On 1 March 1815, Napoleon, having escaped from exile on Elba, landed on the beach at Golfe-Juan, a few kilometres west of Antibes, with a small band of loyal soldiers, and began his march to Paris. The route he followed through the mountains of Provence to Grenoble is now the Route Napoléon, one of the classic motorcycle roads of France, and Antibes is where rides along it begin and end.
Antibes is one of the most attractive towns on the Riviera. The old town, enclosed by ramparts, has narrow streets, a covered market and the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso worked for a few months in 1946 and which is now the Picasso Museum, with works he made here, full of Mediterranean light, fauns and fish. Below the walls, Port Vauban is one of the largest yacht harbours in Europe, with a quay of enormous superyachts, overlooked by the star-shaped Fort Carré. To the south, the Cap d'Antibes is a peninsula of luxury villas, pine trees and rocky coves, with a coastal path, and Juan-les-Pins is famous for its jazz festival.
The Route Napoléon, the N85, climbs north from Grasse through the Pre-Alps, via Castellane, Digne and Sisteron, to Grenoble, with long stretches of curves, mountain passes, gorges and old towns. It is a magnificent ride, with constantly changing scenery, and the road is generally well surfaced and wide enough to enjoy. On summer weekends, it can be busy with motorcyclists and tourists, and speed controls are frequent.
Coming back to the coast at the end of the day, the traffic around Antibes and Cannes can be heavy, especially in summer. Antibes has plenty of fuel stations, restaurants and cafés. Vallauris, just inland, is known for its pottery, which Picasso helped to revive after the war. The evening light on the old town walls, with the Alps behind and the sea in front, is a beautiful end to the day.