Why this ride
Out of Saint-Raphaël, one way: 30 km, roughly 47 min in the saddle. On the way it passes Anthéor and Le Trayas. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Corniche d Or
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 30 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 47 min
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Corniche d Or
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 15 km this is Corniche d Or, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 15 km
- Named road
- Corniche d Or
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Saint Raphael
Saint-Raphaël is the starting point of one of the most colourful roads in France, and the colour is its subject. The Esterel massif, a low range of volcanic rock behind the town, is made of red porphyry, which glows an almost unreal brick-red against the blue Mediterranean and the dark green of the pines. The town itself is a relaxed seaside resort of about thirty-five thousand people, with a promenade, a casino, a harbour and a handsome church in Neo-Byzantine style, Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire, built in the nineteenth century.
Read the complete Photo stop near Saint-Raphaël write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Saint Raphael is where the day begins. Next is Anthéor.
2. Anthéor
Anthéor is a tiny seaside hamlet on the Corniche d'Or, the coast road between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes, and it sits in a spot where the red rock of the Esterel meets the Mediterranean in a way that no guidebook has ever made seem exaggerated. The cliffs here are a volcanic rock, rust-red and purple, ancient lava that cooled around three hundred million years ago, and they plunge straight into water so blue it seems inked. Above the hamlet the peak of Cap Roux rises, a bare, rose-coloured crag over the sea.
Read the complete Anthéor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Anthéor comes up about 15 km into the recorded legs. Next is Le Trayas.
3. Le Trayas
Le Trayas is the point where the Var gives way to the Alpes-Maritimes on the Corniche d'Or, and for a hamlet with very few buildings it carries a lot of weight in the memory of anyone who has ridden here. The little station on the coastal railway, the scatter of villas on the slopes and the tiny harbour bring a sleepy feel, and the main event is the scenery: red porphyry cliffs, dark green forest and a sea that shifts between turquoise and deep blue as the clouds move.
Read the complete Le Trayas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 22 km into the recorded legs you reach Le Trayas. Next is Theoule sur Mer.
4. Theoule sur Mer
Théoule-sur-Mer is a little town squeezed between the red rocks of the Esterel and the sea, and it looks like a painting from the early days of the French Riviera. The houses are pink and ochre, the harbour is small and crowded with boats, and the hills behind are covered with pines and cork oaks. A fortified château with round towers, dating from the fourteenth century and now used as the town hall, stands near the shore, and the old fishing quarter has narrow streets and small terraces. The population is only about thirteen hundred, though it swells in summer.
Read the complete Near Théoule-sur-Mer write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Theoule sur Mer closes the day.
Leg by leg
Saint Raphael to Anthéor
Saint Raphael → Anthéor is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Anthéor to Le Trayas
Anthéor → Le Trayas is 7 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Le Trayas to Theoule sur Mer
Le Trayas → Theoule sur Mer is 8 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.