Col de la Bonette and Col de Turini by Motorcycle: The Maritime Alps to the Sea

The Maritime Alps are the last great mountains before the Mediterranean, and they pack an astonishing range of riding into a small space: from high, barren cols above 2,700 metres to tight rally roads through olive and chestnut forest, all within a day's ride of the sea. This guide covers the two passes riders come for: the Col de la Bonette, with the highest stretch of tarmac in France, and the Col de Turini, the hairpin playground of the Monte Carlo Rally. Joined by the Tinée and Vésubie valleys, they make a ride of around 200 kilometres from Barcelonnette to the coast.

Planning the ride

Barcelonnette in the Ubaye valley is the base for the northern end. Ride it north to south as one long day, or split it with a night in Saint-Martin-Vésubie and do the Turini fresh in the morning. Riders on the Route des Grandes Alpes cover parts of this route on their last two days; this guide is for riders who want to base in the Maritime Alps and ride them properly.

The route, section by section

Barcelonnette to the Col de la Bonette (about 25km). From Barcelonnette ride east to Jausiers, where the D64 turns south and starts the climb. The road rises through larch forest and old military buildings onto a barren high plateau of scree and grey rock, with the Bonette's summit cone ahead. The col itself is at 2,715 metres, and a short loop road circles the Cime de la Bonette to reach 2,802 metres, where the signs claim the highest road in Europe. It is not quite the highest paved road in the Alps, but it is the highest in France and nothing about the view will disappoint you. Park and walk the few minutes to the top of the cone for a huge panorama on a clear day.

The Bonette to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée (about 50km). The southern descent is one of the longest in the Alps: down past the old Camp des Fourches barracks, through Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage and into the Tinée valley at Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. Below Isola the valley narrows into gorges of red rock, and the road follows the river down to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée.

Over the Col Saint-Martin to Saint-Martin-Vésubie (about 35km). At Saint-Sauveur turn east and climb through Rimplas and Valdeblore to the Col Saint-Martin at the ski station of La Colmiane, then drop into Saint-Martin-Vésubie, a mountain village of stone houses that makes a good overnight stop.

Saint-Martin-Vésubie to the Col de Turini (about 30km). Ride down the Vésubie valley toward Lantosque and La Bollène-Vésubie, then turn up the western ramp of the Turini. This side climbs through chestnut and pine in a long series of hairpins, some of them tight enough to need first gear on a big bike, to the col at 1,607 metres, a small clearing with a few hotels and restaurants. The Monte Carlo Rally has raced over the Turini for decades, often at night in snow, and you can feel why: it is an endless rhythm of bends.

Turini to Sospel and the sea (about 60km). The eastern descent through the Bévéra valley to Moulinet and Sospel is just as twisty and quieter. Sospel, with its old bridge, is the last mountain town before the coast. From there the Col de Castillon drops to Menton, or the Col de Braus, another old rally road with a cluster of tight hairpins, leads over to L'Escarène and Nice.

Getting there

From the north, Barcelonnette is reached over the Col de Vars from Guillestre or along the Ubaye valley from the Serre-Ponçon lake. From Italy, the Col de Larche (Colle della Maddalena) crosses from the Stura valley near Cuneo and comes down to the Ubaye just above Jausiers, which makes a fine approach in itself. Riders starting on the coast can ride the route in reverse: Nice or Menton to Sospel, the Turini, the Vésubie and the Tinée, and the Bonette last, with Barcelonnette as the overnight stop. Ridden that way, the Bonette's long southern climb comes at the end of the day, so leave plenty of daylight.

The roads

The Bonette is a high, exposed road with narrow sections and no barriers on parts of the plateau. The surface varies and can be broken at the edges, gravel washes across after storms, and cattle and sheep graze on the high ground. The valley roads below are better, though rockfall and roadworks are common in the Tinée gorges, and the Vésubie valley road was badly damaged by flooding in recent years and has been rebuilt in sections; expect works and traffic lights. The Turini is narrow and tight with poor sightlines, and the shaded hairpins stay damp and dirty. Fuel is available in Barcelonnette, Jausiers, Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, Saint-Martin-Vésubie and Sospel, but not on the cols.

When to go

The Bonette is a high, seasonal road: it usually opens in June and closes in October or at the first heavy snow, and can close for a day after summer storms. The Turini is lower and open most of the year, though snow and ice are common in winter. Late June to September is the reliable window for the whole ride; September and early October are often the best months, with clear air and quieter roads after the French summer holidays. Check road status with the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department for the Bonette's northern side, and with the Alpes-Maritimes department's road information service for everything south of the col.

Rules and tolls

None of the roads on this route charges a toll. French motorways do, but you only need them to leave the coast. France requires gloves for all riders and passengers, and you must carry a high-visibility vest. The coast around Nice and Menton is busy and heavily policed.

Where to stay

Barcelonnette and Jausiers in the Ubaye, Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée and Isola in the Tinée, and Saint-Martin-Vésubie or Sospel at the southern end all suit this ride. See all French Alps biker hotels. North of Barcelonnette, the Col de Vars and the Col d'Izoard lead on to Briançon and the high cols of the Route des Grandes Alpes, and from the coast you can ride east into Italy and up the Aosta valley to the Great St Bernard.