ROUTE NAPOLEON AND OTHER GREAT ROADS

For motor sport, car & bike fans the surrounding area has a huge amount to offer. We're big fans ourselves and can provide the information on how to best get to the events and places below and what best to do, and to avoid, once there.

At a grass roots level, the roads surrounding Le Foulon provide some of the best drives and rides possible. Why else would John Frankenheimer (Director of the legendary film Grand Prix) choose these very roads for the awesome mountain car chase in the film Ronin, rated up there with the very best car chases ever? The picture at the top of this page was taken on this very road, just 5 minutes north of Le Foulon. And it was shot in the middle of March - a great time of year for a driving holiday without the intense summer heat.

Here's a YouTube link for the whole chase from Ronin, mainly filmed on the road up to Gréolières les Neiges and the road overlooking Le Foulon just above Gréolières village itself - which is where De Niro bazookas the Peugeot onto its roof. The end of the chase is filmed in Nice Old Town.

Here's James Bond in Golden Eye doing battle in his original DB5 Aston against a Ferrari 355.Filmed on the exact same route from the ski station of Gréolières les Neiges down to our village of Gréolières. They had to fit large flat-headed roofing nails into the tyres of the Ferrari to get it to slide at the same speed as the old Aston.

These same roads are also very popular with motor manufacturers. Aston Martin launched the DB9 here and more recently Porsche used the Route Napoleon to launch it's 2012 Boxter. In 2009 Ford chose the Col du Vence to introduce the World's press to the Focus RS. There are dozens of different reviews on YouTube, but here's one of the best from Jason Plato.

We are also just a stone's throw from the bottom of the Route Napoleon - one of the greatest roads in the World. Following the path Napoleon took in 1815 from Juan les Pins to Grenoble, it's simply a motoring pleasure. Vista after vista are delivered along a sinuous stretch of smooth tarmac - a must for any motoring fan at least once in their life. If you choose to drive to the South of France from northern Europe then this is simply the best way to arrive and we can recommend some excellent places to stay mid-way through France.

GARAGE AND WORKSHOP FACILITIES

Le Foulon has a large garage that could accommodate your pride and joy, and if you're bringing a classic car then we can even offer a full workshop including a 2 post lift, so you can take care of any running repairs- and there's no additional charge for our workshop facilities and an extra pair of hands should you need it. If you wish to drive down in something special and need it garaged just let us know at the time of booking.

MONACO GRAND PRIX - END OF MAY

The Monaco Grand Prix is the one to watch in your life. Even if you only casually follow the formula one season you will be quite simply blown away by the noise, the speed and the atmosphere here. If you have a bucket list the F1 at Monte Carlo should be on it.

On any other day Monaco is only an hour and 15 minutes drive, but on race day you can add half an hour if you want to drive down early. Alternatively take the train from near by Cagnes sur Mer. The train hugs the incredible coast from Nice and drops you into the heart of Monaco at the cathedral-like new station. We can provide the maps, a hint on how to avoid the suddenly elevated station parking prices, and the best places to view the GP depending on your budget. Viewing F1 at Monaco needn't require a win at the Casino.

MONACO CLASSIC GRAND PRIX

To some this is even more exciting than the modern F1 race weekend. Held in Monaco every other year it takes place one week before the current Grand Prix and sees the return of classic racing cars dating back 70 years. These priceless survivors of their hard racing careers aren't molly coddled round the full F1 track either - they're driven as though the World Championship is at stake. To see and hear the evolution of an F1 car on a tight street circuit like Monaco is amazing

MONTE CARLO HISTORIC RALLY

Taking a different route each January the Monte Carlo historic rally passes through the mountain roads north of Le Foulon on it's way down to Monaco. If you are a classic car fan then there's no need to tell you what a great event this is, with rally cars from the fifties, sixties and seventies competing for their honour.

We know these roads and the area well and can advise the best place for spectating, when to go and what to do. We can even provide pack lunches should you need them and any televised coverage can be shown in the evening on the big screen in the bar - subject to majority rule of course! Why not bring your classic car club down en masse and enjoy our excellent winter group rates.

ANTIBES RALLY AND THE CANNES CROISETTE RALLY

The Antibes Rally is a tarmac event and part of the National French Championship. Held in these very hills, often with a staging post in Gréolières itself, this is a great opportunity to see close up these modern rally cars and the drivers aspiring to a drive in the World Rally Championship. Held in early October it's a great time of year to visit the area and a very easy rally to spectate - you won't have to be hiking for hours to get a good view point and as it's France everything stops for a good lunch.

The Croisette Rally of Cannes is a local grass-roots event and no less exciting for it. Nine times out of ten these are owner drivers, it's their passion and a family event, with everyone mucking in to make the budget stretch further. And often their enthusiasm exceeds their ability, making it a spectators delight as they slip slide their cars round the mountain hairpins. Once again this rally is held on the road surrounding Le Foulon and we can point you in the right direction to get the most from the event.