Stand on the fields where armies clashed during the final defence of Napoleonic France, from quiet Champagne villages to commanding ridges overlooking sweeping plains. The journey explores remarkably preserved landscapes where the terrain still explains the movements of troops and artillery. Visitors see bridges, crossroads and villages that formed the focal points of combat, while elevated viewpoints reveal the wider battlefields across which Napoleon manoeuvred his forces.

Historic towns provide atmospheric settings for discussion, with medieval streets, rivers and church towers often visible in contemporary accounts of the fighting. The tour also includes evocative memorials and monuments marking key actions of the campaign. The experience concludes at the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau, where grand imperial halls and the famous Cour d’Honneur offer a powerful setting for reflecting on the dramatic final chapter of Napoleon’s rule.

Following the disaster in Germany the previous year. Napoleon’s defensive campaign of 1814 was remarkable as he fought against vastly superior and better supplied Allied armies that had advanced deep into France. With greatly reduced forces, Napoleon conducted a series of rapid manoeuvres across the plains and river valleys of Champagne, striking isolated enemy columns in an attempt to delay the march on Paris.

During the celebrated Six Days’ Campaign in February he won a sequence of sharp victories at Champaubert, Montmirail, Château-Thierry and Vauchamps, briefly restoring French morale and demonstrating the operational brilliance that had long defined his command. Yet the emperor’s successes could not alter the strategic balance.

Vast Allied armies continued to converge on the capital, and the exhausted French army lacked the numbers to stop them everywhere at once. As the struggle shifted steadily east and south through the Marne, Aube and Seine valleys, the Allies closed on Paris. The capital fell at the end of March, forcing Napoleon’s abdication and bringing the long Napoleonic Wars to their first conclusion.

Day 1: London to Troyes
Travel from London St Pancras with Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord station where the group assembles. Then continue into the heart of Champagne to Troyes, an important operational centre during Napoleon’s desperate defence of France in 1814. Troyes changed hands several times during the campaign and provided Napoleon with a base for manoeuvre between the converging Allied armies. Evening arrival and introduction to the campaign. (D)

Day 2: Brienne and La Rothière
Drive to Brienne-le-Château, where Napoleon attended military school and where he fought a fierce battle against Blücher in January 1814. The battlefield, château and surrounding countryside illustrate the opening clash of the campaign. Continue to nearby La Rothière, site of the first major defeat suffered by Napoleon on French soil. The open landscape still conveys the scale of the winter battle fought among villages, woods and frozen ground. (B,D)

Day 3: Champaubert and Montmirail
Explore the fields of Champaubert, where Napoleon launched the celebrated Six Days’ Campaign, destroying a Russian corps isolated from the main Allied army. Continue to Montmirail, scene of one of Napoleon’s most impressive victories of the campaign, where French forces defeated Russian and Prussian troops attempting to unite their armies. (B,D)

Day 4: Château-Thierry and Vauchamps
Visit Château-Thierry, where Napoleon pursued the defeated Allied forces toward the Marne River. The town and surrounding hills reveal the direction of the fighting and retreat. Continue to Vauchamps, where Napoleon completed the Six Days’ Campaign with a decisive victory over Blücher’s army across the rolling Champagne countryside. (B,D)

Day 5: Mormant, Valjouan and Montereau
Travel south toward Paris to examine the battles of Mormant and Valjouan, where Napoleon struck isolated Allied columns advancing toward the capital. Continue to Montereau, where the French army forced the enemy back across the Seine. The bridge and surrounding terrain still illustrate the dramatic final assault that helped delay the Allied advance. (B,D)

Day 6: Craonne and Laon
Drive to the dramatic ridge of Craonne, where Napoleon attacked strong Allied positions along the heights of the Chemin des Dames. The commanding ridge still provides sweeping views across the battlefield. Continue to the historic hilltop city of Laon, where Napoleon unsuccessfully attempted to break Blücher’s army in March 1814. The fortified skyline of the cathedral city remains much as it appeared during the campaign. Late afternoon will be free to explore Reims and enjoy dinner at your own expense. (B)

Day 7: Arcis-sur-Aube and Fère-Champenoise
Visit Arcis-sur-Aube, where Napoleon fought one of the final major engagements of the campaign against overwhelming Allied numbers. Continue to Fère-Champenoise, where French forces attempting to regroup were defeated in one of the last major actions before the fall of Paris. (B,D)

Day 8: Fontainebleau and Return to London
Travel to Fontainebleau, the magnificent palace where Napoleon abdicated in April 1814. The château and its famous Cour d’Honneur, where he bade farewell to the Old Guard, provide a poignant conclusion to the story of the campaign. Travel to Paris Gare du Nord station where the tour ends unless you are returning with us to London St Pancras via Eurostar. Or fly to Rome to join our Flight of the Eagle tour. (B)