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Most of the hiking and rafting through this area is challenging to difficult. If you’d rather not work so hard, but are are keen to see the many “cluses” – the steep-sided, transverse valleys that crisscross the area – to drive along the crests and ridges of the gorges and to enjoy the sweeping views of the Alps, the Mediterranean and the many perched villages, consider driving the Route Napoléon (www.route-napoleon.com/gb/index).
This is the route taken by Napoleon upon his return from Elba. Coming ashore with 1,000 troops at Golfe Juan in March 1815, he traveled through Haute Provence to Grenoble over the next six days, going from one sympathetic village to another, stopping here and there for meals or to await news of his supporters.
Besides being a tremendously scenic (and in some places a hair-raising drive for anyone with a fear of heights), the route is a sort of French pilgrimage, with historic markers along the way noting the houses, inns and châteaux that harbored the returning emperor – their version of “George Washington slept here.”
The traditional way to drive is to follow Napoleon’s route up from the coast to Sisteron, but you can just as easily reverse the journey. Either way, it’s a 180-km/112-mile drive and should take most of the day.
From Sisteron, take the D4 South, passing through Volonne and Malijai, where Napoleon spent the night of March 4 in an 18th-century château beside the Bléone River. Leave Malijai, on the N85 in the direction of Digne. The road follows the river.
From Digne, abandon the historic route – which follows the D20 South – and remain on the N85, which will take you through the Clue de Chabrières. The N85 rejoins the historic route at Chaudon Norante. Remain on the N85, passing through Barrème (noted for its geology and for which a geological age has been named), and Senez. Between Senez and Castellane you will pass through the Clue de Taulanne before climbing to the scenic vista at Col des Leques. Farther south, the route passes through another “clue” near Seranon. After Seranon, the route rises in a series of what the French call lacets (and we refer to as hairpin turns or switchbacks). There are scenic vistas and lookouts all along the way. About one km/.6 mile before Seranon, watch for signs for the Belvedere de Baou Mourine, a right turn off the N85 up a steep and winding road (about one km/.6 mile plus a half-hour more on foot). From here you will see the Golfe de la Napoule, and the Massifs de L’Estérel and des Maures.
Rejoin the N85 and continue south to Grasse. Exceptional views of the coast, of the Iles de Lerins, of Grasse and of countless perched villages, continue to open up. Leave Grasse for Cannes on the N567, passing through Mouans-Sartoux and stopping at the lovely village of Mougins. Leave Cannes on the N7, following the shore route to Golfe Juan.
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