Ride.
The Route Napoléon is the path Napoleon I followed in 1815 during his return from Elba.
- Miles: 207
- Start: Antibes
- End: Grenoble
- Time: 6 to 12 hours
- Suitability: all bikes and riders
From south to north:
Grenoble
Antibes
Grasse
Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey
Castellane
Digne
Sisteron
Gap
Col Bayard
Corps
La Mure
Laffrey
The journey kicked off at Golfe-Juan, where Napoleon landed on March 1, 1815, marking the start of the Hundred Days that ended at Waterloo. Leading about 1,000 men with horses and equipment, he made it to Grenoble in under a week, arriving on March 7. From there, he headed to Paris, where, as Balzac put it, “France gave herself to Napoleon, just as a pretty girl abandons herself to a Lancer.”
The route, inaugurated in 1932, winds its way from the French Riviera north-northwest along the foothills of the Alps. Highlights include the charming towns of Grasse, Castellane, and Sisteron, as well as the stunning Gorges du Verdon, just a short detour from the main path.
