The French Alps Grand Tour
A summer road trip down the spine of the French Alps - from Lake Annecy over Mont-Blanc and the giant passes of the Route des Grandes Alpes (Iseran, Galibier, Bonette) through the Mercantour to the Riviera at Nice. Lakes and hiking at the top, hairpin cols in the middle, palm trees at the finish.
7–13 days · Point-to-point
When to go
- WeatherHigh passes are seasonal (roughly late Jun - early Oct) — Col de l'Iseran (2764m) and Col de la Bonette (2802m) only fully clear of snow in summer - the whole point of this route. Outside that window the high line is closed and you fall back to valley motorways, so time it Jun - Sep.
- WeatherAfternoon mountain storms (Jul - Aug) — Cross the big cols in the morning - thunderstorms build over the high passes most summer afternoons and turn the hairpins miserable.
- FestivalNice Jazz Festival (mid-Jul) — Great finish if your dates align, but Riviera rooms spike - book Nice ahead.
- NoteOpen-jaw / one-way car — This is a linear route: fly into Geneva or Lyon and out of Nice, and rent a one-way car - a return loop to the start wastes two days backtracking.
The French Alps Grand Tour is the road trip the Route des Grandes Alpes was built for - a summer descent from Lake Annecy to the Mediterranean over the highest paved passes in the country. You start soft on the water beneath the peaks, climb into the Mont-Blanc massif, then spend two or three days threading the giant cols - Iseran, Galibier, Izoard, Bonette - before the mountains tumble down through the Mercantour to palm trees and pebble beaches at Nice. It's a driving trip first: the passes are only open in summer, so the whole route lives in a June-to-September window. Nine days is the sweet spot; seven works if you cut the deep south, and twelve lets you slow down and add the coast.
This route's vibe
What you get across the whole trip, blended from each stop's strengths.
Stop by stop
The route
Adjust trip length, budget, and travel style — the stops, transport, and cost update to match.
- 1
Annecy
2 nightsThe gentlest possible start: a turquoise alpine lake ringed by peaks, a canal-laced old town, and lakeside cycle paths. Ease in with a day on the water before the driving gets serious.
Skip / overrated: You don't need a boat tour to enjoy the lake - the flat 40km lakeshore cycle loop (bike hire everywhere) is the better, cheaper way to see it.
View Annecy guide→Getting there· ~57 kmCarRecommended~1.5h via the valley through Saint-Gervais; the easiest leg of the trip and a good warm-up before the passes begin.
Book: one-way rental (pick up Geneva/Lyon) — confirm the one-way drop fee to Nice up front - book the whole car one-way from the start, don't try to switch mid-trip
BusRegional coaches link Annecy and Chamonix in ~2-2.5h; workable if you're doing the first stops car-free before renting further south, but you'll want a car by Val d'Isère.
Book buses - 2
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
2 nightsUnder the roof of Western Europe. Ride the Aiguille du Midi cable car for the Mont-Blanc close-up, walk the Mer de Glace, and hike a leg of the Tour du Mont-Blanc - two nights lets you catch a clear-sky morning for the summit lift.
Skip / overrated: Book the Aiguille du Midi first thing on your clearest morning - it fogs out by midday and a cloudy ride is a waste of the (steep) ticket.
View Chamonix-Mont-Blanc guide→Getting there· ~54 kmCarRecommended~2h over the Cormet de Roselend, where the scenic driving really starts - hairpins above a turquoise reservoir. Not a fast road; enjoy it rather than rush it.
BusPossible only with slow, sparse valley connections via Bourg-Saint-Maurice; realistically this route is a car trip from here south.
Book buses - 3
Val d'Isère
1 nightIn summer this ski town is the launch pad for Col de l'Iseran, the highest paved pass in the Alps, and the trailheads of the Vanoise National Park - ibex, larch forest and glacier views right from the village.
Skip / overrated: One night is plenty - it's a base to sleep before the Iseran, not a place to linger. Most of the resort is shuttered out of ski season.
View Val d'Isère guide→Getting there· ~67 kmCarRecommendedThe signature day: over Col de l'Iseran (2764m) then Col du Galibier (2642m) - 3-4h of driving with photo stops, all of it summer-only. Start early, top up fuel in the valley, and check the passes are open before you set off.
- 4
Briançon
1 nightThe highest town in France (1326m), reached over the Cormet de Roselend and the Col du Galibier. A Vauban-walled citadel of steep cobbled streets - the classic overnight in the middle of the Route des Grandes Alpes.
Skip / overrated: The modern lower town is forgettable; stay and eat inside the walled Cité Vauban up top.
Full guide coming soon for this stop.
Getting there· ~56 kmCarRecommended~2.5h over Col d'Izoard's lunar 'Casse Déserte' and the Col de Vars - another classic Tour de France double. Short in kilometres, big in altitude.
- 5
Barcelonnette
1 nightA sunny, unexpectedly Mexican-flavoured valley town (its emigrants made fortunes in Mexico and came home to build villas) at the foot of the Ubaye. The staging post before the wild drive over Col de la Bonette through the Mercantour.
Skip / overrated: It's a quiet mountain town, not a resort - come for the setting and the pass either side of it, not nightlife.
Full guide coming soon for this stop.
Getting there· ~90 kmCarRecommendedThe finale: over Col de la Bonette (2802m, among Europe's highest paved roads) and down through the Mercantour into the Riviera hinterland - 3.5-4h with the landscape shifting from alpine to Provençal to palm-lined coast. A long, spectacular descent day.
- 6
Nice
2 nightsThe mountains meet the Mediterranean. Trade hiking boots for the Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice's markets and a swim - the perfect decompression finish, with an airport to fly home from.
Skip / overrated: The pebble public beaches are free and fine; skip the paid private beach clubs unless you specifically want a lounger and a cocktail.
View Nice guide→
Lodging + daily spend only — excludes flights & intercity transport. Partial: some stops lack cost data.
What to skip
Don't try to fold Grenoble and the Vercors into the main line - they sit well to the west and turn a clean north-to-south drive into a backtracking detour. They're a fine trip of their own (or an 'outdoors' side-leg here), not a spine stop. And resist doing it as a loop back to Annecy: fly out of Nice instead.
Practical tips
Rent the car one-way (Geneva or Lyon in, Nice out) and confirm the drop fee upfront. Cross every big pass in the morning before the storms and the tour buses. Check pass status the night before - a late-season snowfall can close the Iseran or Bonette without warning. Fill the tank in the valleys; fuel is scarce and pricey up high.
Best for
Common questions
When can I actually drive this route?
Summer only - roughly late June to early October, once the high passes (Iseran, Galibier, Bonette) are clear of snow. That's the entire point of the tour; outside that window the passes close and you'd be stuck on valley motorways.
Do I need a car, or can I do it by train and bus?
You need a car. The lake-and-Mont-Blanc start (Annecy - Chamonix) has decent bus links, but the high passes that make this route special have little to no public transport - this is a self-drive trip.
How many days should I plan?
Nine is comfortable. Seven works if you drop the Barcelonnette - Bonette leg and go straight for Nice; with twelve you can add rest nights and finish on the coast at Menton.