United Kingdom to Monaco
Straight down France and into the Alpes Maritimes, with the Route Napoléon and Col de Turini as the finale.
Direct
1240 km
770.5 mi
Scenic route
1520 km
944.5 mi
Days
3
about 13.1 hr direct
Tolls
£130
one way, per car
The drive
London to Monaco is roughly 1,240 km of motorway if you simply point the car south, and the tolls on the A6 and A7 are the biggest single cost of the trip.
The version drivers actually want leaves the autoroute at Grenoble or Sisteron and finishes on the Route Napoléon, then climbs the Col de Turini before dropping to the coast.
Three days is the sweet spot. Two is doable but you will spend the second one entirely on motorway.
April to June and September to October, avoiding the August coastal traffic.
Worth the detour
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to Alpes-Maritimes, France
Route Napoleon
Sweeping historic highway tracing Napoleon's 1815 march through lavender country and pine ridges.
8.8 / 10 · 72 km
Alpes-Maritimes, France
Col de Turini
Legendary Monte Carlo Rally stage stitching together forested hairpins above the Roya valley.
9.1 / 10 · 17 km
Var, France
Gorges du Verdon, Corniche Sublime
Cliff hugging ledge road staring straight down into Europe's grandest limestone canyon.
9.6 / 10 · 24 km
Where to break the drive
Troyes or Beaune
Burgundy first night, good food and easy parking.
Grenoble or Gap
Where the mountains properly start.
Sospel
At the foot of the Turini, quiet and cheap compared with the coast.
Questions
About 1240 km, roughly 770.5 miles, by the most direct route. The scenic version described here runs closer to 1520 km.
Around 13.1 hours of driving on the direct route, which most people split over two days. The scenic route takes 3 days without rushing.
Budget about £130 one way per car in tolls, vignettes and crossings, before fuel and hotels.
April to June and September to October, avoiding the August coastal traffic.
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