The adventure will kick off where the Mediterranean meets the open road. From Montpellier's historic boulevards, the Great Roads drivers will head straight for the coast, arriving at La Grande Motte — a striking seaside town where futuristic pyramid architecture rises against the blue of the sea. Wide coastal roads, salt marshes, and marina views set the tone for the miles ahead: this is where the engines warm up and the real journey begins.
From the Côte d'Azur's glittering coastline, the drivers will push east along the French Riviera, tracing a ribbon of tarmac past Cannes, Nice, and Monaco, where cliffside curves open onto endless Mediterranean views. The road doesn't slow down at the border — the Autostrada dei Fiori will carry the convoy on into Italy, hugging the coast through tunnels and viaducts before rolling into Genova, the maritime jewel of the Ligurian Sea. Few stretches of tarmac deliver this much drama per kilometer.
Leaving Genova's harbor behind, the drivers will turn inland, trading coastal views for the winding passes of the Ligurian Apennines. The road climbs through forested hills and quiet mountain villages before descending into the Po Valley, where the pace slows and the scenery turns golden — vineyards, farmhouses, and the promise of Parmigiano and prosciutto ahead. The drive into Parma is a shift in rhythm: from salt air to slow food, from switchbacks to the timeless elegance of Emilia's culinary capital.
From Parma, the road will turn toward speed and spectacle: a stop at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese puts the drivers face to face with Italian performance engineering at its rawest — a fitting jolt of adrenaline before the miles ahead. The route will then sweep east across the plains of Emilia and Veneto, catching glimpses of vineyards and medieval towers, before the terrain rises gently toward the Slovenian border. By the time the convoy rolls into Ljubljana, the shift is complete — from raging bulls to a capital of dragons, bridges, and effortless charm.
Ljubljana earns two full days on this year's route — enough time to slow down and actually live in a city instead of just passing through. By day, the drivers will venture out to Croatia's dramatic coastline and mountain roads, chasing turquoise water and hairpin climbs before returning in the evening to Slovenia's charming capital. By night, Ljubljana comes alive: riverside bars along the Ljubljanica, a skyline crowned by its hilltop castle, and a old town that feels made for wandering. History by day, energy by night — this stopover is where the road trip becomes a story.
Leaving Ljubljana behind, the drivers will point north into the heart of the Dolomites. The route will climb steadily through Slovenia's alpine edges and into Italy's Südtirol, where valleys narrow and the road begins to earn its reputation. The final approach to Passo di Valparola is pure driver's theater — sheer limestone walls, WWI forts carved into the rock, and switchback after switchback climbing toward one of the most spectacular passes in the Dolomites. This is the leg where the road trip becomes a driving trip.
