Things to Do in MENTON by French Travel Designers – Complete Travel Guide

Things to Do in MENTON by French Travel Designers – Complete Travel Guide

In this video, we’ll give you a clear view 
of what you can do in Menton. We’ll show you everything by category. Strolls, night strolls, 
market, activities, beaches, churches, museum, viewpoints, gardens, festival. We are a 
French family, former travel planners, and now we run a user-friendly French travel 
guide, culturefrancia.com. Check the description, you’ll find the links to our pages dedicated to 
Menton, plus our interactive map. First, a quick overall presentation to start. Menton, nicknamed 
the pearl of France, is famous for its weather with more than 300 sunny days a year, which makes 
it perfect to grow its specialtity, the lemon. Menton is located on the French Riviera, right 
at the Italian border between the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps in the background. And the area 
to explore is totally walkable about 2 kilometers across. Now, the strolls. First, the old town 
of Menton. It’s set on a small hill that peaks at 80m high. It’s almost entirely pedestrian, 
and you can get there from different sides. The main entrance is this iconic wide orange 
yellow staircase that brings you from the seafront all the way up to the main square of the 
old town while still keeping the sea in sight. The square is covered in a black and 
white pebble mosaic and it leads to the beautiful basilica that we’ll see 
later in the video. From the square, tons of narrow or wider little streets wind 
their way deep into the old town like a maze. All of them very picturesque with an incredible 
charm and colors clearly inspired by Italy. colors that change depending on the weather 
and time of day, whether it’s sunny or in the shade. Besides the shiny vibes, you can feel 
this really peaceful atmosphere with plenty of house fronts decorated with plants. And as you 
keep exploring the old town, you slowly start to climb higher because the little alleys take you 
almost all the way up to the top of the hill. Then there is the shopping area 
right below the old town and at seafront level. It’s fully pedestrian 
and super lively with lots of shops, bars, restaurants, ice cream spots, souvenir 
stores, and shops with lemon themed products, the local specialty. Even if it’s not 
as old as the old town, this part has its own charm. Mixing old and modern with 
a few lovely little squares here and there. Next, the main seafront. On one side, it 
runs along the sea on a slightly raised path. And on part of the other side, it 
goes right past the foot of the old town, which gives you this amazing backdrop with the 
sea on one side and colorful facads on the other. Now, just below the seafront, there is the beach 
front, right at the same level as the main beach. It’s pretty wide with a tiled section where 
you also find bars and restaurants and a wooden section right next to the sand of the beach. 
It’s a nice spot to walk any time of year, whether the Esplanade is quiet or 
in summer when it’s more lively. That’s also where you’ll see the mountain 
sign in giant letters right by the beach. Next, the other seafront on the west side. 
It also runs above the sea and beaches on a slightly raised path. It’s pretty long and can 
take you all the way to the end of the town. And in high season, some bars and restaurants set up 
their terraces there, so you can grab a drink or eat with a view over the Mediterranean. Then there 
is also the jetty of the old port that takes you right to the base of the lighthouse with a view of 
the port on one side and open sea on the other and also a view of the old town which we’ll see in the 
viewpoints section. Now the night strolls in the evening and at night Menton is not that lively 
even in summer unlike the other cities on the French Riviera. But when the temperature is nice, 
it’s just a whole different vibe from the day. First, the old town again. It’s lit up 
until a certain time. It feels really calm, sometimes almost lifeless and totally quiet, especially in the small alleyways. There is a 
big contrast with how it feels during the day. Next, the beach front by 
the main beach. In summer, the bar and restaurant terraces stay 
open when the temperature is nice, which makes it lively and worth strolling 
by while feeling the night air from the sea. Now, the food market. The main food 
market in Menton is in the pedestrian shopping area. It’s an indoor market 
inside an oldstyle colorful building. You can find all kinds of good food 
products there along with some flowers. Now, the activities. There are several activities 
you can do in Menton, like walking tours, food tours, and more. We’ve got a dedicated page on 
our website where you’ll find the full list with some provider recommendations for each. The link 
is in the description. Now, the beaches. First, Sablettes Beach, which is the main one. It’s 
public and made of coarse sand. There is the main seafront and the old town right behind and 
a beautiful view facing the Italian coast and the Alpine Mountains. And from the east end of the 
beach, you get a view of the oldtown facades. Right next to the main beach, there is Rondelli 
Beach. This one is made of fine gravel with the Alps on one side and the old town on the 
other. It’s a mix of public areas and private ones with beach clubs where you can rent a 
sunbed, an umbrella, and enjoy some drinks. On the other side of town, on the west, there 
is a series of beaches all lined up next to each other to form one continuous stretch. 
These beaches are public and made of gravel, so think about bringing water shoes to make 
things easier both on the sand and in the water. Now, the churches, the main one is the 
Saint-michel Basilica. It’s right in the heart of the old town. It’s a 17th century 
baroque gem with its colorful facade and bell towers matching perfectly with the colors 
of the old town. And the most beautiful part is the colorful Italian style interior with its 
ceiling fresco and its chandeliers, gold details, and lots of religious art pieces, especially 
paintings, not to mention its beautiful altar. Right next to it, there is the Pénitents-Blancs 
Chapel. It’s on the same square, but it’s rarely open to visitors, so do not hesitate 
to visit it if you ever find it open. It dates back to the 17th century and it’s also 
barack in style with a richly decorated interior. Now the museum at the entrance of the port there 
is the Cocteau Museum. It’s inside a small 17th century fort. It was restored in the 1950s by the 
French artist Jean Cocteau who decorated it with his very own style. Now the viewpoints. First, at 
the top of the old town, there is an observation deck which gives you an amazing view over the 
mountains, mountains bay, down below, the beaches, the old port, and over the rooftops of the 
old town and the bell towers of the basilica. Now, just next to it, there is the old cemetery 
of Menton, which really sits at the very top of the old town. As you move around the different 
paths of the cemetery, you get a full 360° view. Depending on where you are, it gives you views 
over all sides of Menton. And if you visit the cemetery in the late afternoon, from the southwest 
side, you’ll get a great view of the sunset. Next, the top of the stairs and the 
square of the old town. From there, the view is not super wide, but you can 
see the sea, the beach, and part of the old port. All of it framed by the yellow facads 
on the sides and the one of the basilica. Next, the views from the jetties. From the middle and 
the end of the first jetty, you get a nice view of the old port in the foreground and the colorful 
facads of the old town in the background. From the middle and the end of the second jetty, you get a 
similar view, but from a slightly different angle. And from the end of the third jetty, same 
thing with yet another angle. Now, the gardens, they are a bit out of the way from the center 
of town. The first one, the Val Rahmeh Garden, is up in the hills with its villa right 
in the middle. It’s a botanical garden that dates back to the early 20th century when 
it was set up by its English owner. Nowadays, there are plants from all kinds of regions in 
the world with a pond and some fountains as well. Next, the Serre de la Madone 
Garden, also up in the hills. This landscape garden from the first part of 
the 20th century was also created by an English man. The garden has plants from different regions 
around the world, plus some fountains and statues. Next, the Carnolès Garden. This one is 
near the sea. It’s a citrus garden built around the former summer residence of the 
princes of Monaco from the 18th century. And today it’s the biggest citrus collection 
in Europe with lots of different varieties. Now the festival every year during two weeks in February celebrates its specialty with a 
one-of-a-kind event, the lemon festival, where you can see huge structures 
covered with lemons and oranges. You can walk around each one to check them out 
up close or see them from above from the stands. There are also parades with floats that have lemon and orange covered sculptures and they 
move right in the middle of the crowd. And in the evening, the displays are 
still open and they are all lit up, which gives a different vibe 
compared to the daytime. And on some nights, there are also 
some parades with floats that are lit up as well. All of it in a festive atmosphere. Now that you have a clear view of what you 
can do in Menton, for more info of each place, including opening hours and prices, check 
out our website, culturefrancia.com. The links are in the description. And for more 
videos about the French Riviera region, check out our dedicated playlist popping up 
on the screen. See you in the next video.

Discover the places to visit in Menton, France.

▬▬▬ DEDICATED WEBPAGES ▬▬▬

► Things To Do in Menton + Map
https://culturefrancia.com/en/menton-things-to-do
► Activities in Menton
https://culturefrancia.com/en/menton-activities

▬▬▬ FRENCH RIVIERA PLAYLIST ▬▬▬

▬▬▬ CHAPTERS ▬▬▬

00:00 Intro/Teaser
00:23 Who We Are + Our Website
00:40 Quick Overall Presentation (with Map Overview)
01:13 Strolls
04:59 Night Strolls
06:07 Market
06:31 Activities
06:52 Beaches
08:02 Churches
08:58 Museum
09:18 Viewpoints
10:57 Gardens
12:10 Festival
13:13 Related Info/Videos on Our Website/Youtube

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Song: LiQWYD & Luke Bergs – Eternal Sunshine
Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F68sQYaS9XA
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