Menton

Towns and Villages - by Provence Beyond

Villages > Menton

Nearby:  | Beaulieu-sur-Mer 20 km | Castellar 5 km | Eze 15 km | Gorbio 13 km | 9 km | Nice 27 km | Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 1.2 km | Saint Jean-Cap-Ferrat 22 km | Sainte Agnes 12 km | Sospel 19 km | Turbie 13 km | Villefranche-sur-Mer 23 km |

Below: | Museums | History | O.T. | Dates | Transportation | Fun | Sports | Hiking | Lodging Hotels |

The town is full of old buildings, beautifully restored. A good example being the colorful buildings around the Place Ardoino, including the Hotel de Ville (town hall) [photo].

The old town, le Vieux Menton, has an active pedestrian area, with the long Rue St Michel running the length of it and the Rue Piéta joining. Full of shops of all sorts and terrace cafés - although the rest of the town doesn't really lack for these amenities either.

The real heart of le Vieux Menton for us is the Medieval style buildings grouped around the Eglise St Michel and the Chapel de Pénitents Blancs at the top of the hill. Viewed from the sea front at the east, this area has the appearance of a hilltop perched village. The streets are narrow, with long step-streets and many very colorful old buildings.

If you get tired of wandering the streets or general sightseeing, there are tons of things to do in Menton, including museums, gardens, frequent special events (such as the February Lemon Festival), not to menton the seaside and beach activities. And when the sun is well down, there's a rather grand casino along the seaside near the center of Menton. Perhaps not as grand as the one in Monaco, but we suspect you could loose your money just as fast here as there.

There's enough to see and do in Menton, even for casual touristing during non-festival time, that you should plan a couple of days or more. With easy access to several picturesque mountain villages, as well as the easy train connections along the coast, this would be an excellent base for a long stay.

Beaches

Beached line the seaside on both sides of the town. The majority are to the west, towards Cap Martin. The handiest is probably the Plage des Sablettes at the feet of the old town [photos-11,12].
There are nearly a dozen private beaches in Menton, where you rent deck lounges and have bar service and a handy restaurant for lunch. In spite of the many private beach areas, there are many free beaches (such as the Plage des Sablettes), and the entire beach front along the water is open to public access.

Museums & Sites

There are so many fine museums and gardens at Menton, we've given them their own pages [Museums], [Gardens].

History

The first primitive habitation was grouped around a chateau on the hill of Pépin, west of the current town. In the 13th century the family of Puypin (Podium Pinum) bought the domain from the Genoise family of Vento and built a chateau – that gave birth to the town of Menton.

Menton was acquired in 1346 by Grimaldi of Monaco, and remained in their possession until 1848, when it proclamed itself a Ville Libre and was put under the protection of the King of Sardinia. In 1860, the town voted to become part of France.

Office de Tourisme

Tel: 04 92 41 76 76; Fax: 04 92 41 76 78
The Office de Tourisme is about three blocks north of the seaside, along the park-like Ave Boyer, beside the Jardins Biovès. The staff is very helpful, even having a user's comments/suggestions form.

Dates

Every Fri - Brocante
Daily - Marché Couvert (covered market), les Halles. Fresh produce; clothes on Sat.
Every Sat - Marché du Bastion, quai napoléon II
Daily - Marché du Carei, promenade du Maréchal Leclerc.
2nd Sun - Brocante, Mail du Bastion
Every Mar - Fête de Citron - parades, fireworks
Every Sat - Mai Musical Concertes - Jeunes Artistes Musiciens
Every Aug - Festival International de Musique de Menton - Chambre Music

Transportation

Train

Menton is on the main rail line [map], with frequent service to towns across the South of France, Paris and Italy. More information is given on Beyond's Travel - Rail Travel Planning page.

Bus

Buses run frequently between the Nice airport and Monaco and Menton (Nice Airport Travel )

Separate bus routes connect Menton with these nearby interior towns and villages: Gorbio; Saint Agnes; Les Cabrolles; Castillon - Sospel; Castellar; Roquebrune-Cap-Martin - Beausoleil - Monaco.

Boat

Boat cruises from Menton are available for
- Monaco
- Monaco, with bus tour
- French Riviera
- Italian Riviera

Petit Train

The Petit Train de Menton has a 30 minute, 7 km tour of the town. Price: 6 euros; kids 3 euros.

Fun - Amusement - Kids

mini golf

Mini-Golf du Parc de loisirs Koaland

Ave de la Madone

tel: 0492 100 040

Mini-Golf du Pian

9 av Blasco-Ibanez

tel: 0493 577 693

Sports

Archery

Les Archers de Saint-Michel

Promenade de la Mer

tel: 0493 575 054

Aviation

ULM Club

Promenade de la Mer

tel: 0493 140 012

Diving

Centre International de Plongée de la Maïna

Promenade de la Mer

tel: 0493 359 583

Rowing

Sporting-Club Aviron

Promenade de la Mer

tel: 0493 354 520

Sailing

Centre Nautique Municipal

Promenade de la Mer

tel: 0493 354 970

Club Nautique du Vieux Port

Promenade de la Mer

tel: 0493 416 641

Swim

Piscine Alex-Jany

8 route de Sospel

tel: 0493 358 740

Tennis

Tennis de la Madone

Ave de la Madone

tel: 0493 570 657

Tennis-Club de Menton

Rue Albert 1er

tel: 0493 578 585

Centre International de Plongée de la Maïna

Location: Promenade de la Mer

Tel: 0493 359 583

Hiking

Maps:

IGN (1/25,000) #3742 OT "Nice-Menton"

Menton is in the very southeast corner of France, so you can hike a long way from here.
About 1500 m east of the center, the GR52 begins by the Menton-Garavan railway station. The GR52 goes north, following the French side of the mountains along the frontier, to Sospel, about 15 km. Much further north it passes the Cime du Diable at 2436 m altitude on its way to the Vallée des Merveilles in the Mercantour.
The GR51 (Balcony of the Cote d'Azur) begins about 3 km north of the Menton-Garavan station, branching west from the GR52.
There are two other PR trails that go more directly north from Menton to Castellar where the GR51 passes. The most direct is from Les Ciappes at the northern edge of Menton. A bit to the east, a trail from the cemetery goes north along the ridge past La Cell and Le Badusset. Both of these trails follow roads much of the way.
A bit to the west of the center, at Le Borrigo, a PR trails goes northwest to St Agnes. A second trail, beginning about 500 m up the road from Le Borrigo, takes a different route to St Agnes.

Lodging - Hotels