France · Savoie / Hautes-Alpes · Premium route guide
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne → Col du Galibier → Col du Lautaret → Briançon
86 kilometres, three cols back-to-back, the middle one at 2,642 m — this is the classic Route des Grandes Alpes stage. Full route on the map, a GPX for your GPS, and the motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted in Briançon and Valloire.
- Distance
- 85.6 km
- Peak elevation
- 2,635 m
- Elevation gain
- 2,650 m
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
The route
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne up the Télégraphe (1,566 m), drop into Valloire, then the long climb of the Galibier to 2,642 m. Down the south side to the Lautaret and on to Briançon. Pins are motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted at either end.
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Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route — how to load this into your GPS
What you're downloading is a GPX track — a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It's not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zūmo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner → new trip from track) if you want turn-by-turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive — it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it doesn't re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour — Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these don't read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX-capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line — pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~536 m at the base to 2635 m at the top — 2,650 m of total climbing across the route.
The southbound version of the Galibier corridor — three cols, three completely different characters, all in about two and a half hours' riding. Do this after breakfast, land in Briançon in time for lunch and a walk around the walled town.
The road, honestly
The Télégraphe is wooded and tight, 12 km of stacked hairpins that most riders under-rate because it's "in the way" of the Galibier. Take it slow — it's a fine road in its own right. Then a quick drop into Valloire and the Galibier proper: 18 km of open climbing above the treeline, the surface excellent, cyclists everywhere in summer. The last two switchbacks before the summit have some of the best-cambered corners in the range.
The descent to the Lautaret is short and open — big sweeping views south to the Écrins. Lautaret to Briançon is a fast, easy 30 km run with light traffic outside ski season.
Base in Briançon
Briançon is the natural end — a walled Vauban town at 1,326 m with plenty of rider-friendly accommodation. It sets you up for the Izoard/Vars/Bonette loop the following day, or the Aosta run over Montgenèvre and back via the Great St Bernard.
Weather and closures
The Galibier is one of the last passes to open in spring — often not until late May or early June — and one of the first to close in autumn. The Lautaret stays open longer and is the ski-season detour when the Galibier is shut.
Fuel: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Valloire, Le Monêtier and Briançon. Nothing on the passes.
What to see along the way
- Col du Télégraphe (1,566 m) — Small parking, a café, and the pass sign everyone photographs on the way up.
- Valloire — Ski-village between the two cols. Fuel, food, mechanics. Nice place to overnight if you want to split the ride.
- Col du Galibier (2,642 m) — The summit. Small parking, mountain sculpture, and one of the great Alpine panoramas.
- Col du Lautaret (2,058 m) — T-junction with the RN91 down to Grenoble. Restaurant, botanical garden, easy stop.
- Briançon old town — The Vauban fortifications inside the ramparts — worth an hour after the ride.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne → Col du Galibier → Col du Lautaret → Briançon
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Briançon — change it if you're basing elsewhere.
Rentals powered by BikesBooking. StayToRide may earn a small commission — no extra cost to you.
Rider-verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route — no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
- 20.3 km
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