Maybe the residence in the Belgian village in Moscow, which was on the market in 2015 for $200 million. Or maybe the newest penthouse in Monaco for $387 million? No... the most expensive real estate in the world is located on the Cote d'Azur in France, which is known as the place for billionaires.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ All data presented below are obtained from open sources, mostly from the French real estate websites. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
The 600 expensive villas are located on Cape Ferrat. Despite the high prices more than half of the houses changed owners from 2000 to 2010 and this created an unprecedented boom in the real estate market. Boris Berezovsky gave a start to everything when he bought villas for himself and for the Yeltsin clan. Though in those days prices were very different. Villas, which in 2000 were bought for 10-15 million euros, in 2010 cost more than 100 million. The owners of the villas lost their heads from the amounts offered and even sold the villas where families lived for decades. On the other hand the buyers earned money in an easy way and therefore could easily part with huge amounts.
In her new book "The Invasion of the Riviera" (Razzia sur la Riviera) Frenchwoman Helene Constanty writes that at the moment more than half of all the villas belong to people from the former USSR.
There are villas for any wallet. In the catalog of luxury real estate you can find prices from 1 to 30 million euros. Most transactions take place in these price category. For example Villa L'Horizon was sold last year for $28 million (N 43 41.003 E 7 19.559).
The most recent offer is The Grevillia Estate (N 43 41.258 E 7 20.120) with 12 bedrooms. It is located near the parking lot and the port in the city center. Price - $65 million.
And still, even the most expensive villa from the catalog is only an initial level. In the same book “The Invasion of the Riviera” you can find information that customers from the former USSR immediately ask to show the property which is not cheaper than 50 million euros!
This is the price category for Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash (La Villa Mauresque, N 43 40.762 E 7 19.648) and Ukrainian politician Serhiy Lyovochkin (N 43 40.857 E 7 19.604). It is curious that the latter was identified by two photos from Instagram of his daughter, the investigation was conducted by well-known Ukrainian journalist Serhiy Leshchenko.
But even with such prices you will not surprise anyone in the modern world. Therefore, we walked along the Claude Vignon Avenue, the most expensive street in the world. While an average price around the peninsula is $55.000, the houses here cost $215.000 per square meter! Although it can even be hardly named an Avenue, since it is a usual narrow street.
What is curious, despite the sky-high prices, in Europe any tourist can walk freely everywhere. Moreover, access to water is free. For example, the cape Saint Hospice can be circled around along an excellent walking trail, start is here N 43 41.190 E 7 20.394.
It belonged to shipowner Ernest Kunard, later to owner of Philips. In 2000 villa was bought by a citizen of Sweden for 10 million euros and later sold to Russian oligarch Gavriil Yushvaev for $146 million dollars!
Right behind Primavera there are Villa Mona & Villa Corinne (N 43 41.195 E 7 20.284), which were combined into one big one by the Russian businessman Konstantin Kagalovsky.
Villa La Chabanne is located on Cape Saint Hospice (N 43 41.119 E 7 20.672), it was bought from the famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber by the Russian oligarch Alexandr Ponomarenko.
and Villa Sorentina (N 43 40.766 E 7 20.068) of a Ukrainian businessman Viktor Pinchuk, with an area of 1500 square meters, bought from a German medical oligarch for more than $137 million.
Cape Ferrat, like Cape Saint Hospice, can be walked around on foot. The entrance to the path is here N 43 41.091 E 7 20.060, the end of the path is on the beach here N 43 41.623 E 7 19.519.
A little further is the luxurious villa of Pavel Fuks, a Ukrainian-Russian oligarch who is now popular in the Ukrainian media space. Most recently he won the trial against the Kyiv Metro and now all the money goes directly into his pocket. We found the owner of the villa through the port bills, which were found on the internet. The fact is that in 2008 Fuks bought villa for $176 million and at that time it was called Villa Souleiadou, though today you cannot find such name in Google. The villa has been renamed and is now called Villa Anastasia (N 43 40.760 E 7 19.525). The reason became clear after the wedding of Pavel Fuks’s daughter Anastasia, which took place at this villa.
The next villa (Serena) was bought by the Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler (N 43 41.082 E 7 19.498), who became rich by exporting Stolichnaya vodka to 160 countries of the world. The price is unknown, though if you compare with other villas, it clearly exceeds $130 million. It is curious that he had a request for the construction of an elevator and a tunnel to the water, which was refused by the city hall. Therefore, he built himself a funicular.
The local city hall and hotels often receive unusual requests from wealthy owners. For example, a Ukrainian oligarch, demanded that all umbrellas around the pool at the fashionable hotel Réserve de Beaulieu should be folded during his rest, as they prevent his bodyguards from observing.
140-180 million is the maximum amount for real estate transactions around the world in the last decade. But Cape Ferrat would not be the most expensive in the world without something special. These "special" are 3 incredible villas. They cannot be not found in the catalogs, since the possible buyers are already known to realtors.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ A thing costs exactly as much as a buyer is willing to pay for it (Publius Ser, Roman poet of the epoch of Caesar and Augustus) -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
The most expensive property in the world that is currently for sale is Villa Les Cèdres (N 43 41.454 E 7 19.666), its price is $418 million. It was built in 1830, has 14 bedrooms and an area of 1700 sq.m.
In 1904, the villa was bought by the Belgian king Leopold II, who became rich on slave labor and genocide in the Republic of Congo. It was called "introducing of European values" and Europe at that time turned a blind eye.
Its price is most likely at the same level, but it is not for sale. Despite the presence of three helicopters on its 127-meter Oktopus megayacht, which is parked nearby, the city hall forbade him to fly to the house. Otherwise, all other villa owners would do the same.
The next unique villa is located on the edge of Cape Saint Hospice and occupies the most prestigious location.
Villa Fiorentina (N 43 41.193 E 7 20.894) is not on market, though its price is known. In 2015 Lakshmi Mittal offered $555 million for the villa. The owner, German billionaire Kurt Engelhorn, refused and said he would think if $800 million is offered. A year later he died and the fate of the villa is not yet known.
And even with such a price this is not the most expensive real estate here. In 1902 the same Belgian king, who had became rich in Congo, built the Villa Leopolda for his mistress (N 43 42.562 E 7 19.261). It is currently owned by Lily Safra, the widow of Lebanese banker Edmond Safra, who died in a fire in Monaco in 2003. There are 19 bedrooms and more than 50 gardeners who care for a unique landscape park.
Some scenes of the film Catch a Thief (1955) with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly were filmed here. During the shooting the future princess of Monaco met her future husband Prince Rainier III.
So why this villa, which is not currently available for sale, considered the most expensive in the world? The fact is that in 2008 the Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov offered from $550 to $720 million and even paid $57 million in bail. Due to the global economic crisis the deal did not take place. Prokhorov could not return the bail, as according to French law, it remains with the property owner.
At the end of the first decade of the new century the villas were quickly sold. The Russian businessman God Nisanov did not find an option for himself and bought in 2009... a historic zoo.
Not much is known about the deal, but according to realtors' estimates the amount was no less than $27 million. He transferred the animals to other zoos, demolished all the enclosures and already built the new villa (N 43 41.390 E 7 19.405).
To the delight of tourists there is another special villa on Cape Ferrat. It was built by a family of Rothschild and Ephrussi, the latter are bankers from Zhytomyr and Odessa. It belongs to the state and can be visited. We did it and recommend to you.
Villa Nellcôte (N 43 42.105 E 7 19.282) - used in the 70s by Keith Richards as a recording studio. He rented it since the villa is well hidden. Rolling Stones were hiding from the British tax office and from the complicated life. They recorded here the album Exile on Main Street, which later became one of the most significant albums in the history of rock music.
Even earlier, in the early 40s, during the German occupation, the headquarters of the Gestapo was located in the villa. In 1999 it was bought by a Swiss citizen for 8 million euros and already in 2007 by an unknown Russian oligarch for 100 million euros ($128 million).
Villa of Tina Turner (N 43 42.807 E 7 18.816) - built by the singer for herself, though currently already sold to an unknown buyer.
Villa La Fleur du Cap (N 43 41.804 E 7 19.913) - belonged to actor David Niven and now is owned by a New Zealand billionaire, who bought is for his parents. In 1957 Charlie Chaplin lived in the villa with his family. It was recently renovated for $12 million, the full price is unknown.
Villa Trianon (N 43 40.736 E 7 19.735) - previously belonged to the Serbian princess and the king of Laos. Now belongs to an unnamed Kazakh billionaire. It is only known that he donated $75,000 to the local police for a new patrol boat.
Villa Le Petit Rocher (N 43 41.699 E 7 19.500) - the owner is the Kazakh Patokh Chodiev. It is interesting because has a small port.
In addition to walking around the capes of Ferrat and Saint-Ospis, you can also swim here. We swam on the beaches, which are located on both sides of the Villa Primavera (N 43 41.170 E 7 20.290). There are no toilets and changing rooms, though there is a shower.
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Our rating - 9.00
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Visitor's rating - 0.00
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Comments (Total: 10)
2020-09-12 11:16
# 1 Kim
Hi, do you know who owns 83 boulevard du general de gaulle? Beautiful house
2020-09-13 22:38
# 2 Yuriy Buryak
2 Kim
No idea, but 3 house around this address are owned by ukrainian politics and businessmen. So, I assume it's somebody from Ukraine.
2020-09-15 20:03
# 3 Kim
Thanks for your answer. I know the Fuks house is next door, not sure who is on the other side. I was walking around cap ferrat this june and the house I was asking about was looking amazing. I managed to find out that 3 people with surname “Chupin” have their address there, so maybe it is owned by a french family. Btw you should do the same article about Cap Antibes, there are some interesting houses and owners aswell.
2020-11-06 00:56
# 4 Dany
I don’t think your info about the Fuks villa is right. Villa Anastasia was renamed villa Amira in 2017, about the same time when F. family members stopped posting photos from the villa on instagram. It is now owned by spv company that has assets of around 50 mil. €, so the price is probably not right either. A larger villa is now for sale on the other side of the Cap and is available for 54 mil. €.
2022-03-20 19:29
# 5 Mike
Rinat AKhmetov owns VILLA ANASTASIA - NOW CALLED VILLA AMIRA
He also bought VILLA SANTO SOSPIR
2022-03-21 11:42
# 6 Yuriy Buryak
2 Mike
If this is true, that means russian oligarhs started to hide the assests and sell them to oligarhs from other countries
2022-03-21 11:44
# 7 Yuriy Buryak
2 Dany
The article is from 2018. Of cource, some villas could change the owners since that time
2022-04-10 08:04
# 8 ABH
L'esclavage ?tait interdit en Europe catholique mais il ?tait pratiqu? de tout temps en Afrique. Ceux qui sont ? l'origine de la traite n?gri?re transatlantique (envois d'esclaves de l'Afrique vers les Am?riques) - qui avaient la m?me confession que les oligarques russes (si vous voyez ce que je veux dire) - n'ont fait que reprendre un commerce ?xistant en Afrique. Votre petit la?us bien-pensant sur "l'introduction des valeurs europ?ennes" en Afrique est une fumisterie, surtout dans le contexte actuel o? il sert de justification ? l'invasion africaine de l'Europe.
2024-01-07 17:49
# 9 Koli
Safra died in 1999
2024-09-25 00:20
# 10 Ivo
Does anybody knows who owns Ch?teau Saint-Jean located at Av. Jean Mermoz #23
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