Col de Tende, FRA

The Col de Tende is the southernmost of the great Alpine passes, on the border between France and Italy, separating the Maritime Alps from the Ligurian Alps. People have crossed, traded and fought here for more than 2,000 years. For cyclists it is one of a kind: the famous 46 hairpins to the pass are among the most spectacular pieces of road scenery in the Alps, and the finale is gravel to this day.

The Col de Tende at a glance

From Tende it is 16.8 kilometres and 1,062 metres of climbing, 6.8 percent on average, 13 percent at the steepest. The pass sits at 1,871 metres, right on the old border, and since 1947 entirely on French soil. Car traffic disappears into the tunnel below, and the hairpin road above belongs to cyclists, hikers and the occasional four-wheel-drive tourist.

The climb from Tende

The lower half follows the road through the Roya valley, moderate at two to five percent. From kilometre nine the climb picks up to six to nine percent, with a steep passage around twelve percent at kilometre thirteen, just before the tunnel portal at around 1,300 metres.

Then the real experience begins: the old pass road with its 46 hairpins, draped across the hillside like a drawing. The last four kilometres or so are coarse gravel instead of asphalt. Rideable on a road bike, much more relaxed on 28-millimetre tyres, a feast on a gravel bike. At the top, the old forts await and a view that on clear days reaches towards the Mediterranean.

History and racing

Few Alpine crossings have stacked up more history. In the Middle Ages the “strata salis” ran here, the salt road from the sea to Piedmont, its upkeep regulated by treaty as early as 1279. Under Napoleon the pass road was upgraded, linking Turin with Nice. In 1882 came the 3,182-metre road tunnel, the longest in the world at its opening. After the Second World War the border moved: since 1947 the pass and its six forts, Fort Central first among them, have been entirely French territory.

Cycling knows the pass too. The Tour de France came over the Tende route in 1952 (stage winner Jean Robic in Monaco) and again in 1961, the Giro d’Italia started in Nice in 1998 and crossed the Colle di Tenda on its way to Cuneo, and in 2005 a Giro stage finished in Limone Piemonte on the northern side, won by Ivan Basso. The most recent history was written by the weather: storm Alex destroyed the tunnel approach and the Roya valley roads in October 2020, and only since summer 2025 has the new tunnel tube been open again.

Practical tips

The gravel finale decides your equipment: a road bike works, wide tyres are worth gold, and for a pure road experience the asphalt ends at the tunnel portal. Descending on the Italian side, the twelve hairpins above the portal are paved, only the first 600 metres from the pass are not. As a southern pass the Tende has a long season, but it can still blow hard at the top. Food in Tende or on the other side in Limone Piemonte.

How does the Tende compare?

In the southern Alps the Col de la Bonette is the altitude king and the Izoard the grand Tour theatre. The Tende plays a different role: half road, half adventure, with more history per kilometre than most passes in the Alps. If you love hairpin photographs and do not fear gravel, this is one of the most idiosyncratic climbs of the south.

The Col de Tende is immortalised on our 100 Climbs posters, in five styles.

Can you ride the Col de Tende on a road bike?

Yes, with one caveat: the last four kilometres or so of the hairpin road above the tunnel portal are gravel. With sturdy tyres from 28 millimetres it is doable, on a gravel bike it is comfortable. The asphalt ends at the old tunnel.

How many hairpins does the Col de Tende have?

The old pass road on the French side is known as the “Route des 46 Lacets”, 46 hairpins between the tunnel portal and the pass. On the Italian side, twelve paved hairpins lead down towards Limone Piemonte.

Why is the Col de Tende entirely in France?

Until 1947 the border ran over the pass itself. With the Paris Peace Treaties after the Second World War, Tende and the pass area including the old forts became French. Today’s border runs below, at the tunnel.