Route Napoléon
The Route Napoléon is a road through the southern French Alps, and it follows the footsteps of a man who was trying to take back an empire. Honoré de Balzac later wrote that France gave herself to Napoleon just as a pretty girl abandons herself to a Lancer. That image suggests a country that surrendered almost without a fight. This documentary asks how a small landing party could cross mountain country so quickly. It also asks where the journey began, where it led, and how the path became a road that travelers can follow today.
On the 1st of March 1815, Napoleon I stepped ashore at Golfe-Juan, a bay close to Cannes. He was returning from exile on Elba, and this landing opened the period known as the Hundred Days. He did not arrive with a vast army. He led around 1,000 men, along with horses and equipment. From the coast he turned toward the mountains, and the march north took less than seven days. On the 7th of March 1815 the column reached Grenoble. From there Napoleon went on to Paris. The Hundred Days that began on a Riviera beach ended at Waterloo.
In 1932 the route was inaugurated as a road, more than a century after the march it commemorates. It meanders from the French Riviera north-northwest, running along the foothills of the Alps. Today it is not a single numbered highway. It runs together with sections of route N85 and with Routes D1085, D4085, and D6085. Travelers who follow it can add a slight diversion to the Gorges du Verdon, which sit just off the main line. The route's name still points back to the winter of 1815 and the ruler who crossed these slopes.
Read from south to north, the route is a chain of French towns. It starts at Antibes and passes through Grasse and Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey. It continues to Castellane, Digne and Sisteron, then on to Gap. Grasse, Castellane and Sisteron are named among the highlights. Beyond Gap the road climbs to the Col Bayard, a pass at 1,246 metres. It then descends through Corps, La Mure and Laffrey. Its final stop is Grenoble, the city where Napoleon's column arrived on the 7th of March 1815.
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Common questions
What is the Route Napoléon?
The Route Napoléon is the route Napoleon I took from Golfe-Juan, near Cannes, to Grenoble when he returned from Elba in 1815. It now runs together with sections of route N85 and Routes D1085, D4085, and D6085.
When did Napoleon land at Golfe-Juan on the Route Napoléon?
Napoleon disembarked at Golfe-Juan on the 1st of March 1815. His landing began the Hundred Days, which ended at Waterloo.
How long did Napoleon take to travel the Route Napoléon?
Napoleon completed the journey in less than seven days. He reached Grenoble on the 7th of March 1815, leading around 1,000 men, horses and equipment.
When was the Route Napoléon inaugurated?
The Route Napoléon was inaugurated in 1932. It meanders from the French Riviera north-northwest along the foothills of the Alps.
Which towns are on the Route Napoléon?
From south to north, the route passes Antibes, Grasse, Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey, Castellane, Digne, Sisteron, Gap, Col Bayard, Corps, La Mure, Laffrey and Grenoble. Grasse, Castellane and Sisteron are among its highlights.
How high is the Col Bayard on the Route Napoléon?
The Col Bayard stands at 1,246 metres. It lies between Gap and Corps on the Route Napoléon.
All sources
6 references cited across the entry
- 1Napoleon's gravity-defying 325km road2022-01-21
- 4A Napoleonic road tripRory Goulding