Paloma Beach | At the End of a Riviera Dream
Last Updated on April 9, 2026 by Charlotte
From our view on a cliff above the sea, the pebbled shores of Paloma Beach sparkled in the strong July sun, the wake from yachts further out making little ripples on the water. It was beautiful, undeniably. But something was missing, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
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When the Glamour Fades: The Story Behind Paloma Beach
I’d arrived expecting a certain kind of Riviera magic: grilled sea bream and chilled rosé, sun loungers flocked with white umbrellas angled toward the Mediterranean, and the quiet thrill of being immersed in the aura of the French Riviera.
Instead, I found construction fencing, a stripped-back public beach, and a handful of other visitors doing the same slightly puzzled scan of the horizon. We were all, I think, making the same pilgrimage to a shrine where the saint had already left.
Paloma Beach is a half-moon of shoreline nestled on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a petite peninsula between Nice and Monaco. It is one of the most expensive places on earth, and you can feel that in its perfectly manicured streets, and how the villas are veiled behind tall gates and pine trees. The real estate is mostly invisible. What the peninsula gives visitors, mostly, is the idea of proximity to something extraordinary.
The Côte d’Azur’s glamour accumulated, slowly, over more than a century, with royalty and artists and film stars arriving in overlapping waves, each generation’s presence lending legitimacy to the next. King Leopold II of Belgium built his estate here, and artists like Matisse and Picasso worked nearby. Even Winston Churchill painted here, and Elizabeth Taylor honeymooned along this coastline. By the time the jet set arrived in full force, the mythology was already self-sustaining.
At a time when the Riviera’s glamour was so inaccessible, Paloma Beach was, for most of that time, the one crack in the gate. Established in 1948 and named after Pablo Picasso’s daughter, who spent summers on the peninsula as a child, Paloma Beach Club became a Riviera institution over the following decades. The Vannini family ran the Paloma Beach Club for over 70 years, and the guest list reads like a fever dream of the 20th century: Matisse, Cocteau, Churchill, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, and Elton John.
At the club, long lunches stretched into afternoon swims, and regulars came back year after year, generation after generation. “Paloma Beach is like coming home after a long voyage,” one longtime devotee once said — and you can understand why. It offered something inherently rare on Cap Ferrat: actual access. A table, a sunbed, a glass of wine, and the feeling of being, briefly, a part of the story.
When we visited in July 2025, the restaurant was already gone, after a small landslide and major cliff reinforcement work had forced closure that season. In March 2026, the Vannini family confirmed what many suspected: Paloma Beach will not reopen. Seventy-plus years, and then no more.
Today, the public beach itself is still there, and it is genuinely lovely, but no more remarkable than a dozen others along the coast. The water at Paloma Beach is calm and clear, sheltered enough that the surface barely moves even when yachts pass in the distance. Across the bay, the hilltop village of Èze clings to its cliffside. There are fewer jellyfish here than at other Cap Ferrat beaches, which is not a romantic observation but is a useful one.
We left our things in a heap on our towels, winced our way to the water’s edge over slippery algae-covered rocks, and paddled out. The water was a welcome relief from the pounding July sun. By the time we got out of the water, the beach had filled with day trippers, their towels spread out like a ragtag patchwork quilt of colour. We didn’t stay much longer.
I’ve been thinking about what draws people to Cap Ferrat over flashier spots like Monaco’s harbour, Cannes’ Croisette, Saint-Tropez’s excess. I think it’s precisely the understatement. The suggestion of something more refined, more discreet, more real than all that obvious spectacle. And Paloma Beach, at its peak, delivered on that promise in a way that was almost democratic. You didn’t need to own a villa to feel it. You just needed a reservation.
As we packed up to leave, I got the feeling that I was standing inside a fading story, touching the thin pages of a book that had been turned one too many times. The south of France has always sold a certain dream, and for me, it felt like the rose colored glasses came off, the glamour easing.
Was it worth the trip? I’m still not sure. I’m glad we went. But we left feeling like we’d arrived a few decades too late, chasing the remnants of a dream.
Plan Your Visit to Paloma Beach
The public beach at Plage de la Scaletta remains accessible, though the beach club and restaurant are permanently closed as of 2026.
How to Get to Paloma Beach
By Bus
The nearest bus stop for Paloma Beach is at the Port de Saint-Jean, or nearby stops in town. There’s not so much in terms of food or shops out by the beach, so I suggest picking up things to take with you from a Casino Shop at the port. From there, it’s about a 20–25 minute walk to Paloma Beach.
By Car
Paloma Beach is around a 30-minute drive from Nice. There is a small parking lot near the beach, but it fills up quickly in peak season (and especially around lunch hours). If it’s full, you may need to park farther away and walk.
Facilities & Accessibility
The beach is pebbly with some algae-covered rocks at the water’s edge, so water shoes are worth packing. Also, during our visit, the stairway down to the shoreline was quite steep and could be difficult for those people with reduced mobility.
We did find beach showers, but no close-by toilet facilities.
Where to Stay for Paloma Beach
Cap Ferrat is famous for its Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, but I myself and many other travellers choose to stay in the nearby towns of Villefranche-sur-Mer or Beaulieu-sur-Mer for more accomodations and restaurant options.
Ready to Plan Your Trip to the Côte d’Azur?
If you’re visiting Cap Ferrat, be sure to check out my guide to the Sentier Littoral that encircles the Cap Ferrat Peninsula. And if you have more time, you can’t miss hopping over to the hilltop village of Èze to visit the Jardin Exotique.
