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Your trip summary, Route des Grandes Alpes
Motorcycle Ramble
Motorcycle trip

Route des Grandes Alpes

9 days · 620 miles 4190 €
Itinerary Extensions Price Reviews
Guided tour Standard accommodation Intermediate level Full board
Vintage Rides → Motorcycle Tours → Europe → Route des Grandes Alpes
Alex
Your motorcycle expert
Alex
In 2006, after traveling 12,000 miles by motorcycle in India, Alex founded Vintage Rides. Since then, he has been developing our concept in more than 20 countries.
On the agenda

The heart of the Route des Grandes Alpes, from Roselend to the Izoard, in nine days, seven of them in the saddle. A loop from Lyon over the great passes of the French Alps: Iseran, Galibier, Izoard, Roselend, Télégraphe and Lautaret. Small roads only, no highways, 125 miles a day at most, on a light and easy Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. Nights in village inns and family hotels, full board, with a French crew showing you their own mountains.

Route des Grandes Alpes

Your trip summary

9 stages - about 620 miles
Arrival near Lyon Stage 1/9 Airport or train station transfer
Arrival near Lyon

Welcome to France. We pick you up at Lyon airport or train station and drive you to our partner garage in Sain-Bel, in the Monts du Lyonnais, about 15 miles west of Lyon. You take over your Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, set it up with the mechanics, then join the tour leaders for the briefing: the route, the riding rules in a group and the mountain roads ahead.

Welcome dinner and overnight in a family-run hotel in the Monts du Lyonnais.

Bugey and the Bauges Stage 2/9 95 to 120 miles
Bugey and the Bauges

First day in the saddle, on the back roads of the Bugey, a land of vineyards, gorges and quiet villages. We climb the Col du Granier, under the cliffs of the Chartreuse, then ride into the Bauges, a natural park of high pastures and forests between Chambéry and Annecy. A gentle first day to get the feel of the bike and of the group.

Dinner and overnight in a village hotel in Aillon-le-Jeune.

Beaufortain Stage 3/9 75 to 95 miles
Beaufortain

Over the Col de Tamié and the Col des Saisies, we enter the Beaufortain, a land of alpine pastures and wooden chalets. We stop at the Beaufort cooperative to taste the cheese that makes the valley famous, before the last miles to the village of Arêches.

Dinner and overnight in a mountain hotel in Arêches-Beaufort.

Roselend and the Col de l'Iseran Stage 4/9 70 to 80 miles
Roselend and the Col de l'Iseran

A big day of passes. We ride along the Roselend lake and its chapel, up the Cormet de Roselend (6,457 ft), then down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice and on to Val d'Isère. From there, the road climbs to the Col de l'Iseran, at 9,068 ft the highest paved pass in the Alps. On the other side, we drop into the Haute-Maurienne through Bonneval-sur-Arc, one of the most beautiful villages in France.

Dinner and overnight in a hotel in Bessans.

Télégraphe and Galibier Stage 5/9 80 to 100 miles
Télégraphe and Galibier

We follow the Maurienne valley down to Saint-Michel, then climb the Col du Télégraphe to Valloire. Next comes the Col du Galibier (8,678 ft), a legend of the Tour de France, with its views over the Écrins glaciers. We ride down via the Col du Lautaret into the Guisane valley.

Dinner and overnight in a hotel in Serre Chevalier.

Izoard and the Queyras Stage 6/9 55 to 75 miles
Izoard and the Queyras

A shorter day. We visit Briançon and its Vauban fortifications, a UNESCO World Heritage site, before climbing the Col d'Izoard (7,743 ft) and crossing the Casse Déserte, a lunar landscape of scree and rock needles. We end the day in Saint-Véran, at 6,700 ft one of the highest villages in Europe.

Dinner and overnight in a hotel in Saint-Véran.

La Meije and the Oisans Stage 7/9 80 to 100 miles
La Meije and the Oisans

We leave the Queyras through the Guil gorges, then ride back over the Lautaret for lunch in La Grave, facing the glaciers of La Meije. In the afternoon, the road takes us down to the Oisans, with the Col de Sarenne if the road allows.

Dinner and overnight in a hotel near Bourg-d'Oisans.

Back to Lyon through the Chartreuse Stage 8/9 105 to 125 miles
Back to Lyon through the Chartreuse

Last mountain roads through the Chartreuse massif, then the countryside of the Isère on the way back to the garage in Sain-Bel, where we hand back the bikes. Farewell dinner together.

Overnight in a family-run hotel in the Monts du Lyonnais.

Departure Stage 9/9 Airport or train station transfer
Departure

After breakfast, transfer to Lyon airport or train station. Paris is only 2 hours away by high-speed train if you want to extend your stay in France.

Price
From 4190,00 € / rider
The price includes The price does not include

  • A Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 motorcycle for the 7 riding days

  • Fuel

  • An English-speaking motorcycle tour leader on the bike, and a second tour leader driving the support van, which carries the luggage and a spare motorcycle

  • International flights

  • Drinks

  • Single room supplement ($530)

Book with peace of mind

  • Payment : A 50% deposit when you book and the balance 45 days before departure, by secure online payment. A $41 registration fee applies to your first trip with us only. Learn more
  • Cancellation : Fees depend on the date, from 15% of the price more than 60 days before departure to 100% less than 8 days before, plus handling fees. Learn more
  • Insurance : Medical and repatriation insurance is mandatory. Bring your own policy or take our partner's, at $24 per day. Learn more
  • Riding gear : Helmets and riding gear are not provided. Bring a DOT or ECE approved helmet, jacket, gloves and boots. Learn more
  • Traveling solo : You share a twin room with another participant, or book a single room for a supplement, subject to availability. Learn more
Important
Documents requested :
International motorcycle license if necessary
Motorcycle Driving License
Passport valid for the whole trip
Valid Visa, if required

First departure planned from 27 June to 5 July 2027. Bookings are not open yet: contact us to be told as soon as they are.

Daily distances are estimates and will be confirmed by GPS during our scouting ride in spring 2027. The highest passes usually open in June; in case of late snow, the tour leader adapts the route.

A valid US driving license with the motorcycle endorsement is required. Passengers are welcome, and a seat in the support van is available for a stage.

Route des Grandes Alpes
50% deposit
Cancellation and postponement with conditions
PRIVATIZE
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