6 roads · France

Best driving roads in France

6 famous driving roads in France, each called corner by corner by Turini’s pace-note engine. On the routes here, the Col de la Bonette has the most hairpins (27) and has the biggest climb, about 1,470 m in all; the Col de l’Iseran is the longest at 29.9 km. They are listed by the number of hairpins Turini calls, then by length: a count from the map, not a verdict on which road is best.

France, by hairpins

1. 1
   Col de la BonetteD64 · France23.1 km · 250 calls · 27 hairpins · ↑1,470 m

   A short loop round the Cime de la Bonette takes the road to 2,802 m and is often described as the highest paved through route in the Alps.

2. 2
   Col du GalibierD902 · France27.0 km · 225 calls · 25 hairpins · ↑1,250 m

   It is often the highest point of the Tour de France.

3. 3
   Col de TuriniD2566 · Alpes-Maritimes · France12.6 km · 153 calls · 19 hairpins · ↑1,060 m

   The climb has been a stage of the Monte Carlo Rally for decades, often run at night and in snow and ice.

4. 4
   Col de l’IseranD902 · France29.9 km · 235 calls · 15 hairpins · ↑1,010 m

   It is part of the Route des Grandes Alpes and has been crossed by the Tour de France several times since 1938.

5. 5
   Gorges du VerdonD952 · France24.8 km · 241 calls · 6 hairpins · ↑590 m

   The Verdon has cut a gorge about 25 km long and up to 700 m deep through the limestone of Provence, and this road gives the classic views into it.

6. 6
   Route NapoléonD4085 / D6085 · France23.6 km · 109 calls · 6 hairpins · ↑530 m

   It is a well-known touring and motorcycling road, with long, flowing bends over open hills, and is marked along the way with eagle signs.

Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on the route shown on each road’s page, which is often one side or one stretch of the road. Climbs come from terrain data.

What the numbers mean

Each corner is called as a direction and a grade from 1 (tightest) to 6 (nearly straight). Hairpins are the turns that double back on themselves. The counts come straight from Turini’s engine reading the OpenStreetMap road, the same calls you hear in the car. The climb (↑) is the height gained over the route, from terrain data. New to it? Read how to read pace notes.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

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