30 must-ride routes in France
Ten climbs for road bikes, ten routes for gravel and ten destinations for mountain bikes. It is not an official ranking: it is a selection of very well-known routes with the essential facts.
How it was chosen. We gathered routes mentioned repeatedly by cycling guides and specialist sites and grouped them by bike type, not by “beauty”. Numbers (km, elevation, gradient) appear only when the sources at the bottom of the page report them, and can differ slightly by side of the climb and how it is measured. Always check weather, road conditions and pass openings before you go.
Road bike: 10 climbs and rides
Mont Ventoux
Provence (Vaucluse)
The “Giant of Provence”: a moon-like summit above the forests, with a wind-exposed finish.
- 21.5 km from Bédoin
- 7.5% average gradient
- summit 1,912 m
- over 10% for 8 km
Alpe d’Huez
Alps (Isère)
The Tour de France icon: steady, popular and easy to pace.
- 13.8 km from Bourg-d’Oisans
- 7.9% average gradient
- summit 1,815 m
Col du Tourmalet
Pyrenees (Hautes-Pyrénées)
The great Pyrenean classic, among the passes most often used by the Tour de France.
- 18.8 km from Luz-Saint-Sauveur
- 7.4% average gradient
- summit 2,115 m
Col du Galibier
Alps (Savoie / Hautes-Alpes)
A very long climb in two stages, with a summit above 2,600 metres.
- 34.9 km via the Télégraphe, from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne
- 5.5% average gradient
- summit 2,642 m
Col d’Izoard
Alps (Hautes-Alpes, Queyras)
A high-mountain pass with mineral landscapes, known for the Casse Déserte.
- 15.9 km south side
- 6.9% average gradient
- summit 2,361 m
- north side from Briançon: 19.2 km at 5.9%
Col d’Aubisque
Pyrenees (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
A balcony over the Pyrenees, very steady and very photogenic.
- 16.6 km from Laruns
- 1,190 m of climbing
- 7.2% average gradient
- summit 1,709 m
Grand Colombier
Jura (Ain)
A demanding climb with several sides and views over the Rhône and the Alps.
- 15.7 km from Anglefort
- 7.9% average gradient
- summit 1,498 m
- four possible sides
Col de la Croix de Fer
Alps (Savoie)
A long pass with lakes and alpine pastures, often combined with the Glandon.
- 24 km from the Verney dam
- 5.2% average gradient
- summit 2,067 m
Col de l’Iseran
Alps (Vanoise)
One of the highest paved passes in the Alps: a long, steady climb in Vanoise National Park.
- 32.9 km from Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis
- 4.2% average gradient
- summit 2,770 m
- from Bourg-Saint-Maurice: 48.8 km
Cime de la Bonette
Alps (Alpes-Maritimes / Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
The loop around the summit, right at the top, is one of Europe’s highest paved roads.
- 25 km
- summit 2,802 m
- stretches at 9%; the pass is at 2,715 m, the summit at 2,802 m
Gravel: 10 routes
Via Rhôna
From Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean
A great route along the Rhône, from Geneva to the Camargue, with facilities for cyclists.
- 815 km
- flat to rolling; touring or gravel bike with robust tyres
Larzac
Aveyron / Larzac
Wide open spaces on the plateau, between broad tracks and narrow paths.
- 115 km
- 1,660 m of climbing
- 2 days; wide tracks and singletracks
Vosges sauvages
Vosges
A bikepacking weekend in the central Vosges with plenty of climbing.
- 126 km
- 3,050 m of climbing
- 2 days
Traversée du Jura par ses forêts
Jura
Forests, plateaus and backroads for a quiet crossing of the Jura.
- 143 km
- 3,400 m of climbing
- 2 to 3 days
Tour du lac d’Annecy par les Bauges
Savoie / Haute-Savoie
An alpine loop between Lake Annecy and the Bauges massif.
- 107 km
- 2,980 m of climbing
- 2 days
Vercors
Vercors Regional Nature Park
Plateaus, forests and cliffs: one of the Alps’ best-known gravel playgrounds.
- 95 km
- mixed tracks
Grands Causses
Aveyron
A vast network of circuits to build your own gravel trip.
- over 500 km across 9 circuits; Larzac tracks and small forest paths
Forcalquier – Lure – Luberon
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Hills, lavender and Provençal villages on a day loop.
- 57 km
- 944 m of climbing
Lozère : Mont-Lozère, Cévennes, Aubrac
Lozère
Wild, little-visited landscapes between plateaus and valleys.
- 9 routes; rolling tracks and hilly trails
Morvan
Nièvre / Burgundy
A green, quiet massif, ideal for riding without meeting many people.
- mountain backroads, forest tracks, bocage
MTB: 10 destinations and traverses
Les Gets – Portes du Soleil
Haute-Savoie
Described as one of Europe’s best bike parks, with something for every level.
- 650 km of trails in the Portes du Soleil; 17 descents; 128 km of secured tracks
Les 2 Alpes
Isère
Tracks that run from the Mont-de-Lans glacier down through forests and alpine pastures.
- about 22 tracks, 91 km of descent, 2,300 m of vertical drop
Serre Chevalier
Hautes-Alpes
A very complete area backing onto the Écrins, with a dry, sunny climate.
- 599 km of FFC circuits and 189 km of enduro circuits; 8 downhill tracks
Beaufortain – Les Saisies
Savoie
Routes around the Roselend and Saint-Guérin lakes with Mont Blanc as a backdrop.
- over 500 km of tracks; Les Saisies bike park
Villard-de-Lans et Vercors
Isère
A terrain loved by freeriders, with long marked traverses too.
- 10 circuits (150 km); Grandes Traversées du Vercors: 230 km, 2 to 10 days
TransVerdon
From Col d’Allos to Gréoux-les-Bains
A demanding traverse of the Verdon, between technical trails and gorge scenery.
- 255 km
- 6,650 m of climbing
- 4 to 5 days; singletracks
Grande Traversée des Alpes de Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
A week of MTB through Haute-Provence, between passes, forests and villages.
- 300 km
- 7,060 m of climbing
- 6 to 7 days
Grande Traversée du Massif Central
Avallon – Agde
France’s longest MTB route, with remote areas in the Auvergne, Cévennes and Grands Causses.
- 1,400 km
- one way; at least a week
Traversée des Pyrénées : Font-Romeu – Collioure
Pyrénées-Orientales
From the Cerdagne plateau to the Mediterranean: a committing traverse all the way to the sea.
- 230 km
- 8,000 to 10,000 m of climbing; advanced to expert level
Ardèche-Cévennes Divide
Ardèche / Cévennes
From the Monts d’Ardèche to Alès: a wild journey between ridges and valleys.
- 308 km
- 6,240 m of climbing
- 6 to 7 days; forest tracks, GR paths and MTB routes
Plan your ride with VeloAI
Choose start, distance, climbing and terrain: VeloAI offers 3 routes on real roads with a safety estimate, weather and a GPX file.
Sources
Data and descriptions derived from the pages below; always check up-to-date information before you ride.
- Alltricks – Top 10 des cols mythiques du Tour de France
- Alti Mag – 15 cols mythiques à gravir dans les Alpes
- Gravel Passion – Les meilleurs parcours de gravel en France
- Outside – 7 itinéraires pour découvrir le bikepacking
- Gravel Republic – Découverte de la Via Rhôna
- Alti Mag – Les meilleurs spots pour faire du VTT dans les Alpes
- Ryo – Les plus beaux parcours VTT de France
- France Vélo Tourisme – Grande Traversée du Massif Central à VTT