The eastern stretch of the Côte d'Azur between Monaco and the Italian border contains two of the most beautiful and under-visited addresses on the Riviera: Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the peninsula that shelters the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, and Menton, the last French town before Italy with its baroque architecture and extraordinary botanical gardens. FFGR Monaco offers a curated private tour of this eastern circuit as a full or half-day excursion from Monaco.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Cap Ferrat is twelve minutes from Monaco by private car, yet it occupies a world entirely separate from the Principality's intensity. The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat A Four Seasons Hotel commands the southern tip of the peninsula with direct sea access and a restaurant programme that justifies the journey independently. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its nine themed gardens are among the finest private estate gardens in France, and less visited than their quality deserves because they are not easily reached without private transport.
FFGR Monaco drivers know every access road on the Cap Ferrat peninsula, including the private roads that ring the headland with views of Villefranche bay to the west and Beaulieu to the east. A full morning on the Cap — breakfast at the Grand-Hôtel, a walk to the Villa Ephrussi, and a return along the coastal path with the vehicle meeting at each endpoint — is one of the finest half-days the Riviera offers.
Menton: The Last French Town
Menton is thirty minutes east of Monaco, eight kilometres from the Italian border. Its Belle Époque seafront, the Bastion museum (housing Cocteau's works), and the Serre de la Madone garden are the anchor points of a worthwhile visit. The covered market on Quai de Monléon — best experienced between 07h30 and 09h30 on weekday mornings — is one of the most authentic remaining markets on the Riviera, serving primarily local clientele rather than tourists.
For clients who prefer to cross into Italy for lunch or shopping, Menton is the natural staging point: Ventimiglia is fifteen minutes further, and the Friday market at Ventimiglia is among the largest open-air markets in the region. FFGR Monaco's drivers carry the required documentation for Italian territory access and manage the border crossing without procedural delay.