Villa District

You’re now on Rue Raspail, right in the heart of Deauville’s Villa District. Take a look around: half-timbered facades, brickwork in checkerboard patterns, sculpted rooftops, and small gardens framed by delicate iron gates—everything here breathes seaside leisure.

This abundance of villas was no accident. Back in 1859, when the Duke of Morny decided to create Deauville from scratch, his plan was clear: build a resort more elegant than Trouville. The entire western side of town was set aside for villas, meant to host the Parisian aristocracy and bourgeoisie who flocked here for sea bathing, horse racing, and the casino. By the 1860s, families were already settling in, and over the decades more and more villas appeared, showcasing a mix of styles: the famous Anglo-Norman look with timber framing and lively rooftops, but also touches of Art Nouveau and Art Deco from the early 1900s through the 1930s, with cleaner lines, concrete structures, or colorful mosaic decoration.

Just a short walk takes you through multiple eras of architecture. Among the most striking is a villa built in 1912 for Baron Henri de Rothschild—an imposing residence with checkerboard patterns of brick and stone, bow windows, and turrets. In 1924, when it was bought by Ralph Beaver Strassburger, an American industrialist and horse-racing enthusiast, it gained the name it’s known by today: Villa Strassburger. Classified as a historic monument, it can still be visited if you’d like to see the inside.

During the Second World War, many villas were requisitioned by the occupying forces, before returning to family holiday use after 1945. And sometimes history blends with a touch of whimsy. In 1928, André Citroën opened a garage and showroom nearby, displaying his famous half-track vehicles, machines capable of crossing deserts and mountain ranges, made famous by the Croisière Jaune expedition across Asia to China. And believe it or not, one of those adventurous vehicles ended its career right here… giving rides to holidaymakers along Deauville’s beach!