Why Menton's Lemon Festival is the Perfect Excuse for a Day Trip from Nice

Learn more about Menton Fête du Citron (aka the Menton Lemon Festival) and others things to do in Menton on a day trip from Nice, France.

Menton Fête du Citron is all about lemons. In fact, this famous annual event on the French Riviera which takes place at the end of February is also known as the Menton Lemon Festival. 

Nice has its streamers, confetti, and flowers for Carnaval, but Menton, located less than an hour away by train near the Italian border decided that when life gives you lemons (and oranges!) make lemonade (or orange juice?). 

Menton holds a Nice Carnival style Fete du Citron each year. Festivals are a great excuse to visit off-the-beaten path places and we jumped at the chance to take a day trip from Nice to Menton to get a nice dose of Vitamin C and plenty of beautiful French pictures. 

Below I share some highlights from our visit to Menton during the lemon festival.

Menton Fête du Citron: The Sculptures in Biovès Gardens

Menton's Fete du Citron has a theme each year. When we visited, the lemon festival theme was Cinecittà harkening back to the cool glamour of Italian cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. 

This seemed like an interesting choice given that Menton is actually in France, but hey, they are quite close to the border so I can see the Italian cultural influences.

The sculpture garden with its eye catching array of citrus patterns is definitely the highlight of any visit to the Menton Lemon Festival. We handed over 10 EUR each and were admitted to a wonderland of movie scenes come to life and all fashioned out of citrus fruits!

Things to See in Menton: The Town

Menton itself is lovely. We took a break after our stroll through the citrus sculpture garden to dine al fresco at Le Balico on Place aux Herbes. 

Fueling ourselves with steak and potatoes and sea bass, there was no sun to lift our spirits that day so we had to rely on the guitarist quietly playing behind us and this gray-jowled dog to do the honors. Festival aside, Menton has a lovely atmosphere.

The Menton Lemon Festival Golden Fruit Parade

The Menton Lemon Festival golden fruit parades are similar to the Carnaval de Nice parades. Just like in Nice, the Menton Lemon Festival features a ton of streamers and confetti, just a lot more citrus fruit as well. 

We could smell the essence of oranges in the air as the floats rolled past, each new creation bringing another smile to our faces.

Climb in Menton

After the Menton Lemon Festival parade, we took the opportunity to explore the city's nooks and crannies. We spotted this delightful switchback staircase and made our way to the top for sweeping views of the sea.

Visit Menton's Harbor

Menton's harbor was also a lovely spot for a walk. The harbor was packed with docked sailboats and as we looked up, this slowly gave way to a jumble of buildings on the hillside. Magnifique!

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Interested in other day trip ideas from Nice? You can take the bus from Nice to Monaco and spend a day living like a high roller in Monte Carlo.

Menton Lighthouse

A short breakwall leads from Menton's harbor out to a lighthouse, another great spot to get some views of the Mediterranean and listen to the soothing sounds of crashing waves. 

Menton's Fete du Citron is an easy day trip from Nice. The Menton Lemon Festival offers the perfect opportunity to visit for a bit of fruit inspired fun. Looking for other destinations where you can combine some sightseeing with a festival? Check out satirical and fiery Las Fallas in Valencia Spain.

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SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Looking for other ideas for places to visit in France? Have you thought about: Celebrating Valentine's Day in Paris or going on a romantic day trip from Paris to Reims to sip champagne at the source?  Spending Christmas in Strasbourg and the Alsace or Christmas in Provence?  Going to see the Camargue flamingos on a Languedoc road trip?  Discovering French Basque country and fun things to do in St. Jean de Luz? Driving the Loire Valley and see some of the best chateaux in the world?  Booking 3 days in Bordeaux and deciding for yourself which wine region is better: Medoc or St. Emilion?  Visiting Lyon for 3 days and eating some of the best food in France?  Enjoying a weekend in Carcassonne?  Exploring World War II history on a Paris to Normandy road trip? Spend a summer weekend in Annecy for the fireworks.