Photo : MartinD / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Col de la Bonette
The Col de la Bonette proper rises to 2,715 metres' altitude, but the road that crosses it makes a detour via the Cime de la Bonette, at 2,802 metres, to offer motorists and cyclists one of the highest road points in Europe. This detour, built in the 1960s for military and then tourist purposes, lets you slightly exceed the altitude of the pass itself.
Located in the Mercantour National Park, between the Ubaye valley and the Tinée valley, the site has a mineral, lunar landscape, dotted with the remains of the Restefond barracks. The 360° panorama takes in the Mercantour summits and, in clear weather, as far as the Italian Alps.
Like most of the great Alpine passes, the road is open only in the summer season, generally from June to October depending on snow.
