Pass the sunscreen, s'il vous plaît

18 March 2023

Pass the sunscreen, s’il vous plaît

The Beaches of Menton

The water quality is good to excellent on Menton’s beaches.

As Menton is the last town before the Italian border, you’ll hear more Italian than French on the beaches and restaurants in summer. The Italian influence is also apparent on the menus which lean towards pasta and fish.

Eastern (Garavan) Beaches

Sandy, calm and with beautiful views of Menton’s old town and the mountains, these are the best beaches and, of course, the most crowded in summer. Lying on Garavan bay, the beach area begins after the Old Port with the public beach, Sablettes, and then turns into a string of private beach-restaurants before the public and private Rondelli beaches.

Plage Rondelli

This wide, sandy beach on a shallow cove is a great spot as the water is invariably calm, the drop-off gentle, and a lifeguard present. There is no shortage of private restaurants on this beach, which is an artificial one. That is is to say there’s a relatively thin layer of sand over concrete. It’s comfortable enough to walk on but planting an umbrella can be a challenge. There are plenty of restaurants and shops on the walkway that connects Rondelli with Sablettes as well as a stall for snacks and drinks on the beach.

Plage Sablettes

Just east of port, this beach is calm and sheltered with a mixture of sand, pebbles and gravel. Wide with packed-down sand, the shallow waters are great for a dip. If your grabbing a bite of food, head east where there are snack places on the coastal road as well as beach-restaurants.

Western Beaches

Plage de Fossan

This wide beach is on a curve of sand, pebbles, and rocks. More sheltered than the other beaches, the water is calm and shallow making it perfect for swimming. The area is partly tree-shaded giving relief to sun. Fossan is a no-smoking beach.