Extended stay in a small town on the Riviera

Do you plan to rent a car or will you be using public transportation?

I made two day-trips to Menton while I was staying in Nice during May 2017. I liked Menton, which has a picturesque historic district and two quite good gardens. However, I'd say it has 3 things working against it as a base for a month-long stay:

• It is at the extreme east end of the Riviera, so you'll spend more time getting to other Riviera destinations than would be the case if you chose a more-central base.

• Even in May (not high season on the Riviera), the Old Town was packed with tourists. Menton is said to be the warmest towm on the Riviera and seems to get a lot of off-peak visitors.

• Like most of the other small towns on the Riviera, Menton doesn't have all that many local attractions. If this is to be primarily a sightseeing trip as opposed to a veg-out break, I'd urge you to have at least four bases so you can see more without spending so much time traveling back and forth. If for some reason that isn't practical, I'd choose Nice, which has a lot more sights of its own (especially if you like art) as well as being the transportation hub of the Riviera. The train service along the coast is so convenient that, even if you are thinking about renting a car, I'd suggest doing so only for part of the trip and concentrating the hill villages during that period.

I think acraven summarized Menton pretty well, although it is pretty large and you can avoid the worst of the tourists traffic by not living so close to the old town. Keep in mind your proximity to the train stations, as you are down at the end of the line. On the plus side, you will have easy access to lower costs in Italy.

What is your goal for the "small town" and how small is small? Does it have to be on the coast? You could also choose one of the less touristed towns like Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Or a larger one like Antibes.

Thanks so much for your comments. I’m planning to use public transportation. I recently (4/18) rented a car and visited Arles, Avignon, and Nice, but missed some of the more off-the-beaten-path places. I do see what you mean when you say that Menton is very far to the East.

Going to consider Antibes or Bealieu-sur-Mer. Thanks again!