Cap-d'Ail and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

Overview

Monaco is bordered on the coast by two French communes. To the west, Cap-d'Ail meets the Monegasque district of Fontvieille; to the east, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin runs from the edge of the Principality to the bay of Menton. Both appeal to people who work in Monaco or spend much of their time there but prefer to live and own in France, often with a garden or a plot that would be very rare inside the Principality.

They are quite different in scale. Cap-d'Ail is small: 2.04 km² and 4,482 residents at the 2023 census. Roquebrune-Cap-Martin covers 9.33 km² and had 12,037 residents, spread between a medieval hill village, a wooded cape and the seafront quarter of Carnolès.

Cap-d'Ail

The coastal path and the beaches

Cap-d'Ail's coastline is best seen on foot. A coastal path of about 3,600 metres follows the rocks past the Pointe des Douaniers and leads to the two beaches, Plage Mala and Plage Marquet. The commune has held the Pavillon Bleu label since 1995.

Villas and heritage

The Villa Les Camélias is now a museum. The Théâtre Cocteau is home to the Centre méditerranéen d'études françaises. Older villas stand among more recent residences on slopes that climb from the sea to 540 metres at the commune's highest point.

Living next to Fontvieille

Cap-d'Ail adjoins Fontvieille, so Monaco begins where the commune ends. Most of its homes are flats, as the sales figures below show; villas are fewer and occupy the steeper ground.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

The old village

The medieval village of Roquebrune is built around a castle founded at the end of the tenth century, whose keep is often described as the oldest in France. Every year on the afternoon of 5 August the village stages the Procession of the Passion, six tableaux of the Passion performed by residents in fulfilment of a vow made in 1467 during an epidemic of plague.

Cap Martin

The cape is a residential headland of large villas among pines. On its shore stands Eileen Gray's villa E-1027 and, beside it, the small holiday cabin Le Corbusier built for himself in the early 1950s. In July 2016 the cabin was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List with sixteen other works by Le Corbusier. The shore around the cape is protected as a site classé covering the public maritime domain of Cap Martin and Cap Ferrat, by order of 30 June 1972.

Carnolès and Saint-Roman

Carnolès, on the flat ground towards Menton, is the everyday heart of the commune and has many of its schools. Saint-Roman, at the Monaco end, is home to the Monte-Carlo Country Club, whose tennis courts host the Monte-Carlo Masters each April.

Property and prices

Both tables cover the two calendar years 2024 and 2025. Cap-d'Ail is a market of flats: 139 flat sales at a median of €352,000 (€7,600 per m²) against 13 house sales. Three flats sold above €5 million, so the top of the flat market here is very high. The 13 houses had a median of €1,070,000, too few to draw firm conclusions.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin has a much deeper villa market. Its 98 house sales had a median of €1,788,000 and €10,930 per m²; 43 exceeded €2 million and 11 exceeded €5 million. The highest single house sale recorded was €58 million, a reminder that a few very large estates sit far above the rest of the market. The 812 flat sales had a median of €280,000 (€6,110 per m²).

Who buys here

These communes tend to suit three kinds of buyer. People who work in Monaco and want a French home within a short commute. Families who need more space than a Monaco flat offers, with a garden and a pool. And second-home owners who want the eastern Riviera's climate and views without buying in the Principality. For the Monaco market itself, see our Monaco area guide.

Schools and services

Cap-d'Ail has nursery and primary schools; secondary pupils go to the collège in Beausoleil and to lycées in Monaco. Roquebrune-Cap-Martin has nursery and primary schools, a collège and a lycée, many of them in Carnolès. Our international schools guide covers the international options along the coast.

Getting around

Both communes are on the coastal railway between Nice and Ventimiglia, with stations at Cap-d'Ail, Cap-Martin-Roquebrune and Carnolès. Nice Côte d'Azur airport is about 33 km by road from Cap-d'Ail and about 37 km from Roquebrune village, usually 45 to 50 minutes by the A8 motorway or the coast road. The ZOU! bus 80 runs from the airport terminals towards Monaco and Menton. See getting here for flights.

Homes for sale

Any home in Cap-d'Ail or Roquebrune-Cap-Martin that Amber Connections is presenting is shown below. Agnieszka Hancock can also run a search mandate here, which suits buyers who need a home within reach of Monaco by a set date.

Frequently asked questions

Can I live in France and work in Monaco?

Yes, many people do. Cap-d'Ail and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin are the closest French communes on the coast. Tax and social security depend on your nationality and situation, so take advice; our guide to French property taxes covers the property side.

Are house prices lower than in Monaco?

The two are measured differently. DVF gives a median of €10,930 per m² for houses in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin over 2024 and 2025; Monaco's statistics office publishes its own estimate, not comparable with DVF, which our Monaco guide explains.

Where is Le Corbusier's cabin?

On the shore of Cap Martin in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, next to Eileen Gray's villa E-1027. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2016.

Which beaches does Cap-d'Ail have?

Plage Mala and Plage Marquet, both reached by the coastal path past the Pointe des Douaniers.

How many villas sell each year in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin?

DVF records 98 house sales over the two years 2024 and 2025, about 50 a year, with 43 above €2 million.

Is there a railway station?

Yes. Cap-d'Ail has its own station and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin has two, Cap-Martin-Roquebrune and Carnolès.

Last updated: 11 October 2026