Route des Grandes Alpes by Motorcycle: Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean

The Route des Grandes Alpes is the great north-to-south crossing of the French Alps: about 700km from the shore of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean, over more than a dozen cols, several of them above 2,000 metres. It was laid out as a touring route in the early twentieth century and is signposted along much of its length. On a motorcycle it is a five-day ride at a comfortable pace, and one of the best weeks you can spend on a bike in Europe.

Day 1: Thonon-les-Bains to Beaufort area (about 150km)

Start on Lake Geneva at Thonon-les-Bains and climb south through the Dranse gorges to Morzine and the Col des Gets. Drop to Cluses, then climb the Col de la Colombière (1,613m), with its rocky upper section, to Le Grand-Bornand. The Col des Aravis (1,486m) follows above La Clusaz, with Mont Blanc in view on clear days. Through Flumet and over the Col des Saisies, you reach the Beaufortain, home of Beaufort cheese.

Day 2: Beaufort to Valloire (about 190km)

The Cormet de Roselend (1,968m) climbs past the Roselend reservoir and drops to Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Then comes the big one: up the Isère valley past Tignes and Val d'Isère to the Col de l'Iseran at 2,764m, the highest paved through pass in the Alps. The descent to Bonneval-sur-Arc is one of the most beautiful in France. Follow the Maurienne valley down to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, then climb the Col du Télégraphe (1,566m) to Valloire.

Day 3: Valloire to Guillestre (about 110km)

From Valloire the Col du Galibier (2,642m) climbs into bare high mountain. Descend to the Col du Lautaret, facing the glaciers of the Meije, and on to Briançon. Then comes the Col d'Izoard (2,360m), whose southern side crosses the Casse Déserte, a moonscape of scree and rock towers. Drop to Guillestre for the night.

Day 4: Guillestre to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée (about 140km)

The Col de Vars (2,109m) leads to the Ubaye valley and Barcelonnette. From Jausiers the route climbs to the Col de la Bonette (2,715m), and a short loop around the summit cone reaches 2,802m, often called the highest paved road in Europe. The long descent through Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée follows the Tinée gorges south. (The official route goes over the Col de la Cayolle instead, a narrower and quieter pass; both are worth doing.)

Day 5: To Menton (about 110km)

The final day crosses the Maritime Alps through a tangle of smaller cols, among them the Col Saint-Martin and the Col de Turini (1,607m), famous from the Monte Carlo Rally, with tight hairpins on both sides. From Sospel the Col de Castillon drops you into Menton and the sea.

The roads

Surfaces vary from excellent to rough. The high cols can have broken edges, gravel after storms, frost-damaged patches and narrow, unguarded sections, and the descents are long enough to tire your brakes and your concentration. Expect cyclists on every climb, cattle on the high pastures, and campervans in the tunnels and hairpins. Fuel is easy in the valleys but there is none on the cols, so fill up in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Briançon and Barcelonnette.

When to go

The highest cols (Iseran, Galibier, Bonette) are usually open from June to October, but snow can close them at either end of the season and during summer storms. Late June to mid-September is the safest window. Mid-June and late September are quieter but carry more risk of a closed pass, so check before each day. July and August bring the heat in the south and the Tour de France crowds on stage days.

Where to stay

Classic overnight stops are Beaufort or Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Valloire, Briançon or Guillestre, Barcelonnette or Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, and then the coast. See all French Alps biker hotels. Book ahead in July and August, when the high villages fill with walkers and cyclists as well as riders.