This does not start as a lazy roll along the Promenade. The route climbs straight out of Nice towards Èze and La Turbie, with the sea far below and Monaco fixed to the slope. Almost 500 m of elevation come early, before the road drops to Menton and crosses into Italy at Ventimiglia. Liguria starts tight: towns squeezed between railway, cliffs and water. Sanremo and Imperia add palms, harbours and old Riviera façades. After Andora, the coast relaxes a little. Alassio finishes the day with beach, arcades and narrow old-town lanes.
