Route des Grandes Alpes

The Route des Grandes Alpes is the most ambitious mountain road journey in Western Europe: 720 kilometres crossing the French Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean Sea, traversing sixteen high mountain passes, including the Col de l'Iseran at 2,770 metres — the highest paved pass in the Alps. Built between 1909 and 1937 specifically as a scenic summit route (not a transport corridor), it connects ski resorts, glacial valleys, lavender fields, and the dramatic transition from northern Alpine to Mediterranean climate with a relentlessness of beauty that can feel overwhelming.

The route begins at Thonon-les-Bains on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, a market town of moderate charm whose main virtue is the view across the lake to the Swiss shore. From here the road climbs almost immediately into the Chablais Alps and then the Aravis chain — a series of passes beginning with the Croix-Fry (1,477m) and building in drama and altitude through Cormet de Roselend (1,967m) to the centerpiece: the Col de l'Iseran. On a clear summer day, the Iseran offers a panorama encompassing multiple 3,000-metre peaks, glaciers, and valley systems. The road approaches it through Val-d'Isère — a purpose-built ski resort that in summer transforms into a hiking base with extraordinary access to high terrain.

South of the Iseran, the route drops into the Maurienne Valley and then climbs again to the Col du Galibier (2,642m), perhaps the most famous pass in cycling history — it has featured in the Tour de France more than any other pass. The summit crosses through a tunnel (the upper road is occasionally open in high summer) and the descent to the Col du Lautaret reveals the Meije glacier in front of you — one of the great alpine viewpoints of France. Briançon, the highest city in France (1,326m), stands as a fortified UNESCO World Heritage town designed by Vauban, Louis XIV's master fortification engineer.

The route's southern half descends in character as well as altitude. Through Barcelonnette (a town with an inexplicable 19th-century Mexican connection — many families emigrated to Mexico and returned wealthy) and the gorges of the Var, the landscape transforms from alpine to Provençal. The final passes — Cayolle, Allos, Couillole, Turini — bring you into the Maritime Alps above Nice, where the vegetation becomes Mediterranean and the air carries the first hints of the sea. The route ends at Menton, a pastel-coloured resort town on the Italian border where lemon trees grow in the gardens of belle-époque villas.

For VW T3 and any low-powered vehicle: this route is genuinely demanding. The Iseran and Galibier require sustained climbing at altitude where engines lose power. Check coolant, brakes, and oil before departing. The mountain passes are typically open from late June to October; check road conditions as late snow can close the highest passes into July. The route is incomparably beautiful and absolutely worth attempting with a prepared vehicle, but should not be underestimated.