Menton, the lemon town, Nice

About Menton

Menton is a resort on the French Riviera, the last town before Italy: beyond it begins the Ligurian coast with Ventimiglia. It has always been a border town, long belonging to Monaco before becoming part of France in 1860. Hence its mix of French and Italian; the old town even had its own dialect, close to Ligurian.

Menton is called the 'Pearl of France'. It has a special mild microclimate, around 316 clear days a year and warm winters, so lemons and oranges grow here, and wealthy Belle Époque travellers built villas with gardens. Today it's a calm resort without the bustle of Nice or Cannes: an old town, beaches, gardens and a famous citrus festival.

What to see

• The old town — colourful houses, stairways and the Rue Longue.
• Saint-Michel basilica — a Baroque church of 1619 with a terrace square.
• The Bastion Museum — a little harbour fort decorated by Jean Cocteau.
• The town hall wedding room — painted all over by Cocteau.
• The gardens — Val Rahmeh, Serre de la Madone, Fontana Rosa.
• The covered market — lemons, olives and local sweets.

The old town and basilica

Menton's old town clambers up a hill from the sea: yellow, ochre and pink houses, narrow lanes and stairways with pebble mosaics. The Rue Longue follows the line of the Roman Via Julia Augusta, which once linked Italy with Arles.

At the top of the steps is the Basilica of Saint-Michel-Archange, a Baroque church of 1619 by the Genoese architect Lorenzo Lavagna, with a tall bell tower. The square in front is paved in black-and-white pebbles and looks out to sea; chamber music concerts are held here in summer. From the top you see the whole town, the port and the coast to Italy.

Jean Cocteau in Menton

The poet and artist Jean Cocteau loved Menton. In the 1950s he painted the town hall wedding room, turning it into one large work of art: walls and ceiling covered in drawings on themes of love and the sea. You can visit during town hall opening hours.

Cocteau himself chose the harbour bastion for his museum, a little fort of 1636 that once stood in the water and now sits on the shore. He designed its interior, with pebble mosaics. Today it's the Bastion Museum, showing his drawings and ceramics.

Gardens and beaches

Thanks to its warm climate, Menton is a town of gardens. The Val Rahmeh botanical garden was founded in 1905 by an Englishman, Sir Percy Radcliffe, and named after his wife; it grows tropical and subtropical plants. The Serre de la Madone is one of the coast's finest collections of rare plants, and Fontana Rosa is the garden of the Spanish novelist Blasco Ibáñez's villa, from 1922.

A promenade and at least six beaches run along the sea, mostly pebbly with clear water. In the morning, drop into the Belle Époque covered market of 1898: in summer it opens from 5 am to 1 pm, selling lemons, olives, cheese and local sweets.

Tips for your visit

Half a day is enough for the old town, basilica and promenade. Add the gardens or the Cocteau museum and plan a full day. Start at the market in the morning, climb to the basilica, then relax on the beach or in a garden after lunch.

Menton combines easily with Èze or Beaulieu-sur-Mer, on the same railway from Nice. You can even pop into Italy: Ventimiglia, with its Friday market, is one stop away.

The old town has lots of steps, hard going with a pushchair. Midday is hot in summer, while in winter Menton is one of the warmest spots on the coast.

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How to do it right

• Market in the morning.
• February means lemons.
• Take the coastal train.
• Italy is 10 minutes away.

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