the aristocracy, artists, and movie stars.

The French-style gardens, Spanish-inspired gardens, and Italian-style terraces come together to form an exceptional landscape, blending heritage, elegance, and natural beauty in a way that has become extremely rare in Europe.

Properties of this scale, benefiting from such a strategic location, are virtually impossible to replicate today. Whether as a prestigious family residence, a multigenerational estate, an exclusive hotel project, or an exceptional real estate investment, this property offers a unique opportunity to bring an extraordinary vision to life.

Ideally located approximately 10 km from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, 5 km from Antibes, 18 km from Cannes, and in the immediate vicinity of Sophia Antipolis, it combines absolute serenity with quick access to the most sought-after destinations on the French Riviera.
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website: https://www.georisques.gouv.fr/