Page 264 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

exotic plants to flourish
7 Menton here, many of which you
Last stop on the coast can see at the Jardin
before Italy, the beautiful Botanique Exotique du
seaside town of Menton Val Rahmeh (%04 93 35
with its arcaded passages offers a glimpse of what 86 72; http://jardinvalrahmeh.
free.fr; av St-Jacques; adult/
and stairways carved the Riviera once looked child €6.50/5; h10am-
out of rock – is the like, before the high 12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Wed-
most impressive. Scurry rises, casinos and prop- Mon May-Aug, 10am-12.30pm
upwards to find architect erty developers moved in. & 2-5pm Wed-Mon Sep-Apr),
Le Corbusier’s grave at It’s ripe for wandering, where terraces overflow
the cemetery at the top with peaceful gardens with fruit trees, and the
of the village (in section and belle-èpoque man- beautiful, once-aban-
J, and, yes, he did design sions galore, as well as doned Jardin de la Serre
his own tombstone). an attractive yacht-filled de la Madone (%04 93 57
harbour. Meander the
The Drive »Continue along historic quarter all the 73 90; www.serredelamadone.
the D52 towards the coast, way to the Cimetière du com; 74 rte de Gorbio; adult/
following promenade du Cap- child €8/4; h10am-6pm Tue-
Martin all the way along the Vieux Château (montée du Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Jan-Mar,
seafront to Menton. You’ll be Souvenir; h7am-8pm May- closed Nov-Dec), overgrown
there in 10 minutes, traffic Sep, to 6pm Oct-Apr) for the with rare plants. The
permitting. best views in town.
Menton’s miniature tourist office’s garden
microclimate enables website (www.jardins-

PERFUME IN GRASSE
PROVENCE & SOUTHEAST FRANCE 23 RIVIERA CROSSING
Up in the hills to the north of Nice, the town of Grasse has been synonymous with
perfumery since the 16th century, and the town is still home to around 30 makers –
several of which offer guided tours of their factories, and the chance to hone your
olfactory skills.
It can take up to 10 years to train a perfumier, but since you probably don’t have
that much time to spare, you’ll have to make do with a crash course. Renowned
maker Molinard (%04 93 36 01 62; www.molinard.com; 60 bd Victor Hugo; 30min/1hr
workshops €30/69; h9.30am-6.30pm) runs workshops ranging from 30-minute
sessions to two hours, during which you get to create your own custom perfume
(sandalwood, vanilla, hyacinth, lily of the valley, civet, hare and rose petals are
just a few of the potential notes you could include). At the end of the workshop,
you’ll receive a bottle of eau de parfum to take home. Galimard (%04 93 09 20 00;
www.galimard.com; 73 rte de Cannes; workshops from €49; h9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm) and
Fragonard’s Usine Historique (%04 93 36 44 65; www.fragonard.com; 20 bd Fragonard;
h9am-7pm Jul & Aug, 9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Sep-Jun) offer similar workshops.
For background, it’s also worth making time to visit the Musée International de
la Parfumerie (MIP; %04 97 05 58 11; www.museesdegrasse.com; 2 bd du Jeu de Ballon; adult/
child €4/free; h10am-7pm May-Sep, 10.30am-5.30pm Oct-Apr; c) and its nearby gardens
(%04 92 98 62 69; www.museesdegrasse.com; 979 chemin des Gourettes, Mouans-Sartoux;
adult/child €4/free; h10am-7pm May-Aug, 10am-5.30pm mid-Mar–Apr & Sep–mid-Nov, closed
mid-Nov–mid-Mar), where you can see some of the many plants and flowers used in
scent-making. Needless to say, the bouquet is overpowering.

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