Nice Carnival, Menton Lemon Festival and Hand Stitching

A buffet breakfast will be served in the hotel this morning.

In Alassio, spectacular coastal landscapes meet a rich dose of history and cultural charm. We will explore our base for this holiday with an English-speaking local guide.

The Alassio Wall is a unique art installation consisting of more than 550 ceramic tiles decorated with signatures of celebrities from all over the world. The first signature was that of writer Ernest Hemingway in 1953, and over the years, many other celebrities have helped make the wall iconic, including Salvador Dali.

The Budello di Alassio, known simply as “The Budello,” is the beating heart of the historic centre featuring stores, cafes, restaurants, and charming historic buildings. As we stroll the cobblestone streets, our guide may well give us an insight into some of the food delicacies of the town including Bacio di Alassio (chewy chocolate hazelnut cookies) and staples of Italian cuisine such as ice cream and olive oil.

After some free time for lunch, we’ll enjoy our first hand-stitching workshop with Mandy at the hotel. Refreshments will be served during the workshop.

Enjoy this evening at leisure.

After your buffet breakfast, enjoy a morning at leisure.

Early afternoon, we’ll head back across the border into France and the beautiful harbour resort of Menton to enjoy everything that the Lemon Festival (Fete du Citron) has to offer.

In 1928, Menton was the main producer of lemons on the European continent. A hotelier had the idea of organising a private exhibition of flowers and citrus fruits in the gardens of the Riviera Hotel. The event's success was such that the following year, the municipality took up the idea and the name "Fête du Citron" was born in 1934. The Lemon Festival combines traditional carnival events with a celebration of Menton's reputation as Europe's lemon capital. Today, Menton is known for the quality of lemons it produces, which are sought after by chefs from across the region.

On arrival, enjoy some free time to discover some of the highlights of the festival, such as the Citrus Sculpture Gardens, the heart of the event showcasing larger-than-life lemon masterpieces, the Orchid Festival and Crafts Fair.

As night falls, we’ll take our seats for the Night Parade. Floats, adorned with lemons and oranges, parade in a symphony of light and colour. Lively music, dancers and performers bring joyful energy worthy of the greatest street spectacles. We'll enjoy this unique and dazzling experience under the stars.

We return to Alassio and our hotel.

Following your buffet breakfast, today we include a full-day hand-sewing workshop with Mandy in the hotel. Refreshments will be served morning and afternoon. Enjoy free time for lunch.

Evening at leisure.

After a buffet breakfast today, we return to France, this time to the fashionable resort of Nice. On route we’ll stop in Monaco, known officially as the Principality of Monaco, the second smallest sovereign city-state after the Vatican City. Monaco is recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world.

Nice is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean coast. On arrival, enjoy free time to visit the old town, with its pastel façades and ornate balconies, and the vibrant Promenade des Anglais, with its grand hotels and exclusive boutiques.

Nice Carnival is the most important winter event on the Cote d’Azur. Two weeks of festivities bring the city to life, the highlight of which is the iconic Flower Parade. This afternoon, we’ll take our seat for this one-of-a-kind event, involving a convoy of colourful floats, costumed models and up to 100,000 flowers thrown to an enthusiastic crowd. The festival originated in 1876, when simple exchanges of flowers were organised to entertain the tourists. Very quickly the tradition grew into flower parades to honour the work of local flower producers.

Enjoy free time for dinner in Nice before returning to Alassio and our hotel.

Following a buffet breakfast, we enjoy another full-day hand-sewing workshop with Mandy in the hotel. Refreshments will be served morning and afternoon. There will be free time for lunch.

Dinner at the hotel is included this evening.