A hill behind its walls
La Californie is the hill that closes Cannes to the east. It rises behind the Croisette and the Pointe, up to the Col Saint-Antoine at 260 metres, the highest point of the district. The city files it under one of its ten administrative districts, named Californie-Pezou. The name has nothing American about it: it comes from the Hôtel de la Californie, built here in 1876.
Our view is clear-cut: La Californie is a place to look at rather than to visit. It is a district of villas behind walls, hedges and gates. The history is dense, but almost all of it is private. Only three places open their doors, each at limited hours. Anyone who walks up at random "to see the villas" comes back down with photographs of fences.
If you go up, go up for one specific thing, at one specific time. Here is what can actually be seen, how to get there, and who should choose it as a place to stay.
La Californie, item by item
N° 01
Getting there
Up boulevard Alexandre-III, on foot at the bottom, by bus higher up
The lower part of the district starts less than a kilometre from the Croisette: you walk up boulevard Alexandre-III, and the Russian church appears on the right. Beyond it the slope gets serious and the streets start to wind. The Palm Bus network serves the hill: the tourist office listing for the Villa Domergue gives line 7, stop Villa Véra, and line 6B, stop Grand Pré. Line numbers change, so check the network map on the day. By car, the avenues are narrow and winding, and parking is along the streets.
N° 02
Little Russia
The church of Saint-Michel-Archange, 40 boulevard Alexandre-III
The first holiday residence on the hill, the Villa Alexandra, dates from 1849. The Russian aristocracy followed, to the point that the area was nicknamed "little Russia". That community had the Orthodox church of Saint-Michel-Archange built in 1894; the building has been a listed historic monument since 2022. Entry is free, but it is a place of worship, not a museum. Slots noted from the tourist office for 2026: Saturday from 6 pm to 6.30 pm and Sunday from 10 am to noon, with access via the impasse des Deux-Églises. Confirm before you walk up.
N° 03
The only open villa
The Villa Domergue, on the first Saturday of the month
The painter Jean-Gabriel Domergue designed this Italian-inspired house himself; it was built in 1934 at the foot of La Californie. His wife, a sculptor, designed the terraced gardens, with pools and cascades. The property was bequeathed to the city in 1973 and listed as a historic monument in 1990. In 2026 it opens only on the first Saturday of each month, by reservation, for two guided tours at 3 pm and 4 pm, interior and gardens included. Prices noted: 8.50 € full rate, 5.50 € or 2 € reduced. Address: 7 impasse Fiesole. Booking goes through the city hall's online ticket office.
N° 04
A studio
The Chapelle Bellini, in the Parc Fiorentina
At 67 bis avenue de Vallauris, a baroque-style chapel belongs to the former Villa Fiorentina, from the late 19th century. It bears the coat of arms of Count Vitali, who had it built. The painter Emmanuel Bellini (1904-1989) made it his studio from 1953; today it shows his work. The visit is free. Opening hours are the weak point: one guide gives Monday to Friday from 2 pm to 5 pm, except public holidays, but the tourist office listing, updated in 2023, gives no hours at all. Phone before you travel.
N° 05
Picasso
The Villa La Californie, the one you cannot visit
In 1955 Pablo Picasso bought a villa on avenue Coste-Belle, where he moved in with Jacqueline Roque. The ground-floor drawing room became his studio. He left the house in 1961 for Mougins. The villa still exists, under the name Pavillon de Flore, and it is private property: there is nothing to visit. We say so because visitors do walk up for it. To follow Picasso in the area, the museums devoted to him are in Antibes and Vallauris; check that they are open before you go.
N° 06
At the very top
Super-Cannes and its closed observatory
At the top of the hill, the Super-Cannes observation tower was built in 1953 by the Cannes architect Georges Sauvan, replacing a first wooden lookout from 1925. A funicular used to climb to it from the town. According to the Ministry of Culture's inventory, the tower has been abandoned since 1986; in 2000 it received the 20th-century heritage label. It cannot be visited. Views over the bay do exist, from certain bends, but none is laid out as a public viewpoint.
N° 07
Staying
For a stay in a villa or a residence, with a car, when you want quiet and a view rather than street life. It is not the right choice without a car, nor for anyone who wants to walk home after dinner: the way back is a climb. This is a residential district: we have not recorded a single table or shop here for our notebook. To eat and to shop, you go back down to rue d'Antibes or to the Pointe Croisette. The other options are in our guide to where to stay in Cannes.
What we'd skip
What we'd skip: walking up to La Californie with no aim, "to see the villas". You walk along walls and hedges, on sloping avenues. The properties that made the district's reputation can only be guessed at from their gates.
What we'd also skip: looking for Picasso's house or the Super-Cannes observatory. The first is private, the second has been closed since 1986. In both cases the trip ends in front of a gate.
Finally, do not book a place "in La Californie" without checking the altitude on the map. Between the bottom of boulevard Alexandre-III and the top of the hill there are more than 200 metres of climb. The same district name can mean a ten-minute walk to the sea, or a car journey every time you go out.
When to go
The first Saturday of the month. It is the only day the Villa Domergue opens in 2026, at 3 pm and 4 pm, by reservation. If you book the 4 pm slot, you can follow it with the Orthodox church, open on Saturday from 6 pm to 6.30 pm according to the tourist office listing. On Sunday morning the church is accessible from 10 am to noon.
Preferably out of season. The slope of the hill is continuous: in July and August, walking up in the middle of the day is hard going. From October to May it is no trouble, and the light over the bay is sharper.
La Californie, frequently asked questions
Where is the La Californie district in Cannes?
In the east of the city, on the hill above the Croisette and the Pointe Croisette. It is one of the ten administrative districts of Cannes, under the name Californie-Pezou. Its highest point is the Col Saint-Antoine, at 260 metres.
What can you visit in La Californie?
Three places: the Orthodox church of Saint-Michel-Archange, late on Saturday and on Sunday morning; the Villa Domergue, on the first Saturday of the month by reservation; the Chapelle Bellini, on weekday afternoons, hours to be confirmed. The rest of the district is made up of private properties.
Can you visit Picasso's villa in Cannes?
No. The Villa La Californie, where Picasso lived from 1955 to 1961, is private property, now called Pavillon de Flore. It is not open to the public.
Where does the name "La Californie" come from?
From the Hôtel de la Californie, built on the hill in 1876. The "Pezou" part of the district's official name comes from a neighbouring hill.
Should you stay in La Californie?
Yes if you are renting a villa or a flat with a view, have a car and want quiet. No for a short stay without a car: the shops and restaurants are at the bottom, and every return is a climb.
IT Digital entrepreneur · Cannes local
2026-10-10 · 7 min read
Prices, opening hours and addresses change. Spotted an error or something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
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