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Nice Carnival, Menton Lemon Festival and Hand Stitching
7 days from £1,685pp
Your Tour Includes
- 1 half-day and 2 full-day workshops with your expert, kit included
- 6 nights bed and breakfast accommodation
- 2 dinners
- Excursions, tickets and coach travel as described in the itinerary
- Services of an experienced Tour Manager
- Gratuities for local guide and coach drivers
Experts
Holiday Overview
Every February, the French Riviera bursts into colour, creativity, and citrus-scented celebration with two of its most dazzling events: the Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival. These two world-famous festivals transform the Côte d'Azur into a vibrant playground of parades, costumes, and giant sculptures. From the dazzling floats and flower battles of Nice to the fantastical citrus creations of Menton, this unique holiday experience, in the company of our experts, is sure to provide inspiration for many textile projects for the year to come!
Mandy Shaw will be your expert in 2026 and Carolyn Forster will be your expert in 2027.
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Itinerary
Please choose your preferred 7 day itinerary
Please Note: This itinerary will operate in 2026, led by expert Mandy Shaw.
Flight-inclusive packages are available at an extra cost, with flights from London to Nice with 1 piece of checked-in luggage included.
Parade days and themes are subject to change, so the exact running order of your holiday will be confirmed in your final itinerary and tour joining instructions.
With our flight-inclusive package, meet Mandy Shaw and your Tour Manager at a London airport for your flight to Nice. On arrival, we will be met by our coach and driver, and transfer to our hotel in Alassio. Alassio is in the Liguria region of Italy, about 80 kms (50 miles) from the French border.
If you have booked our join direct package, meet us at the hotel.
Join Mandy, your Tour Manager and fellow crafters for dinner at the hotel this evening.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
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.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Alassio Guided Tour
- Workshop
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.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Menton Lemon Festival
- Night Parade
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.
The evening is free for you to enjoy at leisure.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Workshop
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.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Nice
- Monaco
- Nice Carnival
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.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Highlights
- Workshop
If you have booked our join direct package, your tour ends after breakfast.
With our flight-inclusive package, we include your transfer to Nice Airport. From here, you will board your return flight to London.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Please Note: This itinerary will operate in 2027, led by expert Carolyn Forster.
Flight-inclusive packages are available at an extra cost, with flights from London to Nice with 1 piece of checked-in luggage included.
Parade days and themes are subject to change, so the exact running order of your holiday will be confirmed in your final itinerary and tour joining instructions.
Workshop Information:We will be stitching a patchwork and applique souvenir to remember our trip. Using the lemons and bright colours as the starting point we will use hand piecing and hand applique. The panel can then be quilted to finish into a mini quilt or table topper. We will also play with the motif for a little embroidered bag project. Techniques covered will include hand piecing, hand applique and hand quilting. This project is suitable for all levels including beginners.
With our flight-inclusive package, meet Carolyn Forster and your Tour Manager at a London airport for your flight to Nice. On arrival, we will be met by our coach and driver, and transfer to our hotel in Cannes on the French Riviera, a city where elegance and relaxation meet by the water.
If you have booked our join direct package, meet us at the hotel.
Join Carolyn, your Tour Manager and fellow crafters for dinner this evening.
Included Meals
- Dinner
A buffet breakfast will be served in the hotel this morning.
Best known for its world-famous film festival, Cannes combines red-carpet elegance with everyday Mediterranean charm. This morning, we will explore the city on a walking tour, where glamour and history unfold at every turn. We’ll pass sandy beaches and luxury boutiques along La Croisette before heading inland to the old quarter of Le Suquet. There, winding cobblestone streets lead to sweeping views over the harbour, where sleek yachts lie moored side by side, before we descend towards lively local cafés and markets that capture the relaxed rhythm of daily life on the French Riviera.
After some free time for lunch, we’ll enjoy our first hand-stitching workshop with Carolyn at the hotel. Refreshments will be served during the workshop.
Enjoy this evening at leisure.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Workshop
- Cannes Walking Tour
After a buffet breakfast, enjoy a morning at leisure.
This afternoon, we travel to 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 before taking our seats for this evening's 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 Cannes and our hotel.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Menton Lemon Festival
- Night Parade
Following your buffet breakfast, today we include a full-day hand-sewing workshop with Carolyn in the hotel. Refreshments will be served morning and afternoon. Enjoy free time for lunch.
The evening is free for you to enjoy at leisure.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival Souvenir - Carolyn Forster
After your buffet breakfast, we visit the fashionable resort of Nice, the second largest French city on the Mediterranean coast. On arrival, there will be free time to have lunch, 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.
We will return to Cannes late afternoon.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Nice
- Nice Carnival
Following a buffet breakfast, we enjoy a final full-day hand-sewing workshop with Carolyn in the hotel. Refreshments will be served morning and afternoon. There will be free time for lunch.
Dinner is included this evening.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Highlights
- Patchwork and Applique Souvenir - Carolyn Forster
If you have booked our join direct package, your tour ends after breakfast.
With our flight-inclusive package, we include your transfer to Nice Airport. From here, you will board your return flight to London.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Tour Notes: You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness to get the most out of this holiday. On excursion days you will need to walk a short distance from the hotel to the coach, and you should be able to board the coach unaided. On arrival at the excursion destination, you should be able to alight the coach unaided and there may be a walk between the coach drop off point and the excursion venue. By their nature, walking tours, museum visits etc involve being on your feet for a significant amount of time. Whilst our excursions are taken at a leisurely pace, for the enjoyment of everyone in the group you should be able to keep up with your fellow travellers.
Accommodation
You will stay for six nights at the 4-star Hotel Toscana in Alassio (2026) or the 4-star Neho Suites Cannes Croisette Hotel (2027).
Neho Suites Cannes Croisette
The 4-star Neho Suites Cannes Croisette is a stylish, contemporary hotel set just moments from the famous La Croisette and its sandy beaches. Offering spacious, modern bedrooms with sleek interiors, it provides a comfortable retreat in the heart of Cannes. With easy access to shopping, dining, and the Palais des Festivals. The hotel is an ideal base for enjoying both the glamour and everyday charm of the French Riviera.
Hotel Facilities
- 4 Star
- Bar
- Outdoor Swimming Pool (Seasonal)
- Lift
- Room Service Available
- 24 Hour Front Desk
- Sauna or Steam Room
Room Facilities
- TV
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Hairdryer
- Safe Box
- Air Conditioning
- Shower or Bath
- Free Wifi
- Iron or Trouser Press
Single Supplement from £210.00
