Escapade Menton

Menton’s strapline, "ma ville est un jardin", in reference to the town’s exquisite gardens, is the guarantee of a green and flower-filled excursion across a delightful Belle Epoque town known as "La Perle de la France". Thanks to its subtropical micro-climate, Menton’s parks and gardens flourish in this coastal old town, making it lovely place to stroll around.

The Old Town: Baroque and Belle Epoque

The colourful façades of Menton Old Town and its Niçard-Ligurian Baroque style monuments are a foregleam of Italy across the border. From the cobbled courtyard of the Basilica Saint-Michel Archange which opens out on to the sea you can enjoy magnificent views of the Mediterranean worthy of any picture postcard.

The best way to explore old Menton is on foot, trail around its lanes and gaze up at the glazed tiles of its campaniles that stand tall over the town.

Guided tours around jam-maker, Maison Herbin

Do not leave Menton without making a gourmand detour to l’Arche des Confitures, La Maison Herbin, that in 2010 was awarded the title of Master Jam-maker. You can enjoy a free or guided tour of the premises to learn the secrets of making traditional flavour and other more unusual flavour jams, and notably jams made using Menton’s own citrus fruits.

"Ma ville est un jardin"

Menton is like an open-air greenhouse, which explains why the lemon is its emblem. It has a rich collection of tropical and subtropical plants imported by 19th century famous botanists, authors and artists.

Guided tours of Menton’s major gardens lift the veil on the history of its unique vegetal heritage. All year round, public and private gardens, such as Maria Serena, La Serre de La Madone, Le Val Rahmeh, Le Jardin des Romanciers de Blasco Ibañez, and Le Clos du Peyronnet, welcome fans and lovers of gardening from around the world.

Discover our excursion dedicated to the Gardens of Menton Route

Jean Cocteau Severin Wunderman Museum

The largest collection of Jean Cocteau works ever is housed in this 2700m² museum space, inaugurated in November 2011.

Integrated into the sea-facing site at Bastion, it houses 990 works from an important private collection that includes paintings, drawings, ceramics, rugs, jewellery, photographs, sound documents and film extracts that retrace the life and work of the artist. The museum space includes a relaxation and meeting place, book/gift shop and café.