A thousand-year-old castle above the sea, the pines of Cap Martin and Le Corbusier's cabin on the shore – the beaches, the walks and the quartiers, in one guide.
In Roquebrune-Cap-Martin now
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Weather
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MICHELIN
2 ✱ tables · 1 Key hotel
Photo: alexanderkonsta/Adobe Stock
In this guide
Every table and hotel the MICHELIN inspectors have chosen in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin – 2 starred, 1 Bib Gourmand and 2 hotels – on one map, with our own stories as we write them.
From Carnolès station walk down to the sea and along avenue Winston Churchill to the tip of Cap Martin, where the bay of Menton opens up as far as Bordighera – the first, easy stretch of the coastal path.
Climb the 10th-century keep of the medieval castle for the 360-degree view from Monaco to Italy; out of season it opens 10:00–17:00 (from 2 November), closed 1 and 11 November; adult €5, child €3.
Down through the vaulted lanes to the Sainte-Marguerite church and its small copy of Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment', then out on the chemin de Menton to the thousand-year-old olive tree.
Mediterranean cooking, with vegetarians welcome and a children's menu, at La Grotte et l'Olivier on the village square; open all year, Saturdays 09:00–22:00 (closed Tuesdays).
From Roquebrune-Cap-Martin station follow the balcony path towards Monaco, past the Cap Moderne site and Belle Époque villas – about 2 km, an hour to an hour and a half.
Back to the pebble beach of the Golfe Bleu, which the town says is at its best in the golden light of late afternoon; out of season, look up for paragliders landing from Mont-Gros.
Drive up to the Col de la Coupière car park, open the ONF Découvertes app and follow young Elena's quest for the 'memory medallions' through the forest – free, made by the town with Monaco and the ONF.
Home-made seasonal cooking by a Maître Restaurateur at the entrance to the medieval village, with a fireplace inside and a view of the castle and the sea; Sunday lunch 12:00–14:00, open until 23 November.
Fifteen minutes along the coast, the Musée océanographique is open every day 10:00–18:00 out of season – the shark lagoon, the turtles and the rooftop play area to finish the weekend.
✱ MICHELIN star · Bib Gourmand: good cooking at a fair price · ◆ selected in the Guide · € to €€€€: the Guide's own price bands, from «on a budget» to «spare no expense».
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Sunset and drinks
Where to drink
Sea-front terraces, a village café and, in summer, cocktails on the rocks at Monte-Carlo Beach.
Sea-front restaurant and terrace bar · Promenade du Cap-MartinMadame Bleue
A blue-and-tropical terrace for a hundred right on the sea front, open through the afternoon – the easy place for a drink with the bay of Menton in front of you.
Restaurant terrace above the sea · Cap-Martin westLa Différance
A terrace in a green, almost rural corner at the gates of Monaco, right on the coastal path – somewhere to stop for a glass between the Cap and the Principality.
Sources: Côte d'Azur France and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional tourism listings, read 27 October 2026.
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Where to stay
The hotels worth the trip
The MICHELIN Guide's Keys first – its mark for hotels with character, service and a sense of place – then the rest of its selection and the ones we would book ourselves.
The easiest classic of the Riviera: round the tip of the Cap on a waymarked path between pebble coves, wild rocks and fragrant pines, with sea views all the way.
Past Plage de Carnolès and the Cap Martin arch, Le Corbusier's bust and the tip of Cap Martin (marker 3), with the bay of Menton as far as Bordighera, Pine woods and the pergola of the Villa Cypris
All year (tourist office); check the weather before setting out. Cap Moderne guided visits run 1 April–31 October only, by online booking.
Rated ideal for families by the tourist office; a 'Balade C@p'tivante' in Winston Churchill's footsteps runs along it, with phone videos at the signposts.
Start: Gare de Carnolès, avenue François de Monléon (or along the sea front from Menton)
A balcony path above the sea from Roquebrune to the gates of Monaco, past the most famous modernist cabin in the world.
Past Plage du Golfe Bleu, where paragliders from Mont-Gros land, The Cap Moderne site (UNESCO), with Eileen Gray's Villa E-1027 and Le Corbusier's Cabanon, Belle Époque villas on the cliff
All year, weather permitting; spring and autumn are best. Paragliders are most often seen landing between 16 November and 30 April (town hall).
Good with children who can manage some rough, sunny stretches; no source covers pushchairs.
Start: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin station (Cabbé), avenue de la Gare
5.2 km · 2–3 hours depending on the loop · ModerateTour du Mont-Gros
The mountain behind Roquebrune: a 180-degree view of the sea and the Alps, 23,000 trees and the chance to watch paragliders launch for the Golfe Bleu beach.
Past The DFCI track of the Trois Monts (GR 51), The north face of Mont-Gros to a col below the summit, The paragliding take-off area and 686 m summit panorama
All year (tourist office, town hall).
No family information beyond the town's 'Médaillons de mémoire' treasure hunt from the same car park (ONF Découvertes app).
Start: Col de la Coupière car park (440 m), chemin de la Coupière
Sources: the Ville de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the Menton, Riviera & Merveilles tourist office, Côte d'Azur France and the Centre des monuments nationaux (Cap Moderne), read 27 October 2026. Coastal paths close in rough seas – check before you set off.
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With kids
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin for children
A castle keep, a Maginot fort underground, a forest treasure hunt and a pool by the sea.
A wide pebble beach in the cove of Cabbé with famously clear water, reached down a flight of steps or along the coastal path – and out of season children can watch paragliders from Mont-Gros land on it.
One of the oldest keeps still standing in France, built around 970: children climb through the old living rooms to the ramparts for a 360-degree view from Monaco to Italy, and a free smartphone trail tells the story in short videos and 3D reconstructions.
2 November–31 March 10:00–17:00; to 31 October 10:30–18:30; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 1 and 11 November, 25 December and 1 January (town hall).
Two children's playgrounds in a formal French garden, and next to it an alley of olive trees several centuries old – listed as a remarkable tree ensemble of France – for picnics and birthday parties.
1 November–31 March 09:00–17:00; 1 April–31 October 09:00–19:00 (town hall).
A 9-hectare former military plateau with two Maginot turrets, picnic tables and a sea view from Monaco to Italy; the Département's printable treasure-trail rally turns a 1.1 km loop into a nature quiz for children.
Open all year: 1 November–31 March 08:00–18:00; 1 April–31 October 07:30–20:00 (town hall and Côte d'Azur France).
Download the trail in the ONF Découvertes app and help young explorer Elena find the 'memory medallions' her grandfather hid on Mont-Gros – a forest of 23,000 trees above the bay and one of Europe's best-known paragliding take-off spots.
Mont-Gros is freely accessible all year (town hall).
To do · Ages Children over 8 (tourist office); passengers 20–80 kg, up to 95 kg if sporty (Azur Parapente).Azur Parapente – tandem paragliding
Take off from about 700 metres and glide down to the Golfe Bleu beach with a state-qualified pilot, over Roquebrune village, Cap Martin and Monaco – flying since 1996.
Open daily 1 October 2026–1 May 2027 (tourist office); booking required.
A Maginot Line fort 25 metres underground, with 2,400 m² of galleries where 354 soldiers lived cut off from the world; volunteer guides show the dormitories, kitchen, infirmary and gun posts.
Guided visits all year, by booking only (tourist office); 2 h 30, entirely underground.
The town's aquatic centre facing the Baie du Soleil: a fun pool, paddling pool and outdoor water games for children, and a balnéo pool for the parents – the tourist office's answer to a grey day.
A maze of vaulted lanes and steps winding up to the castle, the Sainte-Marguerite church with a copy of Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment' 54 times smaller than the original, and an olive tree the town calls one of the oldest in Europe.
Fifteen minutes along the coast: the shark lagoon, tropical aquariums, the sea-turtle trail and a rooftop play area with land tortoises, in a palace built into the cliff.
Open every day; October–December 10:00–18:00; last entry 30 minutes before closing; closed 25 December (museum price sheet, March 2026).
Next door in Menton, a five-star diving school whose children's programme takes six-year-olds under the water for the first time, one instructor each, from its own boat.
Open all year, daily 08:30–18:00 (tourist office listing, updated 2 October 2026).
Up the hill behind Roquebrune, the Roman monument Augustus raised over the bay of Monaco, with a park to run in, a panoramic terrace and a hands-on museum; on set dates children rebuild it in LEGO.
Daily except Monday; 1 September–30 April 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00; closed 1 and 11 November and 25 December (Centre des monuments nationaux).
Sources: the Ville de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the Menton, Riviera & Merveilles tourist office, Côte d'Azur France, the Département des Alpes-Maritimes, the Centre des monuments nationaux, the Musée océanographique and the places' own pages, read 27 October 2026. Drive times from the town centre without traffic. Check seasons and ages with the place before you go.
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The atlas
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin at a glance
Every restaurant, hotel, sight, beach and shop we know of – 174 places, each with its own page. Choose a quartier, or a kind of place.
Photo: Bumble Dee/Adobe Stock
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The directory
Every place in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
174 places, each with its own page – the six nearest the centre of each kind are here; every one of them is in the directory, A to Z.
Two MICHELIN KeysThe Maybourne Riviera69 rooms · Roquebrune-Cap-MartinRead the story 
Menton4 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Èze10 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Villefranche-sur-Mer14 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Nice18 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Saint-Paul-de-Vence29 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Antibes34 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Cannes44 km from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin