Experience the best of Menton

Menton lies on the French Riviera a few minutes from Italy, sheltered by mountains that give it some of the mildest winters on the coast. The pastel old town climbs a hillside, with the baroque basilica of Saint-Michel at its heart, approached by a wide stepped square. Along the seafront the Promenade du Soleil runs past beaches and the old harbour.

Menton celebrates its lemon groves each winter with a festival of fruit-covered sculptures and parades. Gardens are everywhere: the Val Rahmeh botanical garden, the Serre de la Madone, and the Hanbury Gardens just across the border in Italy. Jean Cocteau decorated the wedding hall in the town hall and has a museum on the waterfront, and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, where Le Corbusier built a tiny cabin, is next door.

Lemons flavour tarts, sorbets, marmalade and liqueurs, and Menton's own fruit carries protected status. Ligurian influences show in socca, pissaladière and anchovies. When northern Europe is grey, the winter sun makes the seafront promenade pleasant for walking.