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Home » Menton and the surrounding area

Museum of Regional Prehistory (Menton): visit + photos

by Sèverine HARZO, Region Lovers | May 27, 2024 | no intrusive ads, no sponsored content, just some affiliate links - if you use them, we get a small commission (read more)

Spending a few days in Menton? Dive into the depths of the region’s past with a visit to the Museum of Prehistory of Menton. You’ll meet the first inhabitants of this small part of the Côte d’Azur.
Here are some useful tips for planning your visit to the Museum of Prehistory in Menton.

Our tips and photos for visiting the Musée de Préhistoire Régionale de Menton: access, points of interest, practical information.

This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.

Content masquer
Is a visit to Menton’s Museum of Prehistory worthwhile?
What you can see
Museum of Prehistory in Menton: how to get there
Tips for visiting the Museum of Regional Prehistory

Is a visit to Menton’s Museum of Prehistory worthwhile?

Yes, the museum is well worth a visit. It’s one of our favorite things to do in Menton, and the dedicated article will be online soon. Created on the initiative of naturalist and archaeologist Stanislas Bonfils, the museum showcases the region’s prehistoric collections and demonstrates how people of the time faced contemporary issues such as climate change and biodiversity. We also loved the permanent exhibition devoted to the wreck treasures of the Mediterranean.

This is one of Menton’s main attractions.

General view of the Menton Prehistory Museum

What you can see

The bones of the Grotte du Vallonet

The Grotte du Vallonet was home to prehistoric man over a million years ago. Thousands ofmammal bones have been discovered in the sediments: bear, hyena, saber-toothed tiger, cheetah, Eurasian jaguar, leopard, rhinoceros, southern elephant, equine, wild boar…

mammal bones at the Musée de Préhistoire de Menton

Fire at Terra Amata

The Terra Amata site, near Nice, is one of the oldest prehistoric sites where evidence of the mastery of fire has been found, dating back 400,000 years. A fundamental innovation to improve living comfort for prehistoric man.

Man blowing fire at the Musée de Préhistoire in Menton

Bifaces from the Grotte du Lazaret

150,000 years ago, the Grotte du Lazaret in Nice was still home to deer and ibex hunters. The bifaces they used to process their carcasses have been found there.

bifaces from the Lazaret cave at the Musée de Préhistoire in Menton

Art in the Grimaldi Caves

The Grimaldi Caves, near Ventimiglia on the border between Italy and France, were home to the first modern humans 37,000 years ago. They left marks of their artistic practices on the walls.

animal representation in the Grimaldi cave at the Musée de Préhistoire in Menton

Female statuettes

The Grimaldi Caves are also famous for the small female statuettes discovered there at the end of the 19th century. 25,000 years ago, these statuettes probably symbolized fertility.

female statuettes in the Grimaldi cave at the Musée de Préhistoire in Menton

The Man from Menton

We were very interested in the reconstruction of a prehistoric burial site. It’s that of the Menton Man, exhumed at the end of the 19th century in one of the Grimaldi Caves. The skull features numerous shells. According to the study of his pelvis, the Menton Man was… a woman!

Menton Man at the Menton Museum of Prehistory

The tools of the Grotte de l’Adaouste

The museum presents an exceptional Neolithic collection discovered in the Grotte de l’Adaouste in the Bouches-du-Rhône region. It testifies to the importance of hunting at a time when agriculture and animal husbandry were still in their infancy.

Tools from the Grotte de l'Adaouste at the Musée de la Préhistoire in Menton

The engravings on Mont Bego

These famous engravings illustrate the Bronze Age period, which began 4,000 years ago. The museum features a number of large representative casts, as well as bronze objects and ceramics from regional sites.

Mont Bego engravings at the Musée de la Préhistoire in Menton
WHERE TO STAY IN Menton

Option 1: Downtown

Enjoy the charm of the old town and all its restaurants.
We recommend..:

  • Hotel de Londres – prices, pictures and availability
  • Hotel Riva Art – prices, pictures and availability
  • Hotel Villa Genesis – prices, pictures and availability
London Hotel

Option 2: Port side

Easy access to the center and beautiful views of the old town.

  • Hotel Napoleon with swimming pool – view prices, pictures and availability
Hotel Napoleon

Option 3: Beachside

15 to 30 minutes’ walk from the center between Roquebrune and downtown, to enjoy the sea.

  • Best Western Premier Hotel Prince de Galles – view prices, pictures and availability
  • Résidence Pierre & Vacances Premium Julia Augusta – see prices, photos and availability
Best Western Hotel

See our reviews of the best hotels in Menton

See all available accommodations

The ceramics of Via Julia Augusta

The Via Julia Augusta is the Roman road created by Augustus in 13/12 B.C. It linked Italy to the south of France. The Menton region was part of the Roman city of Ventimiglia. Numerous ceramics were found near the theater and thermal baths at the end of the 19th century.

Ceramics from via Julia Augusta at the Musée de la Préhistoire in Menton

Antique glass from Cap Camarat

We loved the part of the museum dedicated to shipwreck treasures. They bear witness to Mediterranean maritime trade 2,000 years ago. A rare shipment of antique glass was discovered at Cap Camarat (Var), where a Roman ship had run aground.

Antique glasses found at Cap Camarat at the Musée de la Préhistoire in Menton

Museum of Prehistory in Menton: how to get there

Where to find the museum

  • In Menton
  • 10-minute walk from the Old Port
  • 3min walk from Town Hall
Menton pedestrian street

Access by car and parking

There are a few parking spaces in front of the museum, but we advise you to leave your car at the Parking de l’Hôtel de Ville, a 2-minute walk away.

façade of the Menton prehistory museum
OUR TPS FOR RENTING YOUR CAR IN Provence
  • Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
  • Choose a car that is powerful enough (the roads are steep) but compact (some passages are narrow).
  • Think of thecomplete insurance (some roads are tortuous and narrow).
  • There is a lot of demand, book it early.
See the cars

See our tips

Public transport access

  • The nearest bus stop is “Musée” (lines 1, 2, 3, 6, 8), then a 2-minute walk. Find out more here.
  • The free shuttle bus also leaves you at the “Museum” stop. Read more about his career here.
free shuttle to Menton

Visiting difficulties

There are stairs in the museum. It is, however, accessible to wheelchair users. Find out more here.

stairs in the Menton prehistory museum
PLAN YOUR STAY IN Menton
  • Things to do in Menton
  • Best hotels to stay in Menton
  • Best restaurants
  • Menton’s most beautiful beaches
  • Jean Cocteau Museum
  • Val Rahmeh Garden
  • Village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Menton

Tips for visiting the Museum of Regional Prehistory

Schedules and prices

The museum is open every day except Tuesdays and public holidays, from 10am to 12:30pm and 2pm to 6pm.

Rates:

  • Adults: €3
  • Free for children under 18
  • Free on the 1st Sunday of the month (other free pass holders: information on 04 93 35 84 64)

Admission is free for all on the 1st Sunday of the month.

Find out more about reduced rates and free admission here.

Group tours by prior arrangement.

reconstructions of the first metallurgists in the Menton prehistory museum

How long

Allow around 1 hour to visit the museum.

Best moment

There are very few rainy days in Menton, but the Musée de Préhistoire might be a good idea to fill those days. It’s also very pleasant in very hot weather, when everyone rushes to the beaches.

Menton on a gray day

Direction of visit

The tour is chronological, from 1,200,000 BC to Antiquity.

Visiting with children

We didn’t see any specific courses or activities for children.

underwater reconstruction in the Menton Museum of Prehistory

Eating out

It’s right in the center of town, with plenty of restaurants all around. Our article on the best places to eat in Menton will soon be online, but we can already recommend the Restaurant L’Orangerie, a 3-minute walk from the museum.

Restaurant L'orangerie in Menton

Hotels

You’re right in the center of Menton. Don’t miss our article on our 10 best hotels to stay in Menton.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO THE Côte d’Azur

  • Inspiration

The most beautiful landscapes in 30 photos
Best things to do on the Côte d’Azur
Most beautiful villages
Best beaches on the Côte d’Azur
Most beautiful gardens
Best boat tours (coming soon)
Most beautiful islands
Secret places

Antibes and the mountains

  • Practical advice

Successful travel on the Côte d’Azur (coming soon)
Rent a car in Provence – in Nice – in Cannes – in Marseille – in Aix-en-Provence.

Itineraries: 5 days – 1 week – 10 days
Weekend ideas: best-of – romantic – luxury – unusual

Nice train station

  • Where to stay

Where to stay on the Côte d’Azur
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Best boutique-hotels


  • The must-dos

Best things to do in Nice
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Best things to do in Antibes
Best things to do in Monaco
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Best things to do in Cassis
Best things to do in La Ciotat
Village of Èze

ramparts Antibes
See all our tips (coming soon)
SHE MADE THE TRIP Claire
SHE WROTE THE ARTICLE Sèverine

The 10 commitments of Region Lovers
  1. Visit all the places we tell you about.
  2. For each city, sleep in at least one hotel, visit the ones we recommend.
  3. For each city, eat in at least one restaurant, visit the ones we select.
  4. Pay all our bills in full, refuse any partnership or sponsorship.
  5. Update our articles periodically, with the help of our readers.
  6. Enrich our articles with our on-site experiences.
  7. Use 99% of our own photos
  8. Have a reasoned and transparent use of the AI tool, which we feed with our locally verified information.
  9. Inform about the traveler/writer pairing that gave birth to the article.
  10. Tell you what we do, and do what we tell you!

Claire and Manu

Learn more about the team and our history.


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