Villa Garnier

The villa of the Paris Opéra architect: visits with set hours and a reservation, the garden and the Monet painting made from here.

Villa Garnier in Bordighera, designed by the architect of the Paris Opéra

Where: via Charles Garnier 11Arziglia area, by the sea
Hours (tourist office, 2026): 1 April to 15 October 9:30 am–11:30 am and 2:00 pm–5:30 pm16 October to 31 March 9:30 am–11:30 am and 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Prices: full price €5groups of 5 or more, families and ages 10–18 €4; up to age 9 free
Reservations: tel. +39 0184 26 18 33info@villagarnier.it
Time needed: 45–60 minutes

Directions

Villa Garnier is the villa that Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opéra, built for himself in Bordighera starting in 1871. Today it belongs to the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Aosta and can be visited with set hours and a reservation: the ticket costs €5 and, according to the tourist office in 2026, you can enter in the morning and in the afternoon. Book first on 0184 261833.

By Italian Riviera editorial team·Updated on 15 October 2026·2 min read

Garnier's villa

Garnier came to Bordighera in 1871, when work on the Opéra had stopped because of the war and the Paris Commune. He bought a plot by the sea, in Arziglia, in May of that year and built his villa there.

The villa has three floors. Its most recognisable feature is the Moorish-style turret, which the architect called “Mon Mirador”, reached from the main bedroom and from the second-floor terrace. Inside there is a wooden staircase ordered in Paris, the entrance hall with frescoes and drawings by Garnier’s friends, and the ground-floor arches, now closed with glass.

The garden

The garden, about 6,000 square metres (around 2,500 are open; the rest is the sisters’ vegetable plot and citrus grove), has ten species of palms and, according to the Italian Botanical Heritage, a column from the Tuileries. The FAI attributes it to his son Christian Garnier with the landscape designer Ludwig Winter; other sources say only that Winter gave advice. From the garden you see the sea and the upper town.

Monet and Villa Garnier

In 1884 Claude Monet painted “Les Villas à Bordighera” from the garden of Villa Garnier, with the upper town in the background and, on the left, the tower of Villa Etelinda. If the subject interests you, read the guide to Monet in Bordighera and the catalogue of Monet’s paintings made in Bordighera.

Getting there

The villa is in the Arziglia area, east of the town, by the sea. From Bordighera you can walk or drive: for parking, see the guide to parking in Bordighera. From the villa you can continue along via Romana, with the other villas and the Bicknell Museum.

Where it is

Villa Garnier is in Bordighera (Riviera di Ponente, Riviera dei Fiori).

Boundaries: ISTAT, Natural Earth · Interactive map →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Villa Garnier?

Yes, with set hours and a reservation. The full-price ticket costs €5. To book, call 0184 261833 or write to info@villagarnier.it. Part of the villa is not open to visitors.

Who was Charles Garnier?

He was the architect of the Paris Opéra and of the Monte-Carlo Casino. In 1871 he settled in Bordighera and built his villa there.

What is "Mon Mirador"?

It is the villa’s Moorish-style turret, from which Garnier looked out over the sea. It is reached from the main bedroom and from the second-floor terrace.

Who lives in Villa Garnier today?

The villa has belonged to the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Aosta since 1954. The sisters run it today.

Did Monet really paint here?

Yes: “Les Villas à Bordighera” (1884) was painted from the garden of Villa Garnier. The best-known version is in the Museum Barberini in Potsdam.

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