Col du Galibier, French Alps

About this drive

The D902 over the Col du Galibier in the Hautes-Alpes is, at 2,642 metres, one of the highest paved passes in the Alps and a name that carries particular weight for anyone who follows professional cycling. Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour de France, called it the "Giant of the Tour" in 1911 when the race first crossed it. The view from the summit — north toward Mont Blanc, south toward the Écrins massif — is among the most expansive in the Alps. The road approaches from the north through the Vallée de la Guisane from Briançon, or from the south through the Vallée de la Maurienne. Both sides climb through a sequence of hairpins that become progressively more exposed as the treeline drops away. The summit is above vegetation — just bare limestone rubble and sky. A small tunnel just below the true summit carries traffic when the summit road is closed (roughly October through June), but the tunnel cuts out the finest section of the upper approach. Allow at least 30 minutes at the summit; the views merit it, and altitude-related slowing is useful acclimatisation before further mountain driving. The Galibier combines naturally with the Col du Lautaret (just below it, on the eastern approach) and the Col de la Croix de Fer to the west for a full-day Alpine circuit.