# Menton, the lemon town, Nice > Menton is a resort town right on France's border with Italy, 35 minutes by train from Nice. It's called the 'Pearl of France': the colourful houses of the old town climb a hill to a Baroque basilica, there are beaches and a promenade by the sea, and the mild climate grows lemons, oranges and tropical gardens. Every February it holds the famous Lemon Festival, and you can see Jean Cocteau's work in the harbour bastion and the town hall. Allow half a day or a day. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/nice/menton - City: [Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice), France - YesGo score: 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 4 h - Opening hours: Town always open, museums, gardens and market by day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Town free; gardens and museums ticketed - From Nice: ≈ 35–40 minutes by train - Lemon Festival: Every February - Sunny days: ≈ 316 a year - Duration: ≈ half a day to a day - Location: On the Italian border, facing Ventimiglia - Coordinates: 43.77472, 7.49972 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **316** — clear days a year (source: English Wikipedia) - **1619** — Saint-Michel basilica built (source: English Wikipedia) - **1860** — Menton became part of France (source: English Wikipedia) - **1898** — the covered market opened (source: English Wikipedia) ## 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. > **The Lemon Festival** Every **February** Menton holds its **Lemon Festival**: parades with bands and floats wind through the streets, and the Biovès gardens by the Casino fill with giant sculptures made of lemons and oranges on the year's theme. It lasts several weeks; book accommodation well ahead and buy grandstand tickets for the parades. ## 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. ## How to get there 1. By train from Nice to Menton station, 35–40 minutes along the sea. 2. Menton-Garavan station is closer to the old town and the border. 3. By coastal bus from Nice, about an hour or more. 4. To Ventimiglia in Italy, 10 minutes by train. ## 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](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/eze) or [Beaulieu-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Climb to Saint-Michel basilica - [ ] Visit the covered market before lunch - [ ] See Cocteau's wedding room - [ ] Walk round one of the gardens - [ ] Buy some local lemons ## Places in Nice: compare and choose Places in Nice rated by YesGo. - [Promenade des Anglais](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/promenade-des-anglais) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · Free - [Villefranche-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/villefranche-sur-mer) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Èze](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/eze) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-jean-cap-ferrat) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Vieux-Nice](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/vieux-nice) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Beaulieu-sur-Mer](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/beaulieu-sur-mer) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Saint-Paul-de-Vence](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/saint-paul-de-vence) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free - [Menton](https://yesgo.io/france/nice/menton) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free ## Don't mix it up Menton is the French town on the border; Ventimiglia is the neighbouring Italian town across it; Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is the village between Menton and Monaco. ## Tips - Market in the morning. - February means lemons. - Take the coastal train. - Italy is 10 minutes away. ## Questions ### How do I get to Menton from Nice? By train in 35–40 minutes along the sea. ### What is there to see in Menton? The old town, Saint-Michel basilica, the Cocteau museum, gardens and market. ### When is the Menton Lemon Festival? Every February, for several weeks. ### How long do I need in Menton? Half a day for the centre, a full day with gardens and the beach. ### Can I visit Italy from Menton? Yes, Ventimiglia is 10 minutes by train. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Prices, garden and museum hours and festival dates weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Menton - Menton official tourism website, menton-riviera-merveilles.fr --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.