Cime de la Bonette: 24 km from Jausiers to France's highest road

The road over the Cime de la Bonette reaches 2,802 m, and Ubaye Tourisme calls it the highest paved road in France. From Jausiers in the Ubaye valley it is 24 km and 1,589 m of climbing at an average of 6.6%, by the tourist office's figures. It is rarely steep. What makes it hard is how long it lasts and how high it ends, with the last part high on a bare mountainside, in the wind, past old military buildings. Here is the climb section by section, how to ride it when the air gets thin, and what to know before you go.

The climb from Jausiers

The Route des Grandes Alpes guide starts the climb in Jausiers at 1,214 m and gives 23.2 km and 1,588 m to the top, at about 7%. Our track is 24.1 km. The difference is the start point in the village, not the road.

• Jausiers to Le Rochas: the warm-up that isn't. The road climbs out of the valley past Chalannette (1,545 m) with a section at 8%, then four switchbacks over about 2 km at around 8% to Le Rochas (1,785 m). On our track the first 12 km barely drop below 7%.
• Halte 2000 to Restefond: the open mountain. The Cabane de Clapouse, known as Halte 2000, is roughly halfway. Above it the road passes the Lac des Eissaupres, with about 600 m at 7% before it, then climbs 1.5 km at 8.5% to the old Restefond barracks. Our track's hardest sustained kilometre is in here, at 9.1%.
• The blockhouses and the loop. After the Faux Col de Restefond the gradient eases to 3–3.5% for about two kilometres, past concrete blockhouses, to the Col de la Bonette at 2,715 m. Then comes the sting. A small road loops around the summit to 2,802 m, and its last kilometre averages 8% with 12% in the final 100 m. From the Jausiers side the guide recommends taking the loop to the right.

From the top of the road, a short footpath of about ten minutes leads to the real summit at 2,860 m and an orientation table. The view is worth the walk.

How to ride a climb that ends at 2,800 m

The Route des Grandes Alpes gives just over two hours to the top at 11 km/h and about an hour and a half at 15 km/h. For most riders that means a long endurance effort, not a threshold one, and the altitude takes something off it at the end.

• Ride the first half at 75–80% of FTP. The gradient is even, so let the power be even too. Our guide to pacing a climb with power covers why.
• Expect your power to fall above 2,000 m. At these heights the same effort gives noticeably fewer watts. If your numbers drop past Restefond while your breathing stays the same, you are not fading. Ride by feel. Altitude for amateurs explains what thin air does to you.
• Keep something for the loop. The easy two kilometres before the col tempt you to relax. The final 12% ramp comes right after them.
• Carry everything. The guide is clear: there are no cafés or services at the col or the summit, and only one or two places on the climb may be open in high season. Take at least two full bottles and food for two hours or more; fuelling long rides has the numbers.

A road built to beat a record

The road's history goes back to a decree of 18 August 1860 under Napoleon III, which made the route between Nice and Barcelonnette an imperial road. It took almost a century to finish. The army built the Restefond barracks at 2,580 m between 1901 and 1906, later came the Maginot Line works, and the full link was inaugurated only on 22 September 1950.

The record came later. In 1959 the funds for the last works were tied to beating the altitude record of the Col de l'Iseran, so a new road was built around the Cime de la Bonette to 2,802 m. That final route was inaugurated on 2 October 1961, and a stele at the top marks it. Ubaye Tourisme lists Tour de France passages in 1962, 1964, 1993 and 2008. The Route des Grandes Alpes adds the 2024 stage from Embrun to Isola 2000.

Before you go

• Season. The road usually closes in October or November and reopens in May or June, depending on snow. In 2026 it closed on 17 October because of the weather. Check inforoute04.fr for the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence side and inforoutes06.fr for the Tinée side before you travel.
• Weather. The guide warns of sudden changes: thunderstorms, strong wind, rain and, rarely, snow. Wind at the top can be icy, and the descent is long and cold. Take a jacket and full gloves; see cycling in cold weather.
• Speed limit. The road has a 50 km/h limit, which matters most on the way down.
• The other side. From Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée the climb is 25.4 km and 1,658 m, and the guide warns it can be very hot. Riding over and back makes one of the biggest days in the Alps. The Bonette is also part of the Brevet des 7 cols de l'Ubaye.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page follows the real road from Jausiers to the top of the loop. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that long, even gradient, and the world around you is built from map data of the Ubaye valley, up to the bare slopes around Restefond. Indoors you cannot recreate the thin air, but you can learn what two hours of steady 7% feels like, and practise saving enough for the 12% at the end.

Your rides are saved with their power data, so riding it twice a few weeks apart shows whether your endurance is improving. To ride it on another device, download the GPX above.

The short version

24 km and 1,589 m from Jausiers to 2,802 m, the highest paved road in France. It is long and even rather than steep, until the 12% ramp at the very end of the summit loop. Ride it at an endurance effort, expect less power above 2,000 m, carry all your food and water, and check the road is open before you go.