Almost every student of Jazz knows the famous song Route 66 penned by Jazz-Ivy icon Bobby Troup in 1946.

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

There are many celebrated highways and travel routes that extend to every country of the world. GrandTours crafts custom tours that allow you to experience the pleasure of traveling on some of them. One such route encompasses the French Riviera, which became famous because of the Emperor Napoleon.

In 1815 Napoleon escaped the island of Elbe in the Mediterranean and landed with a thousand men in Golfe Juan near the seaside town of Cannes, beginning the final Hundred Days of his reign which ended at Waterloo. He marched northwest through Provence and Grasse, the world's perfume capital, into mountainous terrain with raging rivers until he came to Laffrey on the outskirts of Grenoble. Here in Laffrey, Napoleon encountered troops who had been ordered to stop his march on Paris. He walked toward the soldiers, flung open his coat, and challenged them to shoot. They threw down their guns and cheered for him!

Almost 200 years later this historic road would be inaugurated as the Route Napoleon. It is no longer a failed route of conquest but a beautiful highway between the Alps and the Mediterranean. The area is a mecca for the rich and famous from around the world. But even the less well-heeled can partake of its beauty while enjoying the fresh air and waters--all while getting a history lesson

If you're thinking about getting to know some of these world-famous routes, let GrandTours introduce you to them. It could be the journey of a lifetime for you and your students. We can take you up the Fern Pass and over the Austrian Alps, or along one of the major ancient Roman roads first built by Appius Claudius Caecus in 312 BC-- now known as the Appian Way. Imagine yourself on the picturesque Romantic Road winding from Würzburg to Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Even just relaxing in luxury coaches, while traversing the winding autobahns in Germany has its extravagant and beautiful vistas.

Join us on one of our tours. You will not only learn the names of new cities, quaint villages, soaring mountain peaks, azure seas, green valleys and castles, but they will become a treasured part of your world travel experience and an important part of your life, just like those on our American Route 66: “...saint looey, Joplin, Missouri, and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty...” Come along, let's hit the road!