Historic French Great Alps road & Provence Riviera

Arrival of participants in Thonon and hotel check-in.
Free time in Thonon.
Group briefing and welcome dinner

We start this motorcycle road trip on the historical Great Alps road and leave the shores of the Leman lake. The roads of the Chablais mountain takes us to Cluse in the Aravis but before this we will make a stop at the Reposoir Abbey nested in a small valley. Then this will be the climbing of the Beaufortain mountain range, famous for its cow cheese. You will be amazed by the panorama at the Cormet de Roselend summit and dam that will take us to the descent on Bourg St Maurice.

We set off to conquer the high peaks of the Alps. After a stop to admire the imposing Tignes dam we will begin the ascent to the Iseran pass, the highest road pass in Europe where the view from the Tarentaise belvedere is breathtaking At the foot of the Iseran find one of the most beautiful villages in France: Bonneval sur Arc. We will follow the Maurienne valley in the heart of the Vanoise park. Three more legendary passes will have to be passed :  Télégraphe, Galibier and Lautaret before reaching the citadel of Vauban in Briançon.

We start our day with the Izoard pass. After Château Queyras and its impressive fortress we will follow the combe du Queyras and its cornice road. After a break at the Vauban citadel of Mont-Dauphin we head towards the southern Alps via the Vars pass and the Bonette pass, the highest road in Europe. Then we will reach the north of the Mercantour to stop at Puget Theniers.

The superb roads of the Mercantour are offered to us by the gorges of the Cians and the Daluis which take us towards the perched villages of the Nice hinterland like Peille or Ste Agnès. We will finally descend to the Mediterranean coast by the cornice roads of the Madone de Gorbio pass which leads to Menton, the pearl of the French Riviera.

We will ride on the most beautiful motorcycle roads of the French Riviera including the famous Corniche de l'Estérel road. Then we will ride on the small roads of this massif to reach the Verdon Gorges, nicknamed the French Grand Canyon.

Day around the Verdon gorges. You will have the opportunity to explore the 2 banks and the many impressive panoramic points of the route des Crêtes. Some time to also visit the classified villages of Bargème, Trigance or Moustiers Ste Marie and its famous earthenware. You can also enjoy a refreshing swim in the lake of Ste Croix.

We head for the Luberon and the perched village of Simiane la Rotonde which will lead us to the Colorado de Rustrel, these old ochre quarries now abandoned which will plunge you into the landscapes of the American West. We will have to go along the superb gorges of the Nesque to finally attack the slopes of the famous Mont Ventoux in the middle of the vineyards of the Rhone Valley. We will stay near the superb village of Vaison la Romaine in the heart of the Baronnies of Provence.

We set off on the small roads of the Baronnies Provençales. After a stop in Montbrun les Bains we cross the regional park of Baronnies Provençales. You can admire the many typical villages of the Drôme such as Poët Laval or Grignan. We will reach the Diois region at the foot of the Vercors massif where we will stay after our last ascent of the day via the Rousset pass.

The Vercors region is a treat for motorcycling with all its cornice roads such as Combe Laval or the Grand Goulets. After following the gorges of the Bourne we descend from the Vercors to enter the Chartreuse massif. Then we will ride along two of the most beautiful lakes in Savoie: the Bourget lake and the Annecy lake where we will finish this wonderful motorbike road trip on the Grande Route of the Alps and the Provence Côte d'Azur.