Col de L'Iseran high mountain pass for motorcycles Val D'Isere

The Col de L'Iseran - the highest paved road in Europe

The holy grail for many motorcycle and bike tourers, the Col de L’Iseran is the highest paved mountain pass in Europe at a height of 2770 m (9088 feet) at the top.
During the winter it is inaccessible due to snow cover and instead forms part of the Espace Killy ski area servicing the resorts of Tignes and Val D'Isere. The col road was constructed between the First and Second World Wars and took an astounding 34 years to complete, finally joining the Maurienne and Iseran valley systems for the first time in history. The route forms part of the famous series of cols linking the Northern Alps to the Cote d'Azur via the cols of Roseland, Iseran, Mont Cenis, Galibier, Var, Allos and Greollieres. Made famous by many Tour de France bike races and more recently the promotion of the 'High Alpine Route' for motorcycle tours and campers this is a classic high alpine route in stunning scenery with glaciers, marmottes and high peaks all around.

The north side of the col runs from Bourg Saint Maurice up the valley passing the ski resorts of St Foy and Tignes Les Brevieres. From here the col continues past the Lac du Chevril into the resort of Val D'Isere and through Le Fornet from where it begins to wind up the mountains on its final climb to it's higest point of 2770 m. The road is sealed and well built with a number of tunnels and parking spots to pull over to enjoy the view or some refreshments. There is a large car-park at the Pont St Charles just out of Val d'Isere where you can see the raging waters from the Source de L'Isere erupting from the Gorges de Malpasset (literally 'gorge which is hard to get through'). At the top of the col there are the usual selection of market stalls and gift sellers and a church and old monastery to look around. The ride down from the peak takes tourers down to the village of Bonneval-sur-Arc via an immense alpine valley famous for its cheese production and then on down towards Lanslebourg-Mont Cenis. From here you can then take the Col de Mont Cenis and head over into Italy.

Starting in Bourg St Maurice the road to the col measures over 48km with a vertical difference of 1955 metres. From Val d'Isere the last 15km climbs 895 metres at an average grade of over 6%. Starting in Lanslebourg-Mont Cenis in the Maurienne Valley the climb to the top is about 33km with a vertical difference of 1370 metres. The final part on this side begins in Bonneval-Sur-Arc and is 13.5km long with an average gradient of 7.3% and climbing 977 metres including several sections with climbs in excess of 10%.

Cyclists may recognise the views from the Col de L'Iseran from watching one of the most famous cycle races in the world, the Tour de France. The Col has been seen on the Tour de France 4 times and in 1939 was used for the first ever mountain time trial from Bonneval-sur-Arc to Bourg Saint Maurice. The Col was most recently used in the 2007 tour.

Situated in Tignes Les Brevieres, along the Col de L'Iseran, Chalet Hattiers is an ideal friendly stopover for those touring the alps by road. We offer secure cycle storage and free parking for motorbikes. We also make available to our guests a pressure washer and basic cycle matainence tools. With the offer of free lift passes at the nearby Tignes Bike park, guests can also take advantage of a days' downhill mountain biking letting gravity do the hard work for a change.
See the Mountain Biking page for details.