The 5 best scenic routes in France: must-see stops
France probably has the best kilometre-to-landscape ratio in Europe: in 700 km you can cross Burgundy vineyards, Auvergne volcanoes, Provence gorges, Alsatian half-timbered villages and cliffs over the English Channel. These five routes are the ones our testers recommend most, and the ones that, without straying from tarmac, offer the best views for a 4-to-7-day road trip.
1. Route Napoléon (Grenoble – Cannes)
325 km of curves through the southern Alps, following the route Napoleon took in 1815 when he returned from the island of Elba. The N-85 crosses Digne-les-Bains, Castellane and Grasse before descending to the Côte d’Azur. Must-see stops: the Serre-Ponçon lake for a swim, Sisteron and its citadel, and a night in a small rural hotel in Castellane before entering the Verdon Gorges. Minimum recommended duration: 3 days. Watch out for the middle of the day in summer: the bends fill up with motorbikes and there are single-lane sections.
2. Route des Grandes Alpes (Thônon – Menton)
720 km, 17 mountain passes, maximum altitude 2,770 m at the Col de l’Iseran. Fully open only between June and September. It is one of the mythical cycling routes — many Tour de France stages — and for a relaxed driver it offers postcard landscapes from dawn to dusk. We recommend splitting the route into 5 stages so you don’t burn out: Val d’Isère, Briançon, Barcelonnette, Saint-Martin-Vésubie and the final descent to the coast. There are mountain hotels at reasonable prices outside August.
3. Côte d’Opale (Calais – Berck)
The D-940 runs 120 km of cliffs and dunes between Calais and Berck-sur-Mer, past Cap Blanc-Nez, Cap Gris-Nez and the WWII landing beaches. On a clear day you can see the English coast. Perfect for a weekend from Paris (3 h on the A-16) or as a warm-up if you arrive by ferry from Dover. Stay in Wissant or Wimereux: fishing villages with charming hotels and excellent seafood.
4. Route des Vins d’Alsace (Marlenheim – Thann)
170 km of departmental road through vineyards and villages with German names that win flower contests every year: Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim. The route is short but we recommend at least 3 days for wineries, castles (Haut-Kœnigsbourg) and the Colmar Christmas market if you go in December. Family-run maison d’hôtes hotels are the best option; book ahead in September–October for the grape harvest.
5. Gorges du Tarn and Millau (Massif Central)
The D-907 runs 80 km at the bottom of the Tarn gorges, with 500-m cliffs over the river. Compulsory add-on: crossing the Millau Viaduct (2.4 km, the tallest cable-stayed bridge in the world, toll around €9 in summer). It is an ideal getaway from Barcelona or Toulouse. Stay in Sainte-Enimie, La Malène or Le Rozier, three medieval villages with small hotels and local-cuisine restaurants (aligot, Roquefort sauce, milk-fed lamb). Rent a canoe if you have an extra day: paddling down the Tarn is the best way to appreciate the scale of the landscape.
Plan your trip with MyTravelPal
MyTravelPal splits any of these routes into realistic stages based on your pace (driving hours, preferred lunch time, usual arrival time at the hotel), suggests hotels near every overnight stop, calculates real toll costs and points to the best fuel station on the stretch. For mountain routes (Grandes Alpes, Route Napoléon) it forecasts the weather on the passes and tells you if any col is closed on the date. So you don’t arrive at Val d’Isère to discover the Iseran still has snow. Get the app here.