In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Albertville through the Beaufortain and the Tarentaise, over the Iseran into the Haute-Maurienne, to Mont-Cenis, then over the Télégraphe and the Madeleine to Pralognan: about 450 kilometres in eight stages around France’s first national park.
The spirit of the route
The Vanoise is a mountain range you go around rather than through: at its heart lie glaciers and ibex meadows that no road reaches, and your route winds around them. Beyond Albertville the air smells of hay and cheese cellars, and in the Beaufortain alpine huts stand above turquoise reservoirs. The Tarentaise leads past the Tignes dam to Val-d’Isère, and from there the road climbs to the Col de l’Iseran, where snow often still lies at the roadside even in summer. The route continues through the Haute-Maurienne to Mont-Cenis, over the Télégraphe and the Madeleine and on into the valley of Pralognan. From the open sliding door you will see marmots, glacier tongues and villages built of natural stone. The route demands discipline: start early, drive downhill in a low gear, take the passes only in good weather – and in the evening stay on the site the park leaves you.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Albertville to Beaufort (Beaufortain) (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- From Albertville take the D925 into the valley of the Doron de Beaufort: via Queige and Villard-sur-Doron the road is wide and well built as far as Beaufort. There the D218B branches off and climbs in hairpins via Hauteluce towards the Col des Saisies; if you make the detour, you drive back to Beaufort on the same road. About 1.5 hours with the detour.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Conflans: the medieval upper town of Albertville with stone houses and lanes, a steep footpath from the car park at the bottom – a quiet start before the passes.
- Beaufort cheese at its source: alpine pastures and dairies in the Beaufortain sell “Beaufort d’été” made from summer milk; from here on, the cool box belongs on board.
- Hauteluce and the Col des Saisies: meadows, spruce forest and, in clear weather, views of the Mont Blanc massif.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: To start, in Albertville there is the municipal campsite Les Adoubes, with electricity and sanitary facilities, good for shopping and refuelling before the high mountains. In Beaufort itself there is the small Aire de camping-car in the village (about 20 pitches, water) and Camping Onlycamp de Domelin on the edge of the village. Check opening times and facilities in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Beaufortain the standard French rules apply: parking is allowed where it is not forbidden, camping behaviour is not. On the alpine tracks above the villages cattle and sheep graze, often with livestock guardian dogs (“Patous”) – keep your distance, keep dogs on a lead, do not open any fences. Overnighting in alpine car parks is not intended.
- Insider tip for campers
- Refuel and shop in Albertville – in the Beaufortain the shops are small and more expensive. Alpine cheese is usually fresh at the farm in the morning; pack it tightly and keep it cool in the motorhome, otherwise the living area will smell of alpage for days. If you want to take in the lakes and mountain ranges west of Albertville first, you will find them in the CampingSpirit guide to Annecy, the Bauges and the Lac du Bourget.
2Stage 2: Beaufort to Peisey-Nancroix (approx. 60 km)
- The drive
- From Beaufort take the D925 over the Lac de Roselend and the Cormet de Roselend (1,968 m) down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice – the CampingSpirit guide to the Route des Grandes Alpes describes this section in detail. Just this much here: above the lake the road is narrow, and the long descent into the Tarentaise is hard on the brakes. From Bourg-Saint-Maurice drive via Landry on the D87 in hairpins up to Peisey-Nancroix. Just over 2 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Lac de Roselend: a turquoise reservoir beneath the peaks of the Beaufortain; the Cormet and the dam are covered in the CampingSpirit guide to the Route des Grandes Alpes.
- Vallée de Nancroix with the road end at Rosuel: access to the Parc national de la Vanoise, starting point for walks through larch forest and alpine meadows.
- Baroque church in Peisey-Nancroix: part of the Route du Baroque in Savoy, inside it is overloaded with gold and wooden figures – a contrast to the bare peaks outside.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: In Nancroix (Route de Boverêche) you will find Camping Les Lanchettes with pitches for motorhomes and caravans, including electricity and waste disposal; according to the directories it is open in summer and winter, with breaks in between – ask about opening times and pitch length in advance. If you would rather sleep in the valley: Camping Huttopia Bourg-Saint-Maurice with electricity and sanitary facilities near the funicular to Les Arcs; check the season in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Nancroix valley ends at the edge of the Vanoise: at Rosuel the core zone of the national park begins, and its rules apply there (no camping, not even in a vehicle; dogs, drones and fires are forbidden). The road up is steep and unsuitable for overnighting anyway. At the Cormet de Roselend the gravel areas are day car parks; at night only the valley remains.
- Insider tip for campers
- Drive the Cormet in the morning, when cyclists and coaches are still in the minority. Descend in a low gear and use the lay-bys when the brakes smell hot. Plan to refuel and fill up with water in Bourg-Saint-Maurice. The Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard (2,188 m) leads from here to La Thuile in the Aosta Valley; that is where the CampingSpirit guide to the Aosta Valley and Gran Paradiso begins.
3Stage 3: Peisey-Nancroix to Val-d’Isère (approx. 65 km)
- The drive
- Back to Landry and along the Isère valley to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then on the D902 through Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, past Les Brévières with its avalanche galleries and tunnels and the dam at the Lac du Chevril up to Tignes. From Tignes Le Lac continue to Val-d’Isère. A well-built main road, but with tunnels, galleries and a lot of traffic in holiday periods; just under 2 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Tignes dam at the Lac du Chevril: the old village of Tignes has lain under water since 1952; the dam is one of the highest in France and is easy to see as you drive past.
- Tignes Le Lac: a high-mountain resort on the lake with the Grande Motte glacier above it; in summer lifts run up (check operating times in advance).
- Val-d’Isère: the village centre with the baroque church of Saint-Bernard-de-Menthon, surrounded by high peaks.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: Below the dam near Les Brévières (about 1,650 m) lies the Camping de Tignes (formerly run as a municipal site, now under the name Onlycamp): a summer site with about 90 pitches, roughly a third of them for motorhomes, with electricity, drinking water and a service point. It is open only in the summer half-year, and the dates change from year to year – check in advance. In Val-d’Isère there is Les Richardes, a simple summer campsite on the edge of the village – check season, facilities and pitch size in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Tignes and Val-d’Isère are ski resorts with their own parking rules: the large car parks charge fees during the day, and at night the municipalities direct motorhomes to campsites and aires. Anyone who stands without permission at the reservoir or in the dam car park risks a fine; camping behaviour is prohibited everywhere.
- Insider tip for campers
- Note the signposted clearance heights and widths of the tunnels between Sainte-Foy and Tignes – if in doubt, cross-check with a motorhome sat nav. Refuel in Bourg-Saint-Maurice; in Val-d’Isère fuel is much more expensive. If you would like a buffer day before the Iseran, stay in Val-d’Isère and drive the pass the next morning: thunderstorms in summer usually build in the afternoon, and then the summit is no place for a motorhome.
4Stage 4: Val-d’Isère to Bessans (via Col de l’Iseran and Bonneval-sur-Arc) (approx. 40 km)
- The drive
- The D902 leads from Val-d’Isère over the Col de l’Iseran (2,764 m), the highest paved pass in the Alps, to Bonneval-sur-Arc and on through the high valley of the Haute-Maurienne to Bessans. The CampingSpirit guide to the Route des Grandes Alpes describes the pass, hairpins and villages; here only what you need for the Vanoise loop: the south side is narrower in places, and oncoming traffic and cyclists are part of everyday life. Just under an hour of pure driving time, half a day with photo stops.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Iseran summit: marmots in the surroundings, snowfields at the edge into the summer; details in the CampingSpirit guide to the Route des Grandes Alpes.
- Bonneval-sur-Arc: one of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France”, a village of natural stone and lauze roofs at the end of the Arc valley.
- Hamlet of L’Écot above Bonneval: a handful of stone houses at the head of the valley, starting point for walks into the high mountains.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: Camping-Car Park Bessans (Haute Maurienne Vanoise) on the edge of the village: just under 50 pitches with electricity, water and waste disposal, access with the operator’s card; check the season in advance. For tents and caravans the Haute-Maurienne offers further sites – check selection and opening times via the app.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The D902 over the Iseran itself is exempt from the core-zone bans, but away from it the core zone of the Parc national de la Vanoise borders it directly: there, camping is forbidden even in a vehicle, and dogs, drones and fires are prohibited. On the parking areas at the Iseran expect frost at night; they are meant for day visits, and checks are possible.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Iseran is open only in the summer half-year, and opening and closing depend on the snow every year. You can find the current status on savoie-route.fr and at the Haute Maurienne Vanoise tourist office. Start early, because later cyclists and coaches fill the hairpins. Stop only in designated parking areas, not at the edge of snowfields.
5Stage 5: Bessans to Aussois (via Mont-Cenis) (approx. 60 km)
- The drive
- From Bessans go down the valley through Lanslevillard to Lanslebourg, there take the D1006 in hairpins up to the Col du Mont-Cenis (2,081 m): a well-built road with a high plateau and a reservoir at the top. Back into the Arc valley and via Termignon, Sollières-Sardières, Bramans and Avrieux to Aussois. With the detour about 2 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Lac du Mont-Cenis: the reservoir on the pass plateau, surrounded by pastures, with a wide panorama; the pass road itself goes back to Napoleon’s improvements.
- The summit lies on the border with Italy; the CampingSpirit guide to the Susa Valley, Canavese and Biellese describes the descent to Susa.
- Aussois: a walk to the Plan d’Aval and Plan d’Amont reservoirs at the edge of the national park, with a view of the glaciers of the Dent Parrachée.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: Camping La Buidonnière near Aussois at about 1,500 m: a municipal site with about 140 pitches, all with electricity, and a service point for motorhomes; in spring there is a short closure, check dates in advance. Alternatively Huttopia Val Cenis near Sollières-Sardières in the valley or the small Aire de camping-car in Termignon (only a few pitches, check availability in advance).
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the Mont-Cenis plateau parking at the lake is usual during the day; overnighting and camping behaviour are not intended; in winter the road is closed. In Aussois and Termignon municipal bylaws apply – follow the signs and, if in doubt, move to a campsite or aire. Near the Vanoise boundary the familiar national park rules apply (no camping in a vehicle, no dogs in the core zone).
- Insider tip for campers
- The Mont-Cenis is closed in winter and opens in early summer depending on snow; even in between, snow or roadworks can close the road – check savoie-route.fr or the Haute Maurienne Vanoise website in advance. Refuel and shop in Lanslebourg or Modane; in Aussois the selection and prices are, as usual for the place, higher. The approach to Aussois leads uphill on the D215 from the Arc valley; with a long vehicle drive slowly and in a low gear.
6Stage 6: Aussois to Valloire (via Modane and Col du Télégraphe) (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- Aussois lies above the Arc valley; back to the D1006, past Modane (lorry traffic to the Fréjus tunnel) to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and there on the D902 through forest to the Col du Télégraphe (1,566 m), then a short way down to Valloire. About 1.5 hours. The Télégraphe, Valloire and the Galibier are described in detail in the CampingSpirit guide to the Route des Grandes Alpes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Fort du Télégraphe at the summit: a 19th-century fortress with a view into the Arc valley.
- Valloire: a village with stone houses and a baroque village church, starting point for walks to the high pastures.
- Col du Galibier (2,642 m), a detour from Valloire: a panoramic pass with a summit tunnel, described in the CampingSpirit guide to the Route des Grandes Alpes.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: Camping Caravaneige de Sainte-Thècle in Valloire, within walking distance of the village, with electricity, sanitary facilities and waste disposal; winter and summer season, check times in advance. Alternatively the simple aire at the Col du Télégraphe; check facilities and current rules in advance in the apps.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Valloire and other ski resorts municipal bylaws apply: overnighting outside campsites and aires is mostly forbidden there, follow the signs. On the valley floor of the Maurienne there are many car parks but little peace: the main road, the railway and the Fréjus feeder road are loud. On the Galibier summit overnighting is not intended.
- Insider tip for campers
- Whether the Galibier suits your vehicle is decided by width and height as well as the oncoming traffic; with many coaches and cyclists it gets tight. Do not drive the historic summit tunnel with a wide or tall vehicle without having checked the signposted dimensions. In Modane watch the signs: the feeder road to the Fréjus tunnel leads to Italy.
7Stage 7: Valloire to Bozel (via Col de la Madeleine) (approx. 90 km)
- The drive
- Back over the Télégraphe to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, the valley road to La Chambre and there on the D213 via Saint-François-Longchamp in long hairpins up to the Col de la Madeleine (1,993 m). The Maurienne side climbs over about 19 kilometres at an average of about 8 per cent, more in sections; you should avoid the narrower variant via Montgellafrey with a motorhome. The north side down to Feissons-sur-Isère is somewhat flatter, but long. Continue through the Isère valley via Moûtiers and Brides-les-Bains to Bozel. About 3 hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Summit of the Col de la Madeleine: alpine pastures, marmot slopes and, in clear weather, views of the Mont Blanc massif.
- Moûtiers: the cathedral of Saint-Pierre of the former archbishopric of Tarentaise on the valley floor, a quiet stop.
- Brides-les-Bains: a Belle Époque spa town at the entrance to the Trois Vallées.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: Camping Huttopia Bozel en Vanoise in the village at the entrance to the valleys to Pralognan and Champagny, with electricity, sanitary facilities and waste disposal; check season and pitch length in advance. In La Chambre there is also a small Aire de camping-car (about 9 pitches, water) in case you only drive the pass the next day.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the summit of the Madeleine parking is intended for walkers, but not overnighting; on the pastures the usual rules apply regarding guardian dogs and fences. In the Isère valley near Moûtiers car parks with height restrictions are common.
- Insider tip for campers
- Only drivers who are confident on long, steep hairpins should take the Madeleine. For long or heavy motorhomes the alternative remains via the A43 motorway to Chambéry and on via Albertville and the N90 to Moûtiers: much longer and subject to tolls, but without a pass. A weight or length limit at the pass could not be confirmed – signposted restrictions on site take precedence.
8Stage 8: Bozel to Pralognan-la-Vanoise (via Champagny-le-Haut) (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- From Bozel up to Champagny-en-Vanoise and on to the end of the road at Champagny-le-Haut, at the edge of the national park; back to Bozel and on the D915 through the valley of the Doron de Bozel to Pralognan-la-Vanoise. Both valleys are dead-end roads, partly narrow; together just over 1.5 hours of driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Champagny-le-Haut: the last alpine huts at the head of the valley with a view of the Grande Casse (3,855 m), the highest peak of the Vanoise.
- Pralognan-la-Vanoise: a mountain village in the bowl of the Vanoise; the cable car to Mont Bochor takes you above the village without a climb.
- Walk from Les Fontanettes to the Col de la Vanoise with the Lac des Vaches: about 2.5 to 3 hours uphill, the classic Vanoise tour.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
-
Official campsite or RV park: In Pralognan there are two sites: Le Parc Isertan (now run under the name Alpes Lodges, mostly rental accommodation, with a motorhome service point on site – enquire in advance about free pitches) and Camping Le Chamois, a summer-only site with over a hundred pitches, electricity, sanitary facilities and a motorhome service point. Check season and motorhome pitches in each case in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Pralognan is surrounded by the core zone of the Parc national de la Vanoise: there, camping in a vehicle is forbidden, and motor vehicles may not drive off designated tracks; on tracks, use is regulated and only by permit. The walkers’ car parks at Les Fontanettes are day destinations and fill up early in summer.
- Insider tip for campers
- Pralognan and Champagny are dead-end valleys: allow for the way back to Albertville (a good 50 km) on the D915 and the N90 through Bozel, Moûtiers and Aigueblanche. Leave the motorhome at the campsite and go on foot – the car parks at the head of the valley are scarce.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- France distinguishes between “stationnement” and “camping”: a motorhome may park as a vehicle – for a maximum of 7 days in the same place – where parking is allowed and no municipal order forbids it. Levelling jacks, awning, table and chairs or draining waste water count as camping and are forbidden outside campsites and aires. Blanket bans for an entire municipality are legally open to challenge, but are widespread in the ski resorts of the Tarentaise and the Maurienne.
- Parc national de la Vanoise: in the core zone camping – even in a vehicle – is forbidden, as are dogs (in principle even on a lead), open fires and overflight below 1,000 m above ground, which includes drones; motor vehicles may not drive off designated tracks. Bivouacking is permitted only on foot and under conditions (small tent, pitched in the evening, taken down in the morning, partly only in designated zones or with registration); the current rules are published by the Parc national. In the peripheral zone separate, less strict rules apply – follow the signs.
- Wild camping is also forbidden in Sites classés, within 500 m of Monuments historiques, near drinking water intakes and on sea shores. On alpine pastures herds with guardian dogs are present; keep your distance, keep dogs on a lead, close gates.
- You can stay overnight legally on campsites, at the “aires de camping-car” run by municipalities and private operators (such as Camping-Car Park with an access card) and at farms via networks such as France Passion. Useful apps: park4night, Campercontact, CamperStop; for pass closures savoie-route.fr.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Servicing is called “borne” or “aire de services”; machines from Euro-Relais, Flot Bleu and Urbaflux are widespread, paid for with tokens, coins or card. Basic stations can be found in the valleys, for example in Beaufort, Moûtiers, La Chambre and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne; in Albertville and Bourg-Saint-Maurice check in advance via app. There are none on the passes.
- Water: village fountains in Savoy are often drinking water, but not always – look out for “eau non potable”. On frosty nights above 1,500 m protect pipes and tank from frost.
- Empty grey water and the cassette only at stations; draining on pass car parks, at reservoirs or into streams means a fine and harms the sensitive high-mountain soils.
- Gas: French exchange cylinders (butane/propane) are available everywhere, foreign cylinders are not exchanged. LPG pumps for refilling (Dish/Euronozzle adapter) are few and far between in the Alpine valleys – arrive with full tanks. Above 1,500 m and in frost use propane instead of butane.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes and combinations up to 3.5 t as cars – motorway 130 (110 in rain), expressway 110 (100), country road 80 or 90 where signposted, built-up areas 50. Motorhomes over 3.5 t: motorway 110, expressways with separated carriageways 100, other roads 80, built-up areas 50; speed disc at the rear. Combinations over 3.5 t: motorway and expressways 90, other roads 80.
- Loi Montagne: from 1 November to 31 March, in the municipalities designated by prefecture in the mountain départements – including Savoie – recognisable by signs B58/B59, four winter tyres with the Alpine symbol (3PMSF) must be fitted or snow chains or snow socks for at least two drive wheels must be carried; this also applies to motorhomes. M+S-only tyres are no longer sufficient. The high passes are closed in this period anyway.
- Pass openings: Iseran, Cormet de Roselend, Madeleine, Mont-Cenis and Galibier are closed in winter, open depending on snow in late spring or early summer and close with the first snow in autumn; the dates vary from year to year. The Iseran usually opens last. The safe travel period for the whole route is usually early July to mid-September. Individual passes are closed for hours at a time for cycling events.
- Vehicles over 3.5 t, including motorhomes, need the “Angles morts” stickers; without them a €135 fine is possible. Signposted restrictions take precedence over any app. On narrow mountain roads the vehicle driving uphill has priority – drive defensively, let buses go first, carry a warning vest and warning triangle.
- ZFE and tolls: on the route itself there are, to our knowledge, no low-emission zones; the Crit’Air sticker (only via certificat-air.gouv.fr) also applies to foreign vehicles, and if arriving via Lyon or Grenoble check with the Métropole in advance. The pass roads are toll-free; tolls apply on the A43 (Maurienne): up to 3.5 t and between 2 and 3 m in height class 2, two axles from 3 m in height or over 3.5 t class 3. Alcohol limit 0.5; phone at the ear and headphones at the wheel are forbidden.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Snow chains matching the tyre size or 3PMSF tyres – in early summer and autumn it can snow at the Iseran and the Madeleine, and from 1 November the Loi Montagne rules apply.
- Cool box with ice packs for Beaufort cheese and other alpine products – in heat, cheese spoils quickly in the living area.
- Warm layers, hat and sleeping bag: in Bessans, at Mont-Cenis and on the Iseran night temperatures can fall towards freezing even in August.
- Binoculars and a lead: ibex and marmots can be seen from the car; dogs are forbidden in the Vanoise core zone, so a plan B for your four-legged friend is worthwhile.
- Euronozzle and Dish adapters along with a full propane cylinder for cold nights at altitude.
- Walking boots and poles for the Col de la Vanoise from Les Fontanettes – the tour is long, stony and still cool at the top.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
