Rising to 2764 m, the Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved pass in Europe. Like the Galibier, the road over the pass, which connects the Upper Tarentaise and Upper Maurienne Valleys, was built by the Armée des Alpes.
An interminable 20-km ascent separates Val d’Isère from the Col de l’Iseran. Cycling history buffs will remember that in 1959 Louison Bobet, a three-times winner of the Tour de France, stopped at the top of this climb to signal the end of his career.
At the heart of the Vanoise National Park, walkers are faced with an embarrassment of riches and can feast their eyes on the magnificent glaciers of Le Vallonet, L’Albaron, Les Évettes, Le Grand Méan, and Le Mulinet, before heading down to the Plan des Eaux, a vast “arctic” plateau.

The Maurienne side of the pass is wilder and more picturesque than the Tarentaise side. The climb can be started at Bonneval-sur-Arc, which is only 13 km and 1000 metres of height gain from the pass, but many cyclists feel that the true start to the climb is Lanslebourg, 19 km west of Bonneval. Starting in Lanslebourg means first tackling the small, but by no means easy Col de la Madeleine (1750 m), and then covering 7 km of flat across the Bessans plateau. In Bonneval, the road turns left and the slope increases once more to an average gradient of 7.8%, including several sections at more than 9%.

Once at the summit, the view opens out towards the snowy peaks of the Grande Sassière (3747 m, to the left) and the Tsanteleina (3608 m, to the right). Looking back towards the Maurienne, the Albaron (3637 m), above Bonneval, dominates the horizon. Immediately above the pass and the summit church lie the Pointe des Leissières (3041 m) and the Aiguille Pers (3428 m), Val d'Isère’s summer ski area.

The Col de l'Iseran has been included in the Tour de France 7 times, including 5 times since 1947. It has been classified “hors-catégorie” since 1992.