Menton

Overview

Menton lies at the eastern end of the French Riviera, on the border with Italy. The Italian town of Ventimiglia is 11 km away and Monaco 7 km. The commune covers 14.05 km² and had 30,604 residents at the 2023 census; it rises from the sea to 774 metres on the slopes behind. Menton holds the Ville d'art et d'histoire label. Its character owes as much to Liguria as to Provence: tall ochre houses, steep stepped lanes and a baroque church above the harbour.

Menton is a working town with schools, a hospital and markets as well as a resort. That gives it a year-round life that some smaller coastal villages lack.

Quarters

The old town

The historic centre climbs from the seafront up the rue Longue to the Basilica of Saint-Michel-Archange, a baroque church built from 1619 by the Genoese architect Lorenzo Lavagna. Homes here are mostly flats in tall, narrow houses. Check whether the building has a lift and whether parking is available; the reward is the view over the roofs to the sea.

The seafront quarters

Along the shore, from west to east, the town divides into Madone-Carnolès, Biovès-Casino, the area around the Hôtel de Ville and Saint-Paul Garavan. Most of the town's apartment buildings stand in these quarters, within walking distance of the beaches and the centre.

Garavan and the hills

East of the harbour, Garavan rises towards the Italian border, with its own station, Menton-Garavan. Above the town, the hill quarters of the Gorbio valley, Haut Borrigo, Careï Monti, Mont-Gros, Ciappe-Fossan and Super Garavan are where most of Menton's villas stand, usually on terraced plots. Check the access road before you commit: on these slopes it matters for deliveries, building work and daily life.

Gardens, lemons and culture

Menton is known for its gardens. The Serre de la Madone, the Val Rahmeh botanical garden founded in 1905 by Sir Percy Radcliffe, the Fontana Rosa garden of the novelist Vicente Blasco Ibáñez and the gardens of Les Colombières are all here. The garden of the Palais de Carnolès holds the principal citrus collection in France. The Fête du Citron, with its displays built from lemons and oranges, is held each February in the Jardins Biovès. The town also has the Musée Jean Cocteau, Séverin Wunderman collection, in a building by the architect Rudy Ricciotti opened in 2011; check its opening before a visit.

The covered market near the harbour was built in 1898 by the local architect Adrien Rey and opens early in the morning. The town's beaches include Les Sablettes, enlarged in 1968 and 1969 and protected by three breakwaters, as well as Rondelli, Casino and Borrigo.

Property and prices

Sales in the table were registered between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025. Menton is overwhelmingly a flat market: 1,728 flat sales against 71 house sales. The median flat sold for €218,000 at €4,860 per m² and only six flats exceeded €1 million. Houses had a median of €480,000 at €5,830 per m²; 11 sold above €1 million and one above €2 million. Compared with Roquebrune-Cap-Martin next door, where the median house price per m² was €10,930, Menton is markedly less expensive. Remember that DVF covers the whole commune, so a seafront flat in Garavan and a flat in the old town fall into the same median.

Who buys here

Menton draws buyers who want a real town with a year-round population, those who work in Monaco and prefer to own in France, retirees attracted by the climate and the level seafront and buyers who value the border position. Villa buyers have fewer options than in the hills west of Nice and should expect steep plots.

Schools and services

Menton has the Lycée Pierre-et-Marie-Curie and the vocational Lycée Paul-Valéry, three collèges (André-Maurois, Guillaume-Vento and the private Villa-Blanche) and a campus of Sciences Po devoted to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The Centre hospitalier de La Palmosa is in the town, with the Princess Grace hospital in Monaco and the university hospital in Nice within reach. International schools are further west; see our international schools guide.

Getting around

Menton has three stations on the coastal railway between Nice and Ventimiglia: Menton, Menton-Garavan and Carnolès, the last of these just over the boundary in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The ZOU! bus 80 links Nice Côte d'Azur airport with Monaco and Menton. By road the airport is about 44 km away, around 50 minutes by the A8 motorway in normal traffic. Italy is minutes away by car or train. Our page on getting here covers flights.

Homes for sale

Homes in Menton that Amber Connections is presenting appear below. When the right property is not on the open market, Agnieszka Hancock can search for you under a search mandate, working in English, French or Polish.

Frequently asked questions

Is Menton cheaper than the rest of the Riviera?

On DVF figures for 2024 and 2025 Menton's median house price was €5,830 per m², the lowest of the towns from Nice to the Italian border. Its flat median of €4,860 per m² is close to Nice (€4,760) and well below Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (€6,110), Cap-d'Ail (€7,600) and Beaulieu-sur-Mer (€8,120).

Where are the villas in Menton?

Mostly on the hills behind the town: the Gorbio valley, Haut Borrigo, Careï Monti, Mont-Gros, Ciappe-Fossan and Super Garavan. DVF records only 71 house sales over the two years.

When is the Fête du Citron?

Every February, in and around the Jardins Biovès.

How far is Menton from Nice airport?

About 44 km by road, usually around 50 minutes. The ZOU! bus 80 runs from the airport to Monaco and Menton.

Are there lycées in Menton?

Yes: the Lycée Pierre-et-Marie-Curie and the vocational Lycée Paul-Valéry.

Can I commute to Monaco from Menton?

Yes. Monaco is 7 km away and both towns are on the coastal railway, so commuting by train or by road is practical.

Last updated: 11 October 2026