Route des Grandes Alpes
Twelve days from Lake Geneva to Nice on the historic French Alpine route: Thonon, Iseran, Galibier, Briançon, and the southern cols. You start in Geneva so the first night is already on the water, and you finish on the Promenade des Anglais after the last descent toward the sea. High asphalt, short days, the Mediterranean as the prize.
Season: Col de l’Iseran (2764 m) and Galibier are typically June–October. There are variants when a col is closed; check before you climb.
Twelve days from Lake Geneva to Nice on the historic French Alpine route: Thonon, Iseran, Galibier, Briançon, and the southern cols. You start in Geneva so the first night is already on the water, and you finish on the Promenade des Anglais after the last descent toward the sea. High asphalt, short days, the Mediterranean as the prize.
Day by day
Geneva
Cross to Thonon on day two along the south shore. Tonight the lake is still Swiss; tomorrow the route becomes French.
Why stop hereCharge nearby: Tesla Supercharger (Tesla Supercharger Geneva) — typical arrival 28%, about 20 min to 80%. Short driving day: charge in the overnight town and keep the climbs honest.
Thonon-les-Bains
The official northern gate of the Route des Grandes Alpes. From here the road starts to think about altitude.
Why stop herePass day: check seasonal closure that morning; a tunnel is a backup, not a ruined holiday.
Morzine
The first proper Alpine overnight. Wood, steep streets, a night that already smells of larch.
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
The Tarentaise valley before the climb to Val-d’Isère. A working town, a full battery, tomorrow Iseran.
Why stop hereCharge nearby: Ionity (Ionity Bourg-Saint-Maurice) — typical arrival 16%, about 31 min to 85%. Short driving day: charge in the overnight town and keep the climbs honest.
Val-d'Isère
Base for Col de l’Iseran, the highest paved pass in the Alps at 2764 m. Start early; the air is thin and the light is the point.
Why stop herePass day: check seasonal closure that morning; a tunnel is a backup, not a ruined holiday.
Briançon
Vauban’s fortress town after Galibier. Walk the walls; the stone has been watching the pass for centuries.
Why stop hereCharge nearby: Tesla Supercharger (Tesla Supercharger Briançon) — typical arrival 18%, about 27 min to 80%. Access: walk, train or ferry from the overnight — leave the car.
Barcelonnette
The Ubaye valley before the final cols toward the Mediterranean. Mexican villas, a strange alpine town, the sea already in the air.
Nice
Promenade des Anglais after the last descent. The sea is warm, the passes are a story you tell at dinner.
Why stop hereCharge nearby: Tesla Supercharger (Tesla Supercharger Nice) — typical arrival 15%, about 28 min to 80%. Short driving day: charge in the overnight town and keep the climbs honest.
Where this trip charges
- Tesla Supercharger in Nice — arrive around 15%, about 28 min to 80%.
- Tesla Supercharger in Geneva — arrive around 28%, about 20 min to 80%.
- Ionity in Bourg-Saint-Maurice — arrive around 16%, about 31 min to 85%.
- Tesla Supercharger in Briançon — arrive around 18%, about 27 min to 80%.