Once a year, we drive from Switzerland to the south of France, driving along some parts of the legendary Route Napoleon… it’s just such a pretty alpine road!
There are many pretty towns along the way and some very curvy roads up and down the hills.
History begins on March 1st, 1815, when Napoleon Bonaparte first set foot on Golfe-Juan beach, after one year of exile. By his side, 1200 men were ready to conquer Paris and sit their emperor on the throne once again. It marks the beginning of a six-day and 324 kilometre epic journey. At the time, Napoleon and his men took the direction of the Alps and followed the muleteers’ footpaths to avoid being detected by the royalist resistance. The “Route Napoleon”, officially named in 1932, regiously follows a part of his itinerary, going through two regions (Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alps) and four departments (Alps Maritimes, Alpes de Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes and Isère).
