Super Alpine

Route des Grandes Alpes

From Lac Leman to the Riviera, this route takes in the best scenery in the French Alps

Start of the Route des Grandes Alpes in Thonon-les-Bains Start of the Route des Grandes Alpes in Thonon-les-Bains

[This article is under development]

The Route des Grandes Alpes or Great Alpine Road is a 700-kilometre-long itinerary through the French Alps. Starting on the south shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) at the northern tip of the Alps, it traverses some of the highest and most beautiful mountain passes in Europe - ending at the French Riviera on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

The idea for a road through the Alps originated in 1909 when a member of the Touring Club of France, Léon Auscher, was looking for a route from Evian to Nice taking in the most picturesque mountain passes and valleys. He described this route as the most beautiful mountain road in the world. The route was inaugurated in 1937.

Timeline

The Route

The original route from Thonon-les-Bains to Nice was replaced with a more alpine-based route from Thonon-les-Bains to Menton but numerous variations of the route exist. The route corresponds for the most part to the original Route Nationale (N202), now downgraded to a Route Départementale (D902).

Map


Route des Grandes Alpes map

Further reading