Route des Grandes Alpes

Stretching about 700 km from Thonon-les-Bains on the shore of Lake Geneva to Menton on the Mediterranean, this route runs the length of the French Alps and crosses more than ten mountain passes, including the Iseran and Galibier.

The Route des Grandes Alpes was planned in the early 20th century by the French Touring Club and was completed in full after the Iseran Pass road opened in 1937. It runs about 700 km from Thonon-les-Bains on the southern shore of Lake Geneva to Menton on the Mediterranean, crossing some 16 mountain passes, the highest being the Col de l'Iseran at 2,764 m. In the north it passes Léaz, the Col de la Colombière and the Col des Aravis into the Beaufortain region, crosses the Col du Roselend to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then goes via Tignes and Val-d'Isère over the Iseran Pass into the Maurienne Valley. In the middle section it crosses the Col du Télégraphe, the Col du Galibier (2,642 m) and the Col du Lautaret to the fortress town of Briançon, then passes the lunar, desert-like landscape of the Col de l'Izoard. In the south it runs via Barcelonnette. Drivers can choose between the Col de la Cayolle and the Bonette loop, which includes one of Europe's highest paved roads, then continue through Saint-Martin-Vésubie and over the Col de Tende down to Nice and Menton. The trip is best done in 5–8 days and is open only in summer. The high passes are narrow and steep, and some sections have no guardrails. Cyclists are common in summer, and the route is closed during the Tour de France. Petrol stations are spaced far apart along the way, and mountain accommodation is mainly small-town hotels and mountain huts.

Along the route

  1. Thonon-les-Bains
  2. Les Gets
  3. Col de la Colombière
  4. Beaufort
  5. Bourg-Saint-Maurice
  6. Val d'Isère & Tignes
  7. Col de l'Iseran
  8. Valloire
  9. Col du Galibier
  10. Briançon
  11. Col d'Izoard
  12. Barcelonnette
  13. Col de la Bonette
  14. Col de Turini
  15. Nice & Côte d'Azur
  16. Nice & Côte d'Azur