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Route des Grandes Alpes® by bike

Mountains
1 week or more
720 Km
I cycle a lot
Thonon-les-Bains
Nice
Route des Grandes Alpes® à vélo is a fantastic cycling trip through the French Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean sea. Passing through the most beautiful and highest passes of the Alps, this itinerary of more than 700 km takes mythical roads through the Alpine massifs. This demanding route with a significant difference in altitude follows the tourist route of the Grande Alpes with several possible variants from North to South (or the reverse). This adventure can also be undertaken on a bike, with numerous recharging stations along the way.

Elevation of the route

27524 m 27107 m

Waytypes of the cycle route

Cycle path: 41,06 km By road: 1 531,74 km

Surface of the cycle route

Lisse: 1 570,65 km Inconnu: 2,15 km

From Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean by bike through the Alps

Route des Grandes Alpes® signposting

Designed primarily for motorised traffic, the route has two-way tourist road signs (Route des Grandes Alpes) along the 720 km of its main route. The variants are not signposted (remember to download the .GPX tracks). 

Difficulty of the route

The route has a significant difference in altitude, about 17,000 m of positive altitude difference on the main route. You will be riding on mountain roads where traffic can be heavy in some places during the summer months. The use of an EV can facilitate your progress, but you must nevertheless be used to travelling by bike. 

Weather and opening of passes

Remember to find out about the weather and the opening of the passes before you leave. 

Getting to the route by train

The route passes 15 railway stations along the way. At the start, you can reach the station of Thonon-les-Bains by TER from Lyon for example.

Plan your trip on this cycle route
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48,37 Km
Mountains
I cycle a lot

Val d'Isère / Val-Cenis

Head out to conquer one of the giants along the Route des Grandes Alpes®, the Col de l’Iseran pass (2764m)! A summer [...]

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57,32 Km
Mountains
I cycle a lot

Val Cenis / Valloire

Yes, this is a linking stage on the Route des Grandes Alpes®, but not any old linking stage, as here you ride along [...]

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54,05 Km
Mountains
I cycle a lot

Valloire / Briançon

If riding south from Valloire along the Route des Grandes Alpes®, you’ll soon understand why the Maurienne’s [...]

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49,57 Km
Mountains
I cycle a lot

Briançon / Guillestre

Depending on the direction in which you’re tackling the route, this iconic stage is either the first or the last on [...]

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76,19 Km
Mountains
I cycle a lot

Barcelonnette / Valberg

A lovely 77km-long stage that includes taking on the Col de la Cayolle pass (2326m), one of the wildest along the Route [...]

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52,28 Km
Mountains
I cycle a lot

Sospel / Nice

Now here’s an unforgettable day’s cycling! Coming from the north, with your legs feeling the effects of tackling [...]

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