The Route des Grandes Alpes is a tourist itinerary through the French Alps between Lake Geneva and the French Riviera passing over all the high passes of the Alps within France.
The road starts at Thonon-les-Bains and climbs via Les Gets and Cluses. It then heads to Saint-Gervais and Megève, over the Col des Saisies (1,633 m (5,358 ft)). It then passes through Beaufort, Bourg-Saint-Maurice and onto Val-d'Isère. The road then crosses the Col de l'Iseran (2,770 m (9,090 ft)).
The road then passes through Modane and over the Col du Galibier (2,642 m (8,668 ft)) and then the Col du Lautaret to La Grave. The road heads to Briançon and then over the Col d'Izoard (2,361 m (7,746 ft)). The road then heads through Embrun and over the Col de Vars (2,111 m (6,926 ft)) and onto Barcelonnette via Jausiers, where the choice can be made to turn south over the Col de la Bonette (2,802 m (9,193 ft))—with access to the highest paved through road in Europe, the Cime de la Bonette—or continue via the Col de la Cayolle (2,327 m (7,635 ft)).
The original end of the Route was Nice but is now Menton, reached via the cols of Saint-Martin (1,500 m (4,900 ft)), Turini (1,607 m (5,272 ft)) and Castillon (707 m (2,320 ft)).
External links