Gorges du Verdon Viewpoint
Francehistory

Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble

The road Napoleon took from exile back to Paris, now a 325 km drive through pre-Alps

Distance
202 mi
325 km
Driving
5 hr 42 min
excl. stops
Suggested
3 days
balanced split
Stops
7
curated

Distance and driving time are measured along the mapped route through the 7 stops listed below. Officially signed versions of famous routes often quote a longer figure, since they include promoted detours this line doesn't take.

Gorges du Verdon Viewpoint · Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Opens the planner with every stop loaded. Free, no card needed.

Day by day

Distances are measured along the actual road geometry, not straight-line. Drive times exclude stops, traffic and ferry waits.

What the drive is like

It's split between the N85, the D6085 and the D1085, with no single road carrying more than 36% of it.

This is a mountain drive. It reaches about 1,251 m and climbs around 3,169 m in total, so check the high roads are open before you set off.

The bigger places on the way are Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey and Vizille, handy for fuel and food between the stops.

Part of the drive follows the Route Napoleon (N85).

  • N8536%
  • D608519%
  • D108513%
  • A5111%

How high it goes

~1,251 mCannesGrenoble · 318 km
Height above sea level along the driving route, measured at about 50 points. Total climb roughly 3,169 m.

Passes and famous roads

From the 500-plus roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app.

Famous road · On the route

Route Napoleon (N85)

Famous road · 12 km off the route

Route des Crêtes du Verdon

Mountain pass · 16 km off the route

Col de Vence

Summit
963 m summit

Famous road · 19 km off the route

Corniche Sublime (D71)

Before you go

Best time to drive it

May to June, or September to October

Open all year. The higher sections near Digne and Gap can see snow in winter, and the coast end is very busy in high summer.

Indicative costs

  • Fuel (40 mpg petrol)€42
  • Tolls€21

Tolls assume ~65% of the distance on tolled road. Fuel prices move constantly: treat these as a range, not a quote.

Driving rules

Emission zones, mandatory equipment and licence requirements change country by country, and in 2026 several of them changed mid-year.

Driving in France

Every stop on the Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble

  1. Cannes

    Start

  2. Grasse

    +18 km from the last stop

  3. Castellane

    +60 km from the last stop

  4. Digne-les-Bains

    +51 km from the last stop

  5. Sisteron

    +39 km from the last stop

  6. Gap

    +49 km from the last stop

  7. Grenoble

    +101 km from the last stop

Worth a detour

Curated places within 25 km of the road.

Show 6 more

  • Lavender Fields of Valensole

    scenic viewpoint

    Vast purple lavender plateaus that bloom spectacularly from mid-June to mid-August across the Valensole plain.

  • Corniche de l'Esterel

    coastal drive

    A spectacular coastal road winding through the red porphyry rocks of the Esterel massif between Cannes and Frejus.

  • Cafe de la Rencontre

    cafe

    A historic cafe on the Route Napoleon near Laffrey where Napoleon famously confronted royalist troops in 1815, on one of France's most scenic driving routes.

  • Gorges du Verdon Viewpoint

    scenic viewpoint

    Europe's deepest canyon with 700-metre limestone walls and turquoise water, viewed from multiple pull-offs along the Route des Cretes.

  • Route des Crêtes du Verdon

    famous road

    A one-way clifftop loop above the Verdon canyon with a string of giddy belvederes over the abyss.

  • Lac de Sainte-Croix

    natural wonder

    A vivid turquoise reservoir at the mouth of the Verdon gorge, perfect for pedal-boats and a swim.

Common questions about the Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble

How long does the Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble take?

The driving itself is about 5 hr 42 min across 202 miles (325 km). Most people spread it over 3 days: the day-by-day breakdown on this page splits it into balanced stretches rather than equal ones, so no single day is all driving.

How many miles is the Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble?

202 miles, or 325 km, measured along the actual road rather than straight-line between towns.

When is the best time to drive the Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble?

May to June, or September to October. Open all year. The higher sections near Digne and Gap can see snow in winter, and the coast end is very busy in high summer.

What does the Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble cost in fuel?

Roughly €42 in fuel for a petrol car averaging 40 mpg, plus about €21 in tolls. Indicative only: fuel prices move.

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