Port de Menton (Garavan)

Menton Garavan marina lies in the Garavan district, at the eastern edge of Menton, about 700 metres from the Italian border and roughly two kilometres from the town centre. Its location makes it a natural crossing point between France and Italy, on a route that also serves as a starting point for Corsica, Sardinia or Sicily. For approach, the Saint-Michel Basilica, clearly visible from the sea, serves as a landmark for sailors, and lights mark both the southern jetty and the northern breakwater at the channel entrance.

The marina has 770 berths, 60 of which are reserved for visiting boats. It can accommodate vessels up to 40 metres in length, with a maximum draught of 3.20 metres. Boaters have access to a full range of port services: fresh water, electricity, sanitary facilities, wifi, a laundry, fuel and a chandlery, along with a waste collection point and round-the-clock security. A boatyard, located at the entrance to the access channel, can handle vessels up to 50 metres, and a crane allows launching of craft up to 2 tonnes. More than 300 parking spaces are available to boaters, with preferential rates depending on the time of day.

Around the marina, the atmosphere remains that of a quiet residential district, dotted with specialist nautical shops and restaurants. The basin gives quick access to Menton's historic centre, old town and seafront, while retaining the calm of a site set slightly apart from the town's busier tourist core.

Garavan marina was inaugurated in 1967. It sits within a town long known for its lemon growing: in 1928, Menton was the leading lemon producer in continental Europe. This tradition gave rise in 1934 to the Fête du Citron, an annual late-winter festival whose floats and sculptures are made from citrus fruit, and which was inscribed on France's intangible cultural heritage list in 2019.