Overview
Taking in the legendary cols of the Tour de France, we offer your a grand crossing of the French Alps from Lake Geneva to the Côte d’Azur on a fantastic (and challenging) eight-day tour. From the Northern Alps and the Mont Blanc range right to the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea via some of the most mythical cols in the world of road biking: L’Iseran, Le Galibier, Le Lautaret, L’lzoard and many more… Road biking doesn’t get any better than this!
The tour is supported, meaning that a driver and support vehicle are at hand throughout the day to assist with any physical or mechanical issues, as well as transferring your luggage to the following night’s accommodation. Each day provides two route options: a standard and a challenging one. Generally, both options are designed for advanced cyclists in really good shape; still, you can rent an e-bike, which makes the tour accessible for a wider audience as well. There is also an option of being accompanied by non-cycling friends or family (upon request), meeting them each evening at the end of the day’s “stage”.
- A challenging but rewarding itinerary that follows in the footsteps of the legendary Tour de France.
- From the Northern to the Southern Alps, from the Mont Blanc to the Mediterranean, taking in a huge variety of alpine landscapes along the way.
- Fantastic panoramic views of the entire Alps range.
- Choose between two different routes each day, with varying distances and profiles.
- Comfortable accommodation ideal for rest and relaxation after long days on the saddle.
Itinerary
Day 1: Thonon-les-Bains – La Clusaz | 90-120km
The tour begins at 9.00 at Thonon les Bains SNCF railway station, where you will meet with the team and receive your bike. On request, we can book the previous night’s accommodation in Thonon Les Bains. Kilomètre 0 of the Route des Grandes Alpes is located on the square in front of the town hall, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, in Thonon-les-Bains and is worth heading to take a photo before starting the tour. The first cycling route begins along the shores of Lake Geneva towards the Savoy Alps, in the footsteps of the Tour de France, before heading to Chablais and the Col de la Jambaz at 1,027 metres. From here, the route heads to Aravis, with sharp-edged peaks and impressive rocky outcrops, before crossing Col de la Colombière, where coniferous forests give way to the Savoy alpine pastures. After the pass, the route descends towards ski resorts of Le Grand-Bornand and La Clusaz and this evenings accommodation in the heart of the Savoy mountains.
- Accommodation: Hôtel Beaulieu or similar
- Cycling for the day: 90km, 2200m or 120km, 3300m
Day 2: La Clusaz – Bourg Saint Maurice | 90-100km
Begin the morning with an ascent up Col des Aravis (1486 m) with its hairpin bends through alpine meadows and offering far-reaching views across to Mont Blanc and its neighbouring peaks. From here, the route enters the narrow valley of Val d’Arly before heading towards Saisies cross-country skiing area, crossing the pass of the same name (1650 m). A descent into Beaufortain offers a scenic landscape of chalets, alpine meadows, mountain forests and peaks, with the rocky spur of Pierra Menta, a symbol of the most famous ski mountaineering race in Europe, visible in the distance. The village of Beaufort is known for producing the cheese of the same name and a visit to the cheese co-operative here is possible, where you can learn about the importance of cheese production for the local economy. From here, an ascent up Cormet de Roselend (1967m) brings you to its reservoir with turquoise-coloured waters before descending into the Tarentaise valley, one of the two main valleys of Savoie, underneath the Aiguille des Glaciers, the highest point in the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
- Accommodation: Basecamp Lodge or similar
- Cycling for the day: 90km, 2600, or 100km, 2800m (Col du Joly option: + 28km and 900m)
Day 3: Bourg Saint Maurice – Val Cenis | 80-90km
Today’s route connects the two largest Alpine valleys of the Savoy and French Alps, the Tarentaise (Isère Valley) and the Maurienne (Arc Valley), by crossing the famous Col de l’Iséran at an altitude of 2,762m. The route offers countless panoramic views of the Vanoise National Park and passes through Bonneval-sur-Arc, arguably one of the most beautiful villages in the French Alps, with well-preserved stone houses, before arriving at this evening’s accommodation.
- Accommodation: Hotel Alpazur or similar
- Cycling for the day: 80km, 2200m or 90km, 2600m
Day 4: Val Cenis – Le Monêtier les Bains | 100-175km
Today offers a gentle start with mostly downhill sections towards Saint-Michel-de-Maurien, following a balcony road through larch and pine forests to avoid the main road in the valley. From here, the route ascends Col du Télégraphe before the most famous ascent of the Tour de France up to the Col du Galibier (2645 m) begins, surrounded by dry pastures and the stony peaks of the Cerces massif. Once at the top of the pass, pause to take in the panoramic views of the Ecrins massif before descending Col du Galibier towards Le Monêtier les Bains and tonight’s accommodation.
- Accommodation: local family hotel
- Cycling for the day: 100km, 2500m or 175km, 4300m
Day 5: Le Monêtier les Bains – Barcelonette | 110-120km
Leaving Monêtier behind, the Southern Alps begin to appear, with larch forests, sun-browned stone villages and dry pastures with sheep and goat herds now dominating the landscape. Via the town of Guillestre, the route enters Queyras Regional Nature Park, located at the foot of Mont Viso, before ascending towards the Col de Vars (2,109 m). From here, the route to Barcelonnette is predominantly downhill, with only a short climb towards the small ski resort of Le Sauze. The stage offers the option of choosing the route variant via Col d’Izoard with its famous stone chaos of the Casse Déserte from Briançon and those who still have plenty of energy left can take the legendary Bonette mountain road up to the col and on to the Cime de la Bonette.
- Accommodation: local family hotel
- Cycling for the day: 110km, 2000m or 120km, 2800m
Day 6: Barcelonette – Beuil | 85-110km
Begin the morning with a quick visit to Barcelonnette before heading south up Col de la Cayolle and deep into the Mercantour National Park, a wild and remote area where people and villages are few and far between. From the pass, the route descends into the Var valley to begin the ascent to Col de Valberg and eventually arriving in the town of Beuil at 1,450m for the final night in the French Alps.
- Accommodation: local family hotel
- Cycling for the day: 85km, 2200m or 110km, 2900m
Day 7: Beuil – Nice | 120-145km
The final cycling route of the tour is a long stage that heads through smaller passes and covers a lot of downhill kilometres to reach Côte d’Azur. The morning begins with an early start, heading through coniferous forests and along mountain flanks to reach Col de la Couillole. What follows is possibly the most scenic descent of the week on a narrow, winding track into Tinée Valley. From here, the route begins a challenging 16.5 km, 1000m climb up Col Saint Martin to reach the Vésubie valley. Today two route options separate shortly after Roquebillière, with the ascending Col de la Porte before beginning the final descent towards the Fench Riviera. The more challenging route follows a classic section of the Route des Grandes Alpes with the 15km climb to the Col de Turini at 1600m before heading southwards to the Turini-Braus before finally descending into Nice.
- Accommodation: local family hotel
- Cycling for the day: 120km, 2200m or 145km, 3200m
Day 8: Departure
The trip ends in Nice after breakfast. On request, we can book the following night’s accommodation for you in Nice, or organise a transfer back to Thonon-lesBains by Lake Geneva (arrival in Thonon between 3 and 4 pm, depending on traffic) with the assistance vehicle.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view default hotels
Hotels and guesthouses are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates it will be replaced with a hotel of equal value and quality level
Meals
The meal plan is on a full-board basis: 7 breakfasts, 7 picnic lunches and 7 dinners. For the lunches, you have two options: a lunch box to carry along in a small backpack/ handlebar bag or “racing food” for those “allergic” to backpacks (energy bars, dried fruit etc.).
Difficulty and terrain
This holiday is appropriate for experienced cyclists practising road cycling all year round. The daily distances vary between 80 and 150 km, and daily elevation gains between 2200 m and 3500 m (read more about difficulty grades). There is a support vehicle escorting the group during the cycling sections, so if you need any assistance or break, you can get it at any time.
When to go
Our fixed departures are available in June, July, August and September. Please go to the Book Now or See Dates and Prices buttons to see the exact departure days.
Daily schedule
During the cycling you carry only your day pack (in case you carry one). All your luggage is transported each day by the support vehicle.
After breakfast, the support vehicle driver will pack your luggage in the van, distribute cereal/energy bars, and announce the time slot for lunch. The driver can also hand out picnics to any participants who do not wish to stop at the designated picnic lunch stop.
Once all the participants have passed the picnic stop, the driver transports your luggage directly to the following nights accommodation, before returning to wait at the foot of the last climb of the day. He is then available to help any members of the group in difficulty or who encounter a mechanical problem. You’ll usually meet the van driver several times during the day, offering the opportunity to fill up with water, change clothing, etc.
Each participant is free to ride at their own pace, using the roadbook and GPS route to navigate during the day. However, the driver is equipped with a mobile phone and can be reached at any time during the day if a participant encounters a problem. The driver is also available throughout the trip to provide information and advice.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
The best arrival/departure points are Geneva Airport and Nice airport.
By train or bus
Train Option from the UK
Take the Eurostar from London St-Pancras International to Paris (Gard du Nord) and then switch the line to Thonon-les-Bains. Please check the SNCF website for more details on schedules and prices. Total journey time to Brest is about 8 hours.
Inclusions
Included
- Tour leader in a support vehicle
- 7 nights accommodation in en-suite rooms
- 7 breakfasts
- 7 picnic lunches
- 7 dinners (3 to 4-course menu)
- Daily baggage transfers
- Carefully designed itineraries with two alternative levels of difficulty
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- International flights
- Your transfer to the meeting place
- All services mentioned in extensions
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Drinks at the accommodation
- Visits to museums, monuments and sites not covered by the programme Additional travel related to changes in the programme due to bad weather
- All personal expenses
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- A supplement applies to members of a group who require a single room
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers.
- Bike rental (standard, premium or e-bike)
- Supplementary nights in Thonon les Bains
- Supplementary nights in Nice/Menton
- Transfer from Nice/Menton to Thonon on day 8
- Massages on riding days 4 or 6
Bike rental
In case you would like to rent a bike from us, we can offer you*:
- Standard option: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Tiagra groupset, 10 speeds, 50/34 – 11/32, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict 50 or equivalent, roughly 9 kg
- Premium option: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano 105 groupset, 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 – 11/32, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict 40 or equivalent, roughly 8,9 kg
- Ultimate option: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano 105 groupset, 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 – 11/34, carbon Mavic or Syncros wheelset, model Scott Addict 30 or equivalent, roughly 8,4 kg
- Prestige option: carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Dura Ace groupset, 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 – 11/34, carbon wheelset, model Colnago V4RS or equivalent, roughly 7,1 kg
- Electric option: carbon frame and fork, Shimano 105 groupset, 11 speeds, 50/34 – 11/32, aluminium wheelset, supplied with 1 x 248Wh battery (+ 1 extra 210Wh battery), model Orbea Gain M30 or equivalent, roughly 13 kg
Details (apply to all models):
- Repair kit included: 2 CO2 cartridges, patches, multi-tool, 1 inner tube, tyre levers
- 2 bottle holders (except size 47 bicycles on which only one can be placed)
- Helmets and water bottles: not included
- Pedals: Our rental bikes come without pedals. You can either bring your own pedals or specify your needs; we can install 3 types
- of pedals at no extra charge: Look KEO easy, Shimano SPD-SL or Shimano SPD.
Please indicate your choice of model and pedals as well as your height (if possible also frame size and inseam) when filling out your booking form. You will receive your chosen model from the tour leader on the first day of your tour. He will carry out an inventory of the bike with you, as well as a second inventory at the end of the tour.
Bike “consumables” (tyres, tubes, brake pads, cables) are included in the rental price. Only parts and components that are broken due to a crash and/or misuse will be charged. In the event of bike loss or theft, a fixed fee will be charged (2200€ for the standard 3590€ for the premium and electric models and 5700€ for the ultimate light model.
