France, French Alps
Route des Grandes Alpes
Distance
684 km
Time
13h 30m
Driving score
9.7
We choose the roads, waypoints are preserved so Google Maps follows the intended route.
Editorial
Why drive it
Seventeen passes, two seas of weather, and one of the great continuous driving experiences on earth. Best taken over three unhurried days.
The Iseran and Galibier are the headline acts, but the quiet cols, Vars, Cayolle, Turini, are where the road becomes personal.
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Road width
- Varies, narrow on the Galibier
- Surface
- Good to excellent
- Best direction
- Thonon → Menton
- Best time of day
- Multi-day
- Best season
- June to September
- Elevation
- 2,770 m, Col de l'Iseran
- Community rating
- 4.9 / 5
Proprietary scoring
The numbers
The journey
Route highlights
Start
Thonon-les-Bains
Lake Geneva shore
Mountain Pass
Col de l'Iseran
Europe's highest paved pass
Mountain Pass
Col du Galibier
Cycling cathedral
Hotel
Barcelonnette
Natural overnight stop
Mountain Pass
Col de Turini
Rally legend, forested and tight
Finish
Menton
Mediterranean, finally
Where to stay
Stay along this drive
Tracing the road between your start and finish
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From the members
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