The Perfect Place for a Proposal with Sun, Sea, and a Spectacular View

A certain spit of rocks in Menton offers one of the most magnificent backdrops of the French Riviera making it the ideal place for a surprise proposal.

As you walk along it out to sea, the spectacular view of the colourful old town forms behind you while you’re not looking – so when you turn around to see behind you it’s suddenly, magically appeared from nowhere, much like a proposal itself. I was lucky enough to be invited to capture this spectacular surprise proposal earlier this summer, which had been six months in the making. Although I was known by him, she had no idea what awaited her – or that the whole scene was being photographed from the perfect angle thanks to some savvy organisation between me and her future husband.

One advantage of proposing here rather than, say Le jardin exotique d’Eze (Eze’s Exotic Gardens), is you don’t need formal permission to photograph here, and so the whole thing can be easily planned, more flexible, and more spontaneous. Another is that unlike Nice's Castle Hill, there are no crowds to get in the way.

Other Proposal Locations on the French Riviera

Examples from Menton's Vue Panoramique:

With the backdrop, the sea breeze, the lapping of the waves and the gasps and applause of on-lookers, this was a truly magical, once-in-a-lifetime moment. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the bride-to-be: one minute she was walking out to sea and traversing rocks, the next, she found herself before a timeless, fairy-tale backdrop and the love of her life was proposing.New Paragraph

Where Is The View Of Menton And How To Get There:

Labelled as the ‘Vue Panoramique de Menton’ on Google Maps, the spit of rocks is found at the end of Quai Impératrice Eugenie, next to the Vieux Port de Menton (the old port of Menton). It’s about a 15 or 20 minute walk from Menton’s SNCF train station, which means the town can be easily accessed from Nice, Antibes, Monaco, and most other places on the French Riviera. 

Practical Advice For Travelling To Menton

If you’re visiting Menton, you’ll likely be visiting the old town, the Basilique Saint Michel Archange de Menton, which can be seen in the background of the image, and the famous yellow steps (which provide another picture opportunity. If you look at the images from this proposal, it’s the basilique that dominates the skyline, which gives you an ideal of scale. After the proposal you can unwind in a beautiful café in the old town, or take a walk along the coast and marvel at the beauty of Cote D’Azur.

Organising A Proposal Photographer

Logistically, getting yourself, your partner, and the photographer all in the right place and facing the right directions at the right time will take some planning and coordination, but the resulting images will be worth it. With this sequence we had organised various subtle cues, which, when combined with WhatsApp, made it possible. If you’d like to discuss your proposal on the French Riviera, please get in touch and I’ll see how I can help.

About me

I’m a British wedding and family photographer based on the French Riviera. I live in Nice with my family of four. You can check out my latest work on my blog – and I’m always happy to advise travellers on the best photo locations for magical couple shoots and romantic photography collections. I speak English and French and am always pleased to help.