Route des Grandes Alpes

The route was conceived before the first war by the Touring Club de France to link the Alps end to end, and it runs roughly seven hundred kilometres from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean over about twenty passes, several above two thousand metres: the Iseran at 2,764 metres is the highest paved pass in the Alps, and the Galibier, Izoard, Bonette and Col de la Cayolle follow. Much of it is Tour de France ground and cyclists ride it in numbers each summer. It ends at Menton on the coast, so the landscape shifts from glacier and pasture to lavender and olive over a few days of driving.

What you actually see

• The Iseran - the highest paved pass in the Alps at 2,764 metres.
• The Tour climbs - Galibier, Izoard and the Bonette loop.
• The landscape shift - glaciers to olive groves along one route.
• The mountain villages - Bonneval, Saint-Veran and the high hamlets.

When to go

Late June to September; most high passes are closed by snow from October to late June, and opening dates vary by year. July and August bring heavy cyclist and motorcycle traffic.

Honest expectations

Pass opening dates are weather-dependent and published late, so early-season plans can fail. Roads are narrow with hairpins and heavy summer traffic. Fuel and services on the high sections are sparse.

Nearby

The Vanoise and Ecrins parks lie along the route; Menton is the southern end.