Menton- The Riviera’s Best Kept Secret

Menton is one of the French Riviera’s best kept secrets. It was never part of my original itinerary and I had no idea it even existed until one of my friends was there at the same time I was in Nice and she recommended I make the trip- and I am so glad I did! It has loads to offer from it’s colourful houses & great vibes you can feel just from walking through the streets of the old town to its citrus obsession- lemon infused everything! To the stunning beaches and delicious food options, it’s the perfect option to escape the more crowded and faster paced towns along the Côte d’Azur for a day- especially in the peak of summer!

sunset over the old town

How to get there: Menton is about 30km (20 miles) from Nice and is the last rail stop before Italy. We were staying in Nice so we just caught the train from Gare de Nice Ville (you could also catch it from Nice Riquier) to Menton Gare (Menton Station). There are two stations you could get off at, but Menton Garavan is just further east and closer to the Italian border. The trains run all day and take about 40 minutes starting from around 5:30am in the morning until around 9:30pm in the evening, with one express train every hour- that takes just over 20 minutes. It’s also super easy to get to Menton from other towns along the coast, such as Cannes, Saint- Tropez and is just 15 minutes (one stop) from Monaco.

Fun fact that I didn’t know about before I visited: Menton is famous for citrus and more specifically anything lemon related! This is because of the mild microclimate, the citrus trees grow all year round! You’ll find stalls and shops scattered all around the old town selling loads of quirky-citrus related things such as: lemon infused olive oil, candied lemon peel, lemon vinegar, limoncello/other liquors & citrus flavoured soaps! They even host their own festival dedicated to lemons and oranges- Fête du Citron! It takes place in winter, usually towards the end of February. There’s exhibitions, parades, sculptures and basically anything you could possibly think of related to citrus!

picturesque views from every angle

We visited in July so you could imagine how hot the weather was, so we spent most of our time at the beach. The French Riviera is notoriously known for its pebbled beaches- and Menton is no exception. Most free beaches have a mixture of small pebbles, sand & gravel. Plage Sablettes is the one we visited and is one of the most popular beaches! It’s located just east of the port and is very calm with shallow waters. It also looks back over the bright colourful houses of the old town and the winding roads through the mountains heading in the direction of Italy- everywhere you turn there are picturesque views. The promenade also loops the whole way along and there are food options and ice cream shops all along. Speaking of food! Since Menton is so close to the Italian border, the food has a noticeably Italian influence- which I am not complaining about! We found a restaurant in the old town and ate our weight in pizza and pasta- some of the best Italian food I’ve had!

the colorful houses of Menton

After spending a day in Menton I can see why it is often referred to as the ‘pearl of France’. We had a really relaxed day admiring the mountains and swimming in the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and after a sunset shoot headed back to Nice. I would love to go back in winter to check out the Fête du Citron and with sunshine almost all year round (the tourist bureau claims 316 days) there is absolutely no excuse!