Only 10km from the border with Italy and 100km east of Grenoble, the town of Briançon sitting on its rocky outcrop, is one of the highest cities in Europe, and shares the regions boast of 300 days of sunshine per year! The fortified city guards the Roman mountain pass leading to Italy, the Col de Montgenèvre at 1850m above sea level. The Romans improved on the original Gallic settlement in order to safeguard one of their most important routes back to Italy, the road from Vienne to Milan.
Briançon attracts a lot of tourists in the summer. The upper Vieille Ville (old town) was built first on the hilltop and overlooks the Ville Basse (lower town) that gradually grew down the slopes as Briançon expanded over the years. The two parts of town are connected by the Avenue de la République where you will find many of the cities bars and restaurants. As well as a large selection of eateries you will find art galleries offering free entry, churches and the old fort ruins to explore. The town also has lots of shops selling local crafts and is a great place to pick up souvenirs and gifts to take back home.
Briançon also sits at the base of the Col d'Izoard.
We stay in Briançon on the following tours
Alpe d'Huez Galibier and Mont Ventoux
The Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux tour takes in the two legendary climbs of the Tour de France. The 7 night stay includes 4 nights at our base in Bourg d'Oisans, transfers to Sault at the base of Mont Ventoux and supported rides on 5 days.
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Alpe d'Huez to Italy
Ride from Alpe d'Huez to via the Col de Montgenevre and Colle di Sestriere to Italy. Climb the 3 giants of the area - the Col d'Agnel, Col d'Izoard and the Col du Galibier and more. 7 nights stay in 3 towns with full minibus support.
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Nice to Alpe d'Huez
Ride from the south coast of France through the French Alps back to our base in Bourg d'Oisans at the base of Alpe d'Huez. Fully supported cycling tour
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Route des Grandes Alpes
The tour starts in Geneva with us picking you up from the airport. From here you ride 670KM over 16 cols staying in 9 different towns to the southcoast of France and the bustling city of Nice. We run this fully supported tour over 10 days but can also organise the same tour over 7 days.
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Briançon photos
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Accommodation in Briançon
For our stays in Briançon we use the Auberge de la Paix in the old part of
town.
The family run hotel has bike storage, bar, terrace and dining
area. The hotel also boasts a great location in the centre of the old part of
town.
