The Iseran pass

At 2,770 metre, the pass marks the boundary between two high valleys of Savoie, Haute Maurienne Vanoise and Tarentaise. In the Northern Alps, the road over the Iseran Pass is the only road across the Vanoise National Park and includes the highest point on the Route des Grandes Alpes. Open from June to September, it is a must for your holidays in Haute Maurienne Vanoise.

The Iseran pass

Altitude 2,770 m

Highest mountain road pass in the Alps

Iseran the giant

“Must-do” is not too strong a term to describe the ascent of this high mountain pass, most of which takes place more than 2,000 metres above sea level.

It usually opens at the beginning of June, depending on the depth of snow cover, and often closes again at the end of September due to the return of fresh snowfall.

At the summit of the Iseran Pass, every driver, motorcyclist and cyclist stops to take a photo! This prestigious and unmissable section of the Route des Grandes Alpes, remains THE road to travel on your way to the beaches of the Mediterranean.

A visit to the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Toute Prudence is also a must. It was built in 1939, two years after the opening of the road, which was inaugurated on 10th July 1937 by the President of France, Albert Lebrun.

©ot Haute Maurienne Vanoise Pc Sur La Route Du Col De L'iseran

©ot Haute Maurienne Vanoise Pc Iseran Cyclisme6

©ot Haute Maurienne Vanoise Pc Iseran Cyclisme3

©ot Haute Maurienne Vanoise Pc Route Iseran

Skiing and cycling

With an elevation ranging from 2,700 to 3,200 metres and sunshine lasting all day long, the Pissaillas glacier in Bonneval sur Arc attracts summer-skiing enthusiasts from mid-June to mid-July (depending on snow cover). With two slopes and a slalom stadium, it is a very pleasant place to ski because there are no crowds and no queues at the bottom of the two lifts!
A legendary stage of the Tour de France cycling race, the ascent of the Iseran Pass – the highest mountain road pass in the Alps – has left its mark on the calf muscles of amateur and professional cyclists in their thousands!