A two-week loop from Annecy, via Mont Blanc, the Beaufortain and three giants of the Route des Grandes Alpes: the Iseran, the Galibier and the Izoard. The return leg follows Lake Serre-Ponçon and the roads cut into the cliffs of the Vercors, with almost no motorway.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Annecy | Start |
| Days 3 to 4 | Chamonix-Mont-Blanc | 93 km · 1h50 |
| Days 5 to 6 | Beaufort | 76 km · 1h30 |
| Day 7 | Bonneval-sur-Arc | 99 km · 1h55 |
| Days 8 to 9 | Briançon | 131 km · 2h25 |
| Days 10 to 11 | Embrun | 69 km · 1h25 |
| Days 12 to 13 | Villard-de-Lans | 196 km · 3h25 |
| Day 14 | Back to Annecy | 139 km · 1h55 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
From late June to late September, every pass on the loop is open. In winter, the Iseran, Galibier, Izoard and Cormet de Roselend are closed, usually from October or November to May or June, and winter tyres or snow chains are compulsory from 1 November to 31 March.
🚗 93 km · 1h50 of driving from Annecy
D909 via Thônes, La Clusaz and the Col des Aravis (1,486 m), then Megève, Saint-Gervais and the N205. No motorway.
🚗 76 km · 1h30 of driving from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Back via Saint-Gervais and Megève, D1212 through the Val d'Arly to Flumet, then the Col des Saisies (1,632 m) and the D218B.
🚗 99 km · 1h55 of driving from Beaufort
D925 via Roselend and the Cormet (1,968 m), Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then the D902 via Tignes, Val d'Isère and the Iseran. Closed in winter.
🚗 131 km · 2h25 of driving from Bonneval-sur-Arc
D1006 via Modane, the Col du Télégraphe, Valloire and the Col du Galibier (2,642 m), then the Lautaret and the D1091. Galibier closed in winter.
🚗 69 km · 1h25 of driving from Briançon
D902 via Cervières, the Col d'Izoard (2,360 m) and the Casse Déserte, then Guillestre and the N94. If the Izoard is closed: take the N94 directly.
🚗 196 km · 3h25 of driving from Embrun
N94 along the lake via Savines, Gap, the Col de Cabre and Die, then the Col de Rousset tunnel and the Grands Goulets.
🚗 139 km · 1h55 of driving from Villard-de-Lans
Keep the whole route, but with only one night in Annecy, Beaufort, Embrun and Villard-de-Lans. Nights: Annecy 1, Chamonix 2, Beaufort 1, Bonneval 1, Briançon 2, Embrun 1, Villard-de-Lans 1.
| Car hire in Annecy, July | ≈ €57 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire in Annecy, November | ≈ €37 a day |
| Small car, average | ≈ €49 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
| Your own car | The simplest option. Display the Crit'Air sticker: Annecy and Grenoble have low-emission zones (ZFE). |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | City car or compact: tight hairpins, narrow pass roads, and car parks at the sights that fill up fast in summer. |
| Where to pick it up | In Annecy or Grenoble, on the loop: return it to the same place, with no one-way fee. |
| Age | At Europcar, from 18 with 1 year of licence; under 26, €40 a day extra. |
⚠️ November costs €37 a day in Annecy against €57 in July, but the Iseran, the Galibier and the Izoard are closed by then.
Motorways 130 (110 in rain), dual carriageways 110, other roads 80, or 90 in some départements.
From 1 November to 31 March in designated mountain municipalities. Tyres with the alpine symbol, otherwise chains on board.
0.2 g/l for probationary licences. Up to 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 points; above that, a criminal offence.
The Iseran, Galibier, Izoard and Cormet de Roselend open in May or June, depending on the snow. The Lautaret and Télégraphe stay open.
Grand Annecy: unclassified vehicles banned. Grenoble, except the motorway and ring road: Crit'Air 4 and 5 banned. Fine: €68.
Privately driven camera cars outside the Île-de-France. Radar detectors banned: up to €1,500 and 6 points.
savoie-route.fr for the Iseran, the Galibier and the Cormet; inforoute05.fr for the Izoard and the Lautaret.
Probationary licence: 110 on motorways, 100 on dual carriageways, 80 elsewhere.
Since April 2024, insurance on French-registered cars is checked from the number plate. Keep your licence and registration document with you.
≈ €2.15 per litre of SP95-E10, €2.40 for diesel (23 Sept. 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 803 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €120 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
National averages. Compare on prix-carburants.gouv.fr and fill up in the valley, at Bourg-Saint-Maurice or Modane, before the big passes.
| Motorways on the route | Only the A41 on the way back, from Grenoble to Annecy via Chambéry |
|---|---|
| A41 Grenoble-Chambéry (Crolles toll barrier) | €6.70 |
| A41 Chambéry-Annecy | €5.60 |
| Aiguille du Midi | €60.20 to €83 return to the summit; €43 to the Plan de l'Aiguille |
| Montenvers train (Mer de Glace) | €49.70 with the gondola, ice cave and Glaciorium; paid parking at the station |
| Beaufortain dairy cooperative | Free self-guided tour; ripening cellars visit by reservation |
| Choranche cave | €14.20 per adult, €15.20 from 4 July to 31 August 2026 |
| Col de l'Iseran (D902) | Open from June to October, depending on the snow |
|---|---|
| Col du Galibier (D902) | Closed in winter, usually from mid-October to June |
| Col d'Izoard (D902) | Usually closed from November to May or June |
| Cormet de Roselend (D925) | Closed from mid-October to mid-May |
| Col du Lautaret (D1091) | Open in winter, occasional closures in bad weather |
| Col du Télégraphe | No winter closure |
| Mountain municipalities | Winter tyres or chains from 1 November to 31 March |
| Mer de Glace ice cave | Closed from 28 September to 1 November 2026 |
| Montenvers train | Closed from 2 November to 4 December 2026 |
| Jardin du Lautaret | Open from the 1st weekend of June to the 1st weekend of September |
Allow 14 days for this loop of 7 stages and 13 nights from Annecy: Chamonix, the Beaufortain, the Iseran, the Galibier, Briançon, the Izoard, Serre-Ponçon and the Vercors. In 10 days, keep the route with only one night in Annecy, Beaufort, Embrun and Villard-de-Lans. With a week, do only the northern half, from Annecy to Briançon.
About 800 km from stage to stage, so about €120 of petrol at September 2026 prices; around a thousand kilometres and €150 with the side trips, plus €12.30 in tolls on the A41 on the way back. With a hire car from Annecy, add about €800 in July (€57 a day). Aiguille du Midi from €60.20 to €83, Montenvers train €49.70.
From June to October, depending on the snow. Snow clearing starts in May and lasts several weeks, under 8 to 10 m of snow in places. In winter, the road is part of the Val d'Isère ski area. Check the pass conditions on savoie-route.fr before you set off.
Not as it stands. The Iseran, Galibier, Izoard and Cormet de Roselend are closed, usually from October or November to May or June. The Col du Lautaret stays open, and the N94 links Briançon to Embrun along the valley. Winter tyres or chains are compulsory from 1 November to 31 March in mountain municipalities.
Yes, for two sections: the Grand Annecy low-emission zone, in force since 1 January 2025, bans unclassified vehicles (Crit'Air 5 will follow in 2028), and Grenoble's, crossed on the way back, bans Crit'Air 4 and 5 cars except on the motorway and ring road. The sticker costs €3.85 on certificat-air.gouv.fr, the fine €68.
A 720 km route from Thonon-les-Bains to Nice, over 17 passes, 6 of them above 2,000 m. This loop follows its heart: the Saisies, the Cormet de Roselend, the Iseran (its highest point, 2,764 m), the Télégraphe, the Galibier and the Izoard. It leaves the route at Embrun to head for the Vercors.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/french-alps · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
