Many of our days were spent
heading off into the mountains
around Grasse, but for two of
the most memorable routes we drove to
other places.
One great day we started in Menton,
near the Italian border, and cycled to the
Italian village of Bajardo in Liguria, which
is known as the gateway to the Alps. It’s
an epic climb along these narrow roads,
through some of the most beautiful
villages we’ve ever seen – and you can
see snowy mountains in the distance
along certain stretches. On the way back
it goes really fast and you can see the
Mediterranean glittering in the distance
long before you get to it. We passed San
Remo, a picturesque town on the Ligurian
coast, around sunset, and got back to the
car along stunning coastal roads.
Another beautiful ride was along the
coast road from Mandelieu, near Cannes,
to Sainte-Maxime near Saint-Tropez. It’s
pretty much flat, which is a bit hard to
find on the French Riviera. You’re by the
sea almost the whole way, and the sea
views and little villages along the way are
gorgeous. Our route was 70 miles, but you
can do less and take it at a much more
leisurely pace.
»
The rides
The hard
route
The easy
route
Menton
Ventimiglia
Camporosso
Dolceacqua
Ceriana
Sanremo
Bajardo
France
Italy
Sainte-Maxime
Saint-Tropez
Saint-Raphaël
Théoule-sur-Mer
Cannes
“From St-Tropez to
Cannes the sea
views are gorgeous”
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