Title: Europe’s Five Highest Paved Roads — Google Sightseeing
Headings: Europe’s Five Highest Paved Roads
Europe’s Five Highest Paved Roads
Locations
About the author

Content: The border is marked by these charming customs buildings. Now to our top five countdown, beginning (naturally) with number five. It’s the highest paved road in the Eastern Alps, the Stelvio Pass Road (2,757 m/9,045 ft) on the border between the Italian regions of South Tyrol and Lombardy (and less than five minutes by car from the Umbrail Pass). The pass is the highest point reached by the Giro d’Italia cycling tour (the Cima Coppi) each year (including 2014), and the road has 48 separate hairpin turns. Unlike other locations on this list, the pass is occupied by numerous tourist services, restaurants, stores, and hotels, although there’s still some open space where one can enjoy the scenery (and a bratwurst). Coming in at number four is the highest paved mountain pass in France, the Col de l’Iseran just south of Val-d’Isère. Only a handful of kilometres from the Italian border, the Col de l’Iseran has hosted a Tour de France stage seven times, most recently in 2007. Although paved, the road is only available for traffic during the summer months due to the extreme alpine conditions. Number three may be also familiar to cycling fans as the highest point reached during the Tour de France, le Cime de la Bonette (2,802 m/9,383 ft), adjacent to the highest pass in the Maritime Alps. The summit of the mountain is a short hike from the roadway and is a spectacular vantage point during years when Le Tour passes by.