Baguette & Cheese: Route Napoleon & Luxembourg

Thirteen days through the French Alps, along the Italian border and into Luxembourg, riding the Route Napoleon in the opposite direction to everybody else. The operator is open about why: taken from Grenoble south to Sisteron, it is simply a better ride.

The history is real. Napoleon came north along this road in 1815 after escaping Elba, gathering support as he went, on the way to Grenoble and eventually Waterloo. Riding it in reverse retraces his route backwards, which is a slightly perverse pleasure and makes for better corners. The Combe Laval balcony road, cut into a cliff face, and the Col de la Machine sit on the same stretch, and Sisteron has a fortified citadel above the Durance.

Then it works east and south. A detour into the Gorges du Verdon, the deepest canyon in Europe, leads past Cannes to a wheel dipped in Monaco and a night in Sanremo, then mountain roads along the French and Italian border, the Parc National des Ecrins and a run of passes towards Mont Blanc. Vignette-free Swiss backroads and the Black Forest B500 follow, then the Vosges, and three nights in Vianden in Luxembourg with free days and an optional Nurburgring visit.

Moto Travel Dude include the return Eurotunnel crossing, a UK guide riding his own bike, all accommodation with secure parking, every breakfast, and the routes and information pack. Fuel, insurance, breakdown cover and evening meals are separate. Twelve nights is a proper trip, and this one covers mountains, coast and a long slow finish.