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Holiday itinerary
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.
Landmarks
Iseran, the highest paved pass in the AlpsPhoto: Wormke-Grutman / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Thonon-les-Bains, the northern gate on the lakePhoto: Krzysztof Golik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Galibier’s ridge, a Tour de France ghost in the windPhoto: Robbie Shade / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Barcelonnette in the Ubaye before the last colsPhoto: JoJan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Briançon, Vauban’s fortress town after GalibierPhoto: Ced FFM / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Nice after the last descent, the sea at lastPhoto: W. M. Connolley / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Val-d’Isère, the base before IseranPhoto: Kulmalukko / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Holiday itinerary
- Day 1 · Geneva
Cross to Thonon on day two along the south shore. Tonight the lake is still Swiss; tomorrow the route becomes French.
- Day 2 · Thonon-les-Bains
The official northern gate of the Route des Grandes Alpes. From here the road starts to think about altitude.
- Day 3 · Morzine
The first proper Alpine overnight. Wood, steep streets, a night that already smells of larch.
- Day 5 · Bourg-Saint-Maurice
The Tarentaise valley before the climb to Val-d’Isère. A working town, a full battery, tomorrow Iseran.
- Day 6 · 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.
- Day 8 · Briançon
Vauban’s fortress town after Galibier. Walk the walls; the stone has been watching the pass for centuries.
- Day 10 · Barcelonnette
The Ubaye valley before the final cols toward the Mediterranean. Mexican villas, a strange alpine town, the sea already in the air.
- Day 12 · Nice
Promenade des Anglais after the last descent. The sea is warm, the passes are a story you tell at dinner.