Duplex penthouses with private rooftops, ten minutes from Monaco

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin — the quiet side of the Principality

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is where the Riviera’s great names came for calm. Eileen Gray built her villa E-1027 on the rocks of the cape, Le Corbusier spent his summers in his small cabanon a few steps away, and Monet painted the light here. Above the coast, the old village and its castle sit at the foot of Mont Agel; below, a seaside promenade and the coastal path lead around the pine-covered headland of Cap Martin.

It is also one of the most practical addresses on the coast. The station is 300 metres away, with direct trains to Nice in 28 minutes. The beach is 350 metres away. Monaco is ten minutes by car, the Monaco heliport 27 minutes, Nice Côte d’Azur airport 40 minutes, and the Italian border 15. For anyone who works in or regularly visits the Principality, this is French residential life with Monaco on the doorstep, at a price per square metre far below the Principality’s.

A new neighbourhood built around a park

The development occupies a 3.5-hectare former military site that is being turned into a complete neighbourhood: homes, shops and cafés at street level, a public landscaped park of around 5,000 m² and a subtropical garden. The buildings are staggered diagonally, so that views open between them toward the sea and the mountains, and most homes face south with limited overlooking.

The duplexes: a private rooftop above the coast

The four homes available are the duplexes at the very top of their buildings. The main level, on the sixth floor, combines the living room and kitchen, three or four bedrooms and large terraces and balconies. An interior patio holds a staircase that leads up to a private rooftop under a pergola, with space planned for a summer kitchen.

The largest, at 136 m² with four bedrooms, has 182 m² of outdoor space. Each duplex comes with two parking spaces in the secure underground car park and its own storage.

A note from Sébastien Salin

This is a large new neighbourhood rather than a confidential residence, so I would not recommend every home in it to my clients. These four duplexes are different: they sit at the top, they have more outdoor space than indoor space, and a private rooftop is something you almost never find in new builds on this part of the coast. Delivery is at the end of 2029, which works in a buyer’s favour: payments are spread over the construction period, notary fees are around 2.5–3% instead of 8.5–9%, and the building is covered by the French ten-year builder’s guarantee.