Grande Corniche

Napoleon’s high road from Nice to Roquebrune climbs past the Nice observatory to the Col d’Èze and La Turbie, sometimes 500 m above the sea, with Nice, Cap Ferrat, Monaco and Cap Martin laid out below.

The road leaves Nice on the Boulevard Bischoffsheim and climbs steadily for about 13 km, looping round the Nice observatory on Mont Gros and passing the Col des Quatre Chemins on the way to the Col d’Èze at 512 m, above the perched village of Èze. Built under Napoleon along the line of the Roman Via Julia Augusta, it keeps high above the coast and avoids the towns between Nice and La Turbie, with views over Nice, Cap Ferrat, Cap Martin and Monaco. Beyond the col it runs past the Parc de la Grande Corniche, a 660 ha departmental park, to La Turbie, known for its frequent fog and the Roman Trophée des Alpes built for Augustus. From La Turbie it descends on smooth bends with few junctions to the old village and castle of Roquebrune, ending at the roundabout where you turn for Menton. Hitchcock filmed parts of To Catch a Thief up here, and the stretch around the Col d’Èze appears in GoldenEye. It is chosen here over the Moyenne Corniche below, which is more developed, carries more traffic and runs as dual carriageway for much of its length.