France · Côte d'Azur
Yacht Charter Menton
The last town before Italy, the mildest microclimate on the coast, and gardens that grow what nothing else here can.
Menton sits in a bowl of mountains that close off the north wind entirely, which gives it the mildest winter climate in France and a growing season that lets citrus, palms and subtropical plants live outdoors year-round. The old town rises in tiers of ochre and rose above the harbour, and the Italian border is a fifteen-minute walk along the front.
The town and its gardens
The old town stacks up to the cemetery on the hill, which has the best view on this stretch and is worth the climb for it alone. Below, the Baroque church of Saint-Michel stands on a square of black and white pebbles laid in the arms of the Grimaldi family.
The microclimate produced a series of botanical gardens — the Serre de la Madone, the Val Rahmeh, the Fontana Rosa — laid out by English and Russian collectors who could grow here what would not survive twenty miles west.
Along the border
East of the harbour the coast runs to Ventimiglia in twenty minutes, which is where the Friday market pulls half the Riviera across the border. The Balzi Rossi caves just inside Italy held Palaeolithic burials and are cut into the cliff at sea level.
West, Cap Martin has a coastal path at sea level and Monaco is fifteen minutes beyond it.
Practical notes
- The mildest microclimate on the coast: citrus and subtropical planting survive outdoors all year
- The Italian border is a fifteen-minute walk east along the front; Ventimiglia is twenty minutes by sea
- Monaco is fifteen minutes west, Nice forty
- The lemon festival fills the town for a fortnight in February, which is out of charter season but explains the planting
Reached from: the Balearics and the western Mediterranean
Where to dine
A table by the water
Mirazur
MentonOn the hill above the town, with a garden that supplies it and three stars that follow the seasons rather than a menu.
Le Bistrot des Jardins
MentonA courtyard room in the old town, doing Mentonnais cooking with the citrus the microclimate allows.
Marché des Halles
MentonThe covered market on the front, Belle Époque and still the town's kitchen at nine in the morning.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The old town
Ochre tiers rising to the cemetery on the hill, which has the best view on this stretch of coast.
Saint-Michel
A Baroque church on a square of black and white pebbles laid in the arms of the Grimaldi family.
Serre de la Madone
A garden laid out by Lawrence Johnston, who also made Hidcote, growing what would not survive twenty miles west.
Balzi Rossi
Caves cut into the cliff just inside Italy, twenty minutes east, which held Palaeolithic burials.
The fleet
Yachts available for Menton
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Menton
- What makes Menton different from the rest of the Riviera?
- The climate. A bowl of mountains closes off the north wind entirely, so citrus and subtropical plants live outdoors here that would not survive twenty miles west — hence the botanical gardens.
- What is worth seeing ashore?
- The old town up to the cemetery for the view, the Saint-Michel square laid in black and white pebbles, and one of the botanical gardens — the Serre de la Madone is the finest.
- What does a yacht charter at Menton cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season, the crew and the positioning, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter at Menton
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.