The Col du Galibier (2,642 m / 8,668 ft) and the Col du Lautaret (2,058 m / 6,752 ft) sit ten minutes apart and behave nothing alike. The Lautaret is a wide, gently graded pass on the D1091 between Grenoble and Briançon that stays open all year round. The Galibier is a summer-only high col reached by a spur off it, generally open from June to September, and it is the one that people cross France for. Riding them together as a pair is the sensible plan: the Lautaret gets you into position in almost any weather, and the Galibier is the reward you take when the gate is up.
Two passes, one afternoon
Geographically the arrangement is simple. The Lautaret is the through route: it links the valleys of the Romanche and the Guisane and carries the main Grenoble – Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Briançon traffic on the D1091 (the old Route nationale 91). The Galibier branches north from it on the D902 and climbs another 585 m to a saddle between the Maurienne and the Guisane. Come at the Galibier from the north instead, from Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, and you first cross the Col du Télégraphe at 1,566 m, drop into Valloire, and climb from there.
That north approach is the harder and better one. From Valloire the climb runs 18.1 km (11.2 miles) at an average of 6.9%, gaining 1,245 m, with the steepest pitches around 10% right at the top. From the Lautaret side it is a short 8.5 km (5.3 miles) at the same 6.9% average, gaining 585 m, with a maximum of about 12% in the final kilometre. Both are properly surfaced two-lane roads; neither is technically difficult on a motorcycle. What makes the Galibier memorable is the altitude and the openness — above the treeline the road runs across bare scree with nothing between you and the Massif des Écrins.
Route at a glance
| Col du Galibier | 2,642 m (8,668 ft), D902, Savoie / Hautes-Alpes |
| Col du Lautaret | 2,058 m (6,752 ft), D1091, Hautes-Alpes |
| Galibier from Valloire | 18.1 km (11.2 miles), average 6.9%, 1,245 m gain |
| Galibier from the Lautaret | 8.5 km (5.3 miles), average 6.9%, 585 m gain |
| Galibier tunnel | 370 m long, reopened 2002, sits just below the summit |
| Galibier season | Generally June to September, sometimes a little longer |
| Lautaret season | Open all year round |
Open the Maurienne to Briançon crossing in Google Maps — Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Valloire, then over both cols to Briançon, ready to send to your navigation.
The north ramp, Télégraphe and Valloire
Most riders come from the Maurienne, and the Col du Télégraphe is the warm-up nobody talks about. It is a tight, wooded, consistently graded climb out of Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne with a genuine rhythm to it, and in July it is busy with cyclists, so leave room. The short drop into Valloire is where you refuel and eat, because there is nothing between there and Briançon.
Above Valloire the valley opens into pasture and then into rock. The road climbs Plan Lachat, doubles back, and starts the sequence of long open switchbacks that appear in every photograph of this pass. At the top, the tunnel — 370 m long and about 4 m wide, restored and reopened in 2002 — cuts under the summit. On a motorcycle the road over the top is worth the extra 90 seconds; the tunnel is narrow, unlit in feel, and skips the actual col.
The Lautaret, the pass that always works
The Lautaret is easy to dismiss because it is broad and only moderately steep — 34.1 km at an average 3.8% from the west, 27.7 km at 3.1% from the east. That misses the point. It is the pass that keeps working: open all year, wide enough for confident overtakes, and positioned so that you can reach Briançon in weather that has already closed the Galibier above you. In late spring and autumn this is what makes a French Alps trip flexible rather than fragile.
It also has a genuinely unusual stop. The Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret, run by Université Grenoble Alpes, sits at the col and is one of the oldest alpine botanical gardens in Europe. It is an odd thing to recommend on a motorcycle site, but a 40-minute walk through it is a better break than another coffee, and the col has parking, food and toilets — which the Galibier summit does not, in any comfortable sense.
Building a day around the pair
The most common mistake is treating these as two ticks on a list. They work far better as a loop. From Briançon, the natural circuit is up the D1091 to the Lautaret, right onto the D902 for the Galibier, over the top and down to Valloire, then Col du Télégraphe into Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne — and back either the same way or via the Maurienne and the Col du Mont Cenis if you want to add Italy to the day. From Valloire the reverse works equally well and puts the Lautaret's food and fuel at the halfway point.
A second reason to plan it as a loop is weather insurance. If the Galibier is shut or the summit is in cloud when you get to the Lautaret, you still have a good road in both directions and you can convert the day into a Briançon–Grenoble run down the Romanche without wasting it. That flexibility is exactly what the Lautaret's year-round status buys you, and it is why the pairing is the sensible unit rather than the Galibier alone.
On timing: the Galibier summit car park is small and fills with cars, cyclists and coaches from mid-morning in July and August. Riders report that being at the top before 10:00 changes the experience completely — you get the road, the light is better for photographs down both valleys, and you have the whole afternoon in hand if the weather turns.
Season, weather and practical detail
Season. The Galibier is generally open from June to September, sometimes a little longer, and is closed through winter. The Lautaret is open all year round, though it can shut temporarily during storms or avalanche control. As of August 2026 that is the pattern, but the Galibier's opening date moves by weeks depending on snow, and its closure comes with the first serious autumn snowfall. Check official status before you ride: Savoie publishes col conditions on its road information service, the Hautes-Alpes department publishes its own at inforoute.hautes-alpes.fr, and the tourist offices in Valloire and Briançon answer the phone.
Weather. At 2,642 m the Galibier makes its own conditions. Riders regularly report leaving Valloire at 22 °C and finding single digits, wind and cloud at the summit within 45 minutes. Afternoon thunderstorms in July and August are normal rather than exceptional, and hail on the descent is a real possibility. The practical answer is to ride the Galibier in the morning and treat the afternoon as buffer.
Fuel and services. Fill up in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Valloire or Briançon. There is no fuel on either col. Valloire is the last reliable stop before a long, high, exposed stretch.
Traffic. Both passes are cycling monuments and see heavy bicycle traffic from June onwards, including organised events that can close roads for hours. Groups of cyclists on a 10% pitch occupy more road than you expect. Overtake with full visibility and nothing else.
Tolls and zones. There is no vignette in France and the cols themselves are free. The A43 Maurienne motorway that brings most riders into the valley is tolled per journey, and low-emission zone (ZFE) rules with Crit'Air stickers apply in larger French cities such as Grenoble — check the official Crit'Air site if your route goes through one.
Gear notes for a high-col day
This pairing punishes two specific things. The first is relying on a phone in a mount. The Galibier's upper slopes have inconsistent mobile coverage, the weather changes fast enough that you will not want to be handling a phone in a downpour, and the vibration on the older sections of the D902 is exactly the kind that damages phone camera modules — our piece on the risks of running navigation off a bare phone covers why that combination goes wrong. A dedicated motorcycle riding system display takes the map, keeps the phone in your jacket, and stays legible in the flat white light you get above the treeline.
The second is cold-side pressure. You start these climbs in a warm valley and finish 1,200 m higher in air that can be fifteen degrees colder, then descend hard on brakes that are heating the wheels while the ambient temperature does the opposite. If you have wondered why the front feels different at the top than at the bottom, how temperature moves tyre pressure explains the mechanism, and a TPMS sensor shows the actual number at the col instead of after the fact. Riders on the JADO S6 get pressure and navigation on one screen, with cameras running for the descent.
These two cols are the centrepiece of the Route des Grandes Alpes, and the natural next pass south is the Col d'Izoard above Briançon.
FAQ
When does the Col du Galibier open?
It is generally open from June to September, sometimes slightly longer, and closed all winter. The exact date depends on snow clearance each spring, so check departmental road information rather than assuming a fixed date.
Is the Col du Lautaret open in winter?
Yes, the Lautaret is open all year round, which is why it carries the main Grenoble to Briançon traffic. It can still close temporarily for storms or avalanche work.
Should you use the Galibier tunnel or ride over the top?
Ride over the top. The tunnel is 370 m long and about 4 m wide and bypasses the actual summit. The road over the col is the reason you came.
Which side of the Galibier is the better ride?
The north side from Valloire, at 18.1 km and 6.9% average, gives you far more road and the classic switchback sequence. The south side from the Lautaret is only 8.5 km, steeper at the very end, and works better as a descent.
Can you do both cols in one day from Briançon?
Easily. Briançon to the Lautaret, up the Galibier, down to Valloire and back is a comfortable half day with stops, which leaves the afternoon as weather buffer.
