Couple in the Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh in Menton @pangovisual

3-day escapade in the heart of Menton's most beautiful gardens

3-day escapade in the heart of the most beautiful gardens de Menton, Riviera & Merveilles

Who says that only the end of the world is synonymous with a change of scenery? At Menton, Riviera & Merveilles, on the Côte d’Azur, take part in a truly exotic voyage by visiting our gardens! Remarkable or exceptional, we love to take the time to stroll through them as soon as the first rays of spring sunshine appear. And they’re not the only ones: flowers and other rare species are in full bloom at this time of year! 3 days to explore 3 of the most beautiful gardens in Menton, Riviera & Merveilles. The promise of a festival of colors and scents in the South of France!

On your marks. Ready to go? Stroll on!

Day 1

Jardin Serre de la Madone

Between sea and mountains, the timeless Jardin Serre de la Madone invites you to take an exotic stroll in the hills above Menton. Here, you’ll be guided by the gentle fragrances of the various species, the chirping of the birds, or the lapping of the ponds… All the ingredients you need to take your senses on a journey to Menton, Riviera & Merveilles!

A true haven of peace, the Jardin Serre de la Madone was created by Major Lawrence Johnston between 1924 and 1939. This plant enthusiast saw in the microclimate of the Côte d’Azur the ideal setting for his precious exotic species to flourish… And he was right! A little sun and a lot of love: a variety of the world’s rarest trees and plants have spread their roots over more than 6 hectares. Tropical oak from the Himalayas, Magnolia from Yunnan, Nolina from Mexico (said to be three hundred years old)… A unique botanical heritage, which has earned the garden the “Jardin Remarquable” label and a Monument Historique classification.

Access to the garden: via route du Val de Gorbio (between Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Palais Carnolès).

Day 2

Val Rahmeh Botanical Garden-Menton

What if we told you that you could travel from continent to continent in Menton, Riviera & Merveilles? Just a stone’s throw from the town center, take a deep breath at the Val Rahmeh-Menton Botanical Garden. Here, 1.5 hectares of organized disorder will give you a breath of fresh air!

Through the whims of successive owners, the garden has evolved into a unique tropical island. During your spring stroll, you’ll discover tropical and subtropical fruit trees, introduced by Sir Percy Radcliffe, General of the British Army. Giant agaves, green and red cordylines, red bougainvilleas, citrus trees, blue thumbergia grandiflora… Inspired by his wife and muse Rahmeh, he went so far as to buy the adjoining farmland, where olive vines and citrus trees grow! Menton and gardens are a true love story. As for May Cambell, she made her contribution to the garden with superb daturas and solanaceous plants, making this unique botanical park the pride of the area!

Today, the Val Rahmeh-Menton Botanical Garden plays a particularly important role in the preservation of endangered species. Some, like the coral tree from faraway Mexico, look like they came from the other side of the world. It’s not for nothing that this is one of the most beautiful gardens in Menton, Riviera & Merveilles!

Address: Avenue Saint-Jacques, 06500 Menton

Did you know?

In all, the garden offers 1,700 species, including 140 unique plants from all over the world. Near the ponds, you’ll even have the chance to contemplate a few water lilies and nympheas! The perfect place for a bucolic break on the Côte d’Azur.

Nymphaea Missouri Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh Menton Mnhn C. Joulin

Jardin Les Colombieres Menton Marine Marrec

Day 3

Domaine des Colombières

More than a garden, immerse yourself in a work of art at the Domaine des Colombières in Menton, Riviera & Merveilles! Thanks to artist Ferdinand Bac (a writer, draughtsman, caricaturist and landscaper of the Belle Époque), this atypical space on the Côte d’Azur was born. During your visit, you’ll travel back in time to the ancient Mediterranean, where mythology was more than just a belief…

Frescoes, plants and ceramics create a perfect harmony in this garden, overlooking the Bay of Garavan to your delight. As you tour the park, you’ll pass through a number of different areas, each designed according to its own mythological theme or symbolic object. To immerse you, statues, olive trees, pine trees, cypresses and even a thousand-year-old carob tree lend themselves to the game, while the Mediterranean vegetation transports you to other horizons…

Address: 312 route de super Garavan, 06500 Menton

Opening hours: This garden is accessible by reservation only.

You might also like to escape here…

Want to continue exploring the gardens and parks of Menton, Riviera & Merveilles? We’ve got other ideas for exploring the Côte d’Azur’s natural treasures.

The Fontana Rosa garden

the garden of novelists

Flaubert, Stendhal, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Balzac, Goethe, Boccaccio, Dickens… These famous novelists are eternally immortalized in the form of busts in the Fontana Rosa Garden, also known as the Garden of Novelists. During your visit, you’ll have the opportunity to contemplate them, as well as the colorful gazebos, benches and pergolas designed by Vicente Blasco Ibanez. Here, literature and Andalusian ambience go hand in hand!

Jardin Fontana Rosa Marine Marrec Rotated

The citrus garden of the Palais de Carnolès

Public garden

For a visit as bucolic as it is regal, visit the citrus garden at the Palais de Carnolès. Located around the former summer residence of the Princes of Monaco, this exceptional garden is home to Europe’s largest citrus collection. No fewer than 137 varieties of citrus fruit on a single site! As you stroll through the garden, you’ll be enchanted by the scent of lemons, grapefruits and kumquats… A whole collection of citrus fruits approved as a National Collection by the Conservatoire des Collections Végétales spécialisées awaits you.

The garden at Villa Maria Serena

An illustrious example of garden design in the Belle Époque, the garden at Villa Maria Serena is all about verticality. Palm trees, Dracaena Drago and a collection of Cycadaceae live in harmony in this park, which is the most temperate in France: the temperature never dips below 5°C. So don’t be surprised if the white villa at the heart of the garden looks like déjà vu: it’s featured in numerous films, including Hercule Poirot!

Maria Serena Andreia De Freitas Alves Garden

The garden of the former Palace Hôtel Impérial

Classified as a historical monument, the former Palace Hôtel Impérial stands out from the other establishments on the Côte d’Azur thanks to its simple, uniform facade. Its garden, on the other hand, is teeming with unusual species and plants! “Petticoat palms, araucarias, lemon and mandarin trees… it’s a magnificent festival of colors!

The Clos du Peyronnet garden

Renowned for its beautiful ponds that seem to end their courses in the Mediterranean, the Clos du Peyronnet garden boasts a superb collection of subtropical and Mediterranean plants: over 600 species! Botanical enthusiasts are in heaven here, and can also enjoy the beauty of the local crafts of Menton, Riviera & Merveilles.

Discover our other gardens

Le Parc du Pian
Biovès Gardens
L’Ancien Palace: Grand Hôtel de Venise – L’Orangeraie
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin Olive Park
Gardens of the Saorge Monastery