When you think of France, you think of the Alps. Cycling in the French Alps It’s a dream for every cycling enthusiast. In the Hautes-Alpes region, you can find your heart’s delight around Briançon. We were invited by Huttopia to the Vallouise and La Clarée campsites. Both are just a stone’s throw from Briançon and perfect for tackling the various mountain climbs you know from the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. What’s more, during our trip, stage 4 of the Vuelta a España came our way! We’ll take you through the region and give you our tips for an epic cycling adventure in the Hautes-Alpes region – Briançon
Electric to France
We start our trip early in the morning. We get up at five o’clock in the morning and head straight to France.. Since we drive electric, we had to charge a few times, but you can easily combine that with a small pit stop. It’s a long drive, but in the end we arrive at the campsite around half past eleven at night. Huttopia Vallouise. We were called in advance to tell that you should report to the restaurant instead of the reception upon your late arrival. That was nice to know, so we could pick up our key and information about our stay. The chalet looks nice and has almost everything you need to spend a few days comfortably. We have made up the beds so we can go to sleep quickly.
On to the Col de Vars and Col de l’izoard
After a long journey yesterday, we are a bit tired today, but the morale is high: we are going to conquer two epic Alpine passes. We have our breakfast and dinner in the village and start the day calmly. The first kilometers of the day take us downhill towards Guillestre, a perfect warm-up. The climb to the Col de Vars starts immediately with steep sections at the beginning and end. The middle section is flatter, ideal for a quick break. Above, we enjoy the view and descend via an easy trail, with a short passage through a village where we need to be careful.
In Guillestre, the climb to the Col de l’Izoard begins. The road winds up among impressive rock walls. After 15 km, we turn left and the real climbing begins. We pass charming villages and fill up our water bottles for the last, steep part. The hairpin bends and slopes of over 10% make it difficult, but the view along the way is stunning. At the top, there is a small shelter with a souvenir shop. Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy cola because we didn’t have any cash, but thanks to a friendly lady, we were able to fill our water bottles.
The descent to Briançon is spectacular, with many curves and beautiful views. Then there are another 20 km of slightly uphill descent to our campsite in Vallouise. Around six o’clock we drive up to the campsite, tired but satisfied. Time to shower and cook in our cozy chalet.
Steven Kruiswijk's nightmare: Col d’Agnel – Colle d’Agnello
After a quiet start to the day, we still feel the kilometers from yesterday in our legs, but we are ready for a new challenge: the Col d’Agnel. This impressive climb is well known from both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. We have our breakfast at the bakery and Carrefour in the village, and we are there in a minute by bike. The route for today is 137 km round trip, with the highlight being the border crossing into Italy. The first 20 km towards Guillestre are ideal for warming up. After that, we drive via Château Queyras to the Col d’Agnel: a tough climb of 21 km with steep sections at the beginning and end. Along the way, we see curious marmots and enjoy the view in the hairpin bends just before the top.
Above the col, on the border between France and Italy, the view is breathtaking. There is no catering, but the tranquility and the panorama more than make up for it. After a short stop, we descend, first technically with curves, then quickly and straight. On the way back, we stop in L’Argentière-la-Bessée for a well-deserved cola and coffee in the sunshine. The last kilometers to the campsite are relaxed and enjoyable. A successful day full of highlights!
Transition stage Huttopia Vallouise – Huttopia La Clarée
Our last day in Vallouise starts early. We get in the car and leave at half past 9 towards our next destination: Huttopia La Clarée. On the way, we have breakfast in Briançon and arrive at the new campsite around 10:00. Since we can only check in at 16:00, we get dressed in the parking lot and immediately get on our bikes.
Today is all about the Vuelta, which takes place over the Col du Lautaret. We cycle at a nice pace up and share the road with many other cycling enthusiasts. It’s lively up on the Lautaret, and the atmosphere is great. When the riders come by, we enthusiastically encourage them, and before we know it they’re already gone.
After this spectacular climb, we continue to the Galibier. It’s windy, but the view from above is worth it. We take the classic photo at the sign and descend towards the Granon, our final climb of the day. The Granon is short but powerful: 10 km with an average gradient of 9%. It’s tough, but the route through the forest and the views make up for it a lot.
Back at the campsite, we are greeted kindly and can check in again. Our new chalet is comfortable and a nice place to recover from this impressive day. The chalet has a kitchen, we have two bedrooms with nice beds, and the bathroom is also more than adequate.
Even raise the legs
Today is a day off on the schedule. This is also a good thing with the weather because it is a rainy day. After our breakfast, we decide to go to the old town of Briançon, Cité Vauban. It is a beautiful fortress with nice little streets. Perfect to spend the day off in. We have lunch in a side street near the church. After a good lunch, we go back to the campsite. We make it a quiet afternoon and evening. We still do some shopping and then look forward to tomorrow.
The Finestre falls into the water
The last cycling day of this beautiful week has arrived. We get up and look outside; it is dry but… a full day of rain is predicted. This is a disappointment because today we have a nice ride planned. We want to ride the Colle delle Finestre today, the climb from the 2025 Giro where Del Toro lost his pink jersey and Yates won the Giro. The weather isn’t cooperating today, but it looks like we can still cycle for another hour at the end of the afternoon.
At the end of the afternoon, at half past six, we will go cycling for another hour. We are going for a route of 23 km to the Italian border and back. The route includes the Montée Montgenevre, a climb of 7 km at 6%. It is a beautiful climb that runs steadily uphill. We drive through the village of Montgenevre and on towards the Italian border. We take a quick photo because in the distance we can already see dark clouds approaching. We drive back and are just before the rain at the campsite.
We are going out to eat here for our last evening in the village near the La Vachette campsite. After having a nice meal, it’s time to pack our bags because tomorrow we’ll be leaving early to return to the Netherlands.
Huttopia La Clarée and Huttopia Vallouise
Huttopia offers campsites with both camping pitches, furnished tents and also mobile homes, wooden cabins and more. Both on Vallouise as La Clarée Do you have bread service for breakfast, bike rental, a restaurant with pizzas and, for example, pancakes, and you can have a drink at the bar?.
Both campsites have a heated swimming pool. There are also various activities such as table tennis, pétanque and a football/basketball court at La Clarée. In Vallouise there is also a tennis court and volleyball court. There is also a laundry room with a washing machine and dryer.
Near Vallouise you have several restaurants, such as the hotel on the corner near the bridge and a small supermarket. There is also a nice bakery in the village where you can get your breakfast.
At La Clarée you have to go to Briançon to get to the supermarket, but at the campsite you can order bread from the baker himself. For restaurants, for example, you can go to La Vauchette. Les Copains d’Abord, Here you can eat very well and they are very hospitable.
Both campsites are therefore perfect for exploring the Alps and tackling some of the major passes such as the Col du Galibier, Izoard, Col de Vars and Col du Granon. And of course, the Agnello, Col d’Agnel. With a little time and imagination, the Colle del Finestre is also an option!
How do you get there
By car, it’s 1,200 km from, for example, Utrecht. It normally takes you a day to get there. We were using the electric car and had to charge it three times; that’s 45-minute breaks. We therefore spent 13 hours on it, which was quite manageable.
We drove both ways along the route du soleil. We had to pay tolls a few times. The total cost of the trip was about 140 euros.
The trip could also be done by train, but travel times and costs vary greatly. It’s easy to get to Briançon, but you’ll still have to get to the final destination. There is at least one train that runs between Briancon and the TGV station in Valence. According to Google, a single trip from Utrecht takes about 12 hours via Paris.
Routes Huttopia La Clarée – Vallouise
Huttopa Vallouise and Huttopia La Clarée are perfect for going mountain biking. You can also enjoy some good gravel and mountain biking there. On our trip, we mainly went on mountain biking. These are our routes from this trip.
The region is also very beautiful to ride gravel on. We saw a nice collection from Simon Rosmolen, who as a hotelier knows the region very well. We don’t want to forget this extra collection for you!
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.