French Alps from Amsterdam ?

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Every time I've been to the Alps it's always been via the Black Forest then either in to Switzerland to Andermatt or over to Austria/Italian Dolomites and have never done the French Alps.

So again, arriving via Amsterdam but wanting to do the French instead, any tips/ideas of routes down to the likes of Gap/Grenoble/D'Huez area ???
 
We generally blast down the paeage and overnight south of Dijon. We like to stop in a small town called St Germain du Bois, at a small family hotel there (Hostelrie Bressanne) which does a healthy trade in gastro evenings. Family-run.

That way, getting 500miles out the way - you can enjoy the next 250 down to Barcelonnette/Castellane on the twisties.

Al
 
I come out of the Chunnel very early and ride down to Albertville.
Next morning I get an early start and the RdGA - but at this time of year some passes are still closed.
 
Depends how long you want to take to get there. Motorway gets to the best stuff quicker, my preference in early years of touring.

We now will spend 3 days from UK to Barcelonnette with one day of motorway. Instead of two solid days of motorway.

This year on our way out and back we do a bit in the Morvan, skim cevennes area, Vosges, Luxembourg and ardennes.
 
If you go through Grenoble - even on that autoroute - you will need a Crit air sticker.
Do a search for info on it.
 
Depends how long you want to take to get there. Motorway gets to the best stuff quicker, my preference in early years of touring.

We now will spend 3 days from UK to Barcelonnette with one day of motorway. Instead of two solid days of motorway.

This year on our way out and back we do a bit in the Morvan, skim cevennes area, Vosges, Luxembourg and ardennes.

It takes me a day (in good weather) to get down to where you start from.
 
Crabby, how long have you got for the trip?

Route des grand alpes is an easy 3 days, you could run down to the coast via the vercors and route Napoleon, possibly take in gorge du verdon, probably 3 days.

I would want an extra day around Barcelonnette, if not two - so many great passes here you miss if zooming by on rdga.

Maybe an extra day at Bourg St Maurice to do the 7 pass loop around Mont blanc.

That is 6 to 9 days, plus your down and back travel.

You could keep a bit further West than normal and ride through Luxembourg, the Vosges and the doubs.

Probably 2 days each way taking fairly good routes, easy for two week trip, but needs more than a week.
 
Crabby, how long have you got for the trip?

Route des grand alpes is an easy 3 days, you could run down to the coast via the vercors and route Napoleon, possibly take in gorge du verdon, probably 3 days.

I would want an extra day around Barcelonnette, if not two - so many great passes here you miss if zooming by on rdga.

Maybe an extra day at Bourg St Maurice to do the 7 pass loop around Mont blanc.

That is 6 to 9 days, plus your down and back travel.

You could keep a bit further West than normal and ride through Luxembourg, the Vosges and the doubs.

Probably 2 days each way taking fairly good routes, easy for two week trip, but needs more than a week.
Please keep that under your hat. We don't want loads of Brit bikers clogging up some of the best biking roads in France.
 
Crabby, how long have you got for the trip?

Route des grand alpes is an easy 3 days, you could run down to the coast via the vercors and route Napoleon, possibly take in gorge du verdon, probably 3 days.

I would want an extra day around Barcelonnette, if not two - so many great passes here you miss if zooming by on rdga.

Maybe an extra day at Bourg St Maurice to do the 7 pass loop around Mont blanc.

That is 6 to 9 days, plus your down and back travel.

You could keep a bit further West than normal and ride through Luxembourg, the Vosges and the doubs.

Probably 2 days each way taking fairly good routes, easy for two week trip, but needs more than a week.

I've ridden gorge du verdon and didn't like it; I much preferred gorges du tarn.
 
Cabby, I'm doing that at the end of June,
First day down to Epinal IBIS at the NW edge of the Vosges via a small detour to La Gleize to photo the Tiger Tank (Optional) Long run 395mls but do-able first day motorway blast, wee breaks at each petrol stop.

Second day to La Clusaz(RDGA) , not so long 264mls , - straight to top of Lac Leman and round the lake on the motorway to the East and join the RDGA (D902) at "Les Gorge du Pont du Diable" . But I have stayed at Thonon les Bain to start from the top of the RDGA(not much till you get down the D902 a bit)

After that straight down the RDGA stopping where you fancy and a lot less daily mls , in the mountains average about 30MPH in a 6 - 8hr day (180 - 240mls)

Usually return via the Route Napoleon Grasse to Grenoble on the D4085, possibly add on the Gorge Verdon..

https://www.alpen-journal.de/alpenpaesse is a handy site to check the passes.
 
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Cabby, I'm doing that at the end of June,
First day down to Epinal IBIS at the NW edge of the Vosges via a small detour to La Gleize to photo the Tiger Tank (Optional) Long run 395mls but do-able first day motorway blast, wee breaks at each petrol stop.

Second day to La Clusaz(RDGA) , not so long 264mls , - straight to top of Lac Leman and round the lake on the motorway to the East and join the RDGA (D902) at "Les Gorge du Pont du Diable" . But I have stayed at Thonon les Bain to start from the top of the RDGA(not much till you get down the D902 a bit)

After that straight down the RDGA stopping where you fancy and a lot less daily mls , in the mountains average about 30MPH in a 6 - 8hr day (180 - 240mls)

Usually return via the Route Napoleon Grasse to Grenoble on the D4085, possibly add on the Gorge Verdon..

https://www.alpen-journal.de/alpenpaesse is a handy site to check the passes.

I'm watching that site too as I leave on Sat. 26th May for the Dolomites but then heading to gorges du tarn after the Mugello MotoGP.
 
I put Amsterdam to Mont Blanc Massif (as somewhere to pick in the French Alps) into Kurviger. It offers up a route that runs well westward of the Black Forest. It would work.

Now, how long do you have in mind to cover the distance?
 
If you're giving yourself 2 days to get to the RDGA, I used to stop at Pont a Mousson - bagatelle-hotel.com 325 mls, and found I was there by about 16:00 and could do more miles.

But then I stayed at Thonon les Bain - hotelarcencielthonon.com to start right at the top of the RDGA,, :thumb2
 
If you go through Grenoble - even on that autoroute - you will need a Crit air sticker.
Do a search for info on it.

fyi: my crit air sticker arrived Friday. So I guess it takes about a week start to finish for 4 euro's odd.
 


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