D2 · France
Col de Vence
A climb from Vence, in the hills above Nice, up onto the high limestone plateau behind the Côte d’Azur.
Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on this route. Heights come from terrain data and can differ from signposted figures by a few tens of metres.
Where is the Col de Vence?
The Col de Vence is in France, on the D2. The route on this page: from above Vence up the D2 over the 963 m col, then across the plateau to Coursegoules, 13.4 km.
Why the Col de Vence is famous
The D2 climbs in loops and hairpins with the whole coast spread out below, from Antibes to Nice. After the col it keeps climbing gently across the bare plateau to the village of Coursegoules. It is a classic climb for cyclists and drivers from the Riviera, and not far from the Col de Turini.
Col de Vence hairpins
Over 13.4 km Turini calls 7 hairpins, 1 square corner and 86 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 1 crest. That is 97 calls in all, one every 138 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes). On Turini’s ranking of the twistiest famous roads it comes 22nd of 61.
Col de Vence elevation profile
From 528 m at the start to 1,043 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 1,040 m. Red marks are the hairpins.
Col de Vence pace notes, first few km
The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.
Right 5Left 3 opensRight 5Left 2Right 5Right 5Hairpin rightLeft 4Hairpin leftRight 5Right 5Left 1 tightensRight 2 longLeft 6Hairpin leftRight 3 very longLeft 4Hairpin rightLeft 2 very long tightensLeft 6Right 1Left 2 very long opensRight 1Left 4Right 1That takes you to 3.42 km. 72 more calls follow over the remaining 10.0 km.
Before you drive the Col de Vence
Open all year. Rare snow can close it for a day or two in winter.
There are many cyclists on the climb, especially at weekends. Above the col the road is quiet, with nowhere to buy fuel until you come back down.
How to drive the Col de Vence with Turini
Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It plays through the phone or the car speakers. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.
Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.
The Col de Vence: questions
Is the Col de Vence open all year?
Open all year. Rare snow can close it for a day or two in winter.
Where is the Col de Vence?
The Col de Vence is in France, on the D2. The route on this page: from above Vence up the D2 over the 963 m col, then across the plateau to Coursegoules, 13.4 km.
How long is the Col de Vence?
The route on this page, from above Vence up the D2 over the 963 m col, then across the plateau to Coursegoules, is 13.4 km (8.3 miles) long, with about 550 m (1,800 ft) of climbing.
How many hairpins does the Col de Vence have?
On this route Turini calls 7 hairpins and 86 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 1 square corner: 97 pace-note calls in all, about 7 corners a kilometre. Signposted counts can differ, since Turini only calls a hairpin where the road really doubles back.
How high does the Col de Vence go?
The highest point on this route is about 1,040 m (3,410 ft), from terrain data, so it can differ from the signposted height by a few tens of metres. It starts at 528 m and finishes at 1,043 m.
More roads like the Col de Vence
Best driving roads in Europe · Best driving roads in France · The twistiest famous roads, ranked · All famous roads · How to read pace notes · How to find twisty roads near you
Sources: Wikipedia (fr): Col de Vence.
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