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Campervan route · Alps → Riviera

The Billionaires’ Road

In Search of Alpine Elegance, Superyachts & Riviera Glamour

From St. Moritz to Saint-Tropez · ~800 km · 10–14 days

The full route, from the Engadin down to the gulf of Saint-Tropez.

Three names that usually turn up in magazine spreads about yachts: St. Moritz, Monaco, Saint-Tropez. Between them lie eight hundred kilometres and the most expensive places in Europe. The good news is that almost everything worth seeing there is public — the coast paths, the quays, the ferries. What costs money is the chair that faces them. You brought yours with you.

The route at a glance

Distance
~800 km
Driving time
~14 h in all, without stops
Recommended time
10–14 days
Stage stops
8
Countries
CH · IT · MC · FR
HIGHEST PASS
Maloja, 1,815 m
Recommended direction
north → south
Best months
May–Jun · Sep–Oct

Documentary check: September 2026.

Good to know before you leave

Download the route PDF · A4 · 5 pages · map and practical guide Stops for your navigation app GPX · the stops in order; your app works out the road

The eight stages

North to south, in the order you drive them

1

ST. MORITZ

Engadin, Switzerland — 1,822 m

The billionaire way

Badrutt's Palace, the Corviglia piste and Via Serlas, the most expensive shopping street in the Alps. In winter, polo on the frozen lake.

By campervan

CampsiteCampingplatz Morteratsch, PontresinaGPS 46.46095, 9.93445 · Open on the map →

Campsites across the Engadin, at Silvaplana and Pontresina. At 1,800 m the nights are cold even in August — have the heater ready.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

Sunrise over Lakes Sils and Silvaplana, and the Bernina railway, a UNESCO site, up to Alp Grüm.

Next legMaloja Pass, 1,815 m, down to Chiavenna — 55 km · ~1½ h by camper. Open all year, gradient up to about 9%, tight hairpins on the Italian side.

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2

LAKE COMO

Lombardy, Italy

The billionaire way

Villa d'Este at Cernobbio, Villa del Balbianello, the houses of Laglio. The lake where Italian fashion throws its summer parties.

By campervan

CampsiteCamping Ideal, Via alla Poncia 17, GravedonaGPS 46.13622, 9.29343 · Open on the map →

Base yourself on the northern shore — Domaso, Gravedona, Gera Lario. That is where the campsites are and where the road is still wide.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

Don't drive towards Bellagio: the shore roads are narrow and there is nowhere to park. Leave the camper in the north and take the Menaggio–Bellagio–Varenna ferry. The same villas, seen from the water, for a few euros.

Next legComo → Milan → A7 → Genoa, about 250 km · ~4 h by camper. Mind the ZTL zones in every historic centre.

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3

PORTOFINO & SANTA MARGHERITA

Ligurian Riviera, Italy

The billionaire way

A bay of ochre houses with yachts moored twenty metres from the terraces. The Splendido at Portofino, Cenobio dei Dogi at Camogli.

By campervan

Camper areaArea camper comunale, Santa Margherita LigureGPS 44.33627, 9.19481 · Open on the map →

You cannot drive into Portofino — restricted traffic zone, and the road ends in a very expensive car park. Base: the municipal aire in Santa Margherita, Via Garibotti, 12 places, no hook-ups.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

The coast path from Camogli via San Fruttuoso to Portofino. You arrive on foot exactly where everyone else arrives by tender.

Next legGenoa → Savona → Sanremo → Ventimiglia → Menton, about 240 km on the A10 · ~3½ h by camper.

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4

MONACO

Principality of Monaco

The billionaire way

Port Hercule, the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the Hôtel de Paris. In late September the Monaco Yacht Show gathers the largest yachts in the world in the harbour.

By campervan

Monaco does not take motorhomes. You cannot stay overnight, and the underground car parks have height barriers that shut you out. Base at Menton, Roquebrune or Cap d'Ail and come in by train — five to ten minutes.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

Climb to La Turbie and the Trophy of Augustus: the whole principality lies below you. In the evening the quays of Port Hercule are public.

Next leg12 km to Èze — but take the Grande Corniche, not the Moyenne: its tunnels have height limits.

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5

ÈZE & SAINT-JEAN-CAP-FERRAT

Alpes-Maritimes, France

The billionaire way

Cap Ferrat is the most expensive real estate in Europe per square metre. Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, La Chèvre d'Or at Èze.

By campervan

Parking on the peninsula is paid from 1 May and sized for cars. Leave the camper at Beaulieu-sur-Mer or Villefranche and carry on by foot or bus.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

The Sentier du Littoral, the path that rings the whole Cap Ferrat peninsula, running behind the most expensive gardens in Europe. Villa Ephrussi is the one place on this route where you actually step inside the wealth instead of looking at it.

Next legThrough Nice to Antibes — 25 km · ~30 min by camper.

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6

ANTIBES — PORT VAUBAN

Alpes-Maritimes, France

The billionaire way

The “Quai des Milliardaires” — the largest superyacht marina in the Mediterranean. Above it, Cap d'Antibes and the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc.

By campervan

CampsiteCamping Les Embruns, 63 Route de Biot, AntibesGPS 43.61205, 7.12569 · Open on the map →

There is no motorhome parking in the centre; the aires lie outside town, towards Biot and Villeneuve-Loubet. Come early in the morning.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

The quay is public. You walk past hundred-metre yachts without paying a thing — closer than you will ever get in Monaco. Plus the Marché Provençal and the Picasso Museum.

Next leg17 km to Cannes along the coast road.

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7

CANNES

Alpes-Maritimes, France

The billionaire way

La Croisette, the Carlton, the Martinez, Palm Beach. In May the Film Festival effectively closes the town.

By campervan

As at Antibes: sleep outside town and come in for the morning. Avoid the festival fortnight entirely — unless that is precisely what you came to see.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

The ferry to Île Sainte-Marguerite, a quarter of an hour: pines, clear water and the fort that held the Man in the Iron Mask. The best value on the whole coast.

Next leg90 km to Saint-Tropez — but count on two to three hours in high season.

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8

SAINT-TROPEZ

Var, France — end of the route

The billionaire way

The Vieux Port, the Sénéquier terrace, the clubs on Pampelonne beach. In July and August a sunlounger costs what a week of camping does.

By campervan

Camper areaAire municipale de camping-cars, 1727 Route de Bonne Terrasse, RamatuelleGPS 43.21156, 6.66158 · Open on the map →

The municipal aire at Ramatuelle, 1727 Route de Bonne Terrasse: 112 places, four nights maximum, 300 m from the beach. Otherwise Port Grimaud.

From documentary sources · September 2026

For next to nothing

Do not drive the D98A in a camper: in summer it is a queue several kilometres long. Leave it and take the Bateaux Verts shuttle from Sainte-Maxime or Port Grimaud. You come into Saint-Tropez from the sea, which is the way the town was meant to be seen.

Next legEnd of the route. For the way home, see the practical guide below.

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Practical guide

Tolls, restrictions, season and the way home

When to go

  • Ideal: mid-May to early June, or all of September.
  • Avoid: July and August — queues on the Saint-Tropez peninsula, full aires, doubled prices.
  • Steer clear of: the Cannes Film Festival (11–22 May 2027) and the Monaco Grand Prix (early June, to be confirmed).
  • Aim for: the Monaco Yacht Show, late September — that is when the yachts gather.

Switzerland — road charges

  • Under 3.5 t: a vignette, compulsory on motorways. The electronic one is tied to the number plate, the sticker to the vehicle. Valid 1 December 2025 – 31 January 2027. Driving without one: a fine plus the vignette.
  • Over 3.5 t: not a vignette but the flat-rate heavy vehicle charge. Register online before entering the country; it applies on all roads, not just motorways.
  • A trailer or caravan needs its own separate vignette.

Italy & France

  • ZTL in almost every Italian historic centre — Como, Genoa, Portofino. Fines follow you home by post.
  • A7 and A10 are toll motorways, paid on exit.
  • Nice low-emission zone: since April 2025 it restricts only vehicles over 3.5 t and Crit'Air 4–5 coaches. Under 3.5 t you are unaffected — but get the Crit'Air sticker anyway, it is cheap.
  • Corniche: on the Nice–Monaco road take the Grande Corniche. The Moyenne has tunnels with height limits.

The way home

Saint-Tropez is the end of the route, not a loop — from here it is 900 km to southern Germany. Two options, both better than the motorway you came on:

  • Along the coast — Cassis and the Calanques, then Marseille and up the Rhône valley. Faster, busier.
  • Inland — the Gorges du Verdon and the Route Napoléon towards Grenoble. A few hours longer and far more beautiful; wide roads, cheap campsites, no queues. This is where you win back what the coast cost you.

“On this route you do not pay for access, you pay for the seat.
The coast paths, the quays and the ferries are public.
What costs money is the chair that faces them.”

The rule of the route
Take the map with you PDF · A4 · 5 pages · map and practical guide

Official sources

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they leave

How do you get the Swiss vignette?
The electronic one is tied to the number plate, the sticker to the vehicle. A camper over 3.5 t pays the flat-rate heavy vehicle charge instead, registered online before entering the country.
Can you sleep in a camper in Monaco?
No. Monaco does not take motorhomes overnight, and the underground car parks have height barriers. You sleep at Menton, Roquebrune or Cap d'Ail and come in by train, five to ten minutes.
Can the route be driven in a 7-metre camper?
Yes, the whole way. The only stretch that needs care is the Maloja pass, with tight hairpins on the Italian side and a gradient of up to 9%.
When is the best time for this route?
Mid-May to early June, or all of September. In July and August the Saint-Tropez peninsula queues, the aires are full and prices double.

Documentary check: September 2026. Next review: April 2027. Prices, timetables and restrictions change every season — check them before you leave. How we build a route →