Napoleon came ashore here. On 1 March 1815 he landed at Golfe-Juan with around a thousand men after escaping from Elba, and this beach, now a yacht harbour and a row of seafront restaurants, is where the Hundred Days began. From here he set off up through Grasse, Castellane, Digne, Sisteron, Gap and Grenoble, on a route that became the Route Napoléon and is still marked with little eagle signs along the way.
The bay is a calm and rather sheltered curve between Antibes to the east and Cannes to the west, with the Lérins islands visible off the coast. Vallauris, only two kilometres inland, is the pottery town where Picasso worked after the war, and the shops and workshops still sell ceramics, though quality varies. The coast road is usually congested, especially in July and August, and you should plan to be out of the Riviera by mid-morning. Early starts are not just advice here, they are the whole difference between a pleasant day and a long crawl through built-up areas.
Once you turn north and begin to climb, the air changes. Olive groves and pines give way to dry limestone hills, and the road becomes the familiar sequence of bends and steady gradients that make the Route Napoléon a riders' favourite. Surfaces are generally good, but gravel and loose chippings can collect in the corners after storms, and the traffic of motorhomes and holiday cars can slow things down on summer weekends.
Fuel is no problem in the first hour. Vallauris, Antibes and Le Cannet are all large towns with plenty of stations, and it is wise to fill up before climbing into the hills, where villages are small and stations less frequent. The seafront at Golfe-Juan has cafes and seafood restaurants if you want a proper breakfast, though prices reflect the view, and a bakery in Vallauris will serve you better if you are watching the budget.
Take a minute at the water's edge before you leave. A plaque and a small monument mark the landing, and the sea here, flat and blue in the early light, is a good reminder of why the road ahead was built.