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Natural wonders · Savoie
Col de l'Iseran
At 2,764 metres, the highest road pass in the Alps, between Val-d'Isère and Bonneval-sur-Arc, on the legendary Route des Grandes Alpes.
View full page →The 10 most beautiful mountain passes in France
Dizzying ridge roads, 360° panoramas and Tour de France legends: the great Alpine and Pyrenean passes are among the most beautiful viewpoints reachable by car in the whole country.
From the highest road pass in the Alps to the setting of the first high-mountain drama of the Tour de France, each of these passages tells a story of cyclists' sweat, transhumant shepherds and mineral landscapes shaped by altitude.
Best travelled in summer (most close in winter), preferably early in the morning to enjoy the light and avoid the crowds of the big summer weekends.
10selected sites
4regions
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Natural wonders · Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Col de la Bonette
The road that goes round its summit, the Cime de la Bonette, reaches 2,802 metres: one of the highest paved roads in Europe, in the heart of the Mercantour.
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Natural wonders · Savoie
Col du Galibier
At 2,642 metres, one of the most legendary passes of the Tour de France, between the Maurienne and the Briançonnais, offering a 360° panorama over the glaciers of the Vanoise and the Écrins.
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Natural wonders · Hautes-Pyrénées
Col du Tourmalet
The highest road pass in the French Pyrenees at 2,115 metres, the Tourmalet is the legendary arbiter of the Tour de France, immortalised by the statue of the cycling giant Octave Lapize.
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Natural wonders · Hautes-Alpes
Col d'Izoard
Crossed at 2,362 metres between the Briançonnais and the Queyras, the Col d'Izoard is one of the legendary giants of the Tour de France, famous for its lunar setting of the Casse Déserte.
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Natural wonders · Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Col d'Aubisque
A mythical Pyrenean pass at 1,709 metres, the scene in 1910 of the first high-mountain stage in the history of the Tour de France.
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Natural wonders · Hautes-Alpes
Col du Lautaret
At 2,057 metres, an Alpine crossroads between the Oisans and the Briançonnais, famous for its alpine botanical garden and its junction with the Galibier road.
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Natural wonders · Savoie
Col de la Croix de Fer
At 2,067 metres, a spectacular pass surrounded by the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arves massifs, famous for its iron cross and its neighbour the Col du Glandon.
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Natural wonders · Haute-Garonne
Col de Peyresourde
At 1,569 metres, one of the historic Pyrenean passes of the Tour de France, crossed as early as 1910, between the Louron valley and the Larboust.
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Natural wonders · Savoie
Col de la Vanoise
At 2,517 metres' altitude, this high-mountain pass links the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in the heart of the Vanoise national park. A legendary stage of the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise, it offers a striking panorama over the surrounding summits.
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