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Col du Galibier
The Col du Galibier links Valloire, in Savoie, to the Col du Lautaret, in the Hautes-Alpes. Two roads, two altitudes, two opening dates: the tunnel at 2,556 m reopened on 29 May 2026, the summit road at 2,642 m on 5 June.
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At a glance
Type
Road pass and viewpoint
Access
Free
Best season
June – October
Parking
Car park at the summit, coaches admitted; price not documented
Town
Valloire
Winter access
closed
What is Col du Galibier
The Col du Galibier crosses the boundary between Savoie and the Hautes-Alpes, between Valloire (73450) to the north and Le Monêtier-les-Bains (05220) to the south, towards the Col du Lautaret. The Valloire tourist office and the préfecture write RD902 and RD902B; the Hautes-Alpes side writes D902 and D902b.
There are two crossings, and that is what everyone confuses. The tunnel, at 2,556 m, 370 m long and 4 m wide with light-controlled alternating traffic, bypasses the summit about 5 km lower; cyclists are banned from it. The summit road, at 2,642 m, goes over the col itself. In 2026 the tunnel reopened on Friday 29 May at midday and the summit road on Friday 5 June at 12:00.
At the col: the monument to Henri Desgrange, erected in 1949 by the architect Alexandre Audouze-Tabourin and completed with a marble plaque in 1974, and an orientation table installed by the Parc national des Écrins in 1988, naming the Meije, the Grand Galibier and Mont-Blanc. Both the monument and the Refuge du Galibier stand in the commune of Le Monêtier-les-Bains, in the Hautes-Alpes, not on the Savoie side.
Activities
What you can do here
Practical
Practical information
Altitude
Summit road 2,642 m · tunnel 2,556 m. A third figure, 2,645 m, circulates in the cycling press and corresponds to the summit road as it ran between 1979 and 2017.
Coordinates
45.06419° N, 6.407758° E
2026 opening
Tunnel: Friday 29 May 2026 at midday (Alpes 1). Summit road: Friday 5 June 2026 at 12:00, confirmed by valloire.net and Savoie News — the Alpes 1 piece of 29 May gave that date only as a forecast. Note that the French page of valloire.net shows 29 June for the tunnel, which is chronologically impossible.
2026 closing
Price
Free, open access
Parking
Car park at the summit, coaches admitted. No source states whether it is free or paid.
Vehicle limits
Tunnel: height under 4.10 m, width under 3.2 m, 19 t maximum, cyclists banned, light-controlled alternating traffic. Summit road: vehicles under 3.5 t only.
Dogs
Accessibility
2026 temporary closures
7 June 09:00–15:00 (Galibier Challenge); 29 June, 16 July and 4 August 09:00–12:00 (cols réservés, cars and motorbikes banned); 19 July 08:30–18:00 (L'Étape du Tour); 25 July 10:00–18:30 both directions (Tour de France, stage 20), with parking banned at the summit from 24 July 18:00.
Access
How to get there
By car
From Valloire on the RD902B to the north, or from the Col du Lautaret to the south. The tunnel (RD902) opens before the summit road each spring and bypasses it about 5 km lower. Live status on savoie-route.fr.
Open in MapsBy bike
From Valloire: 18.2 km and 1,242 m of climbing (Valloire tourist office), 17 km and 1,212 m at 7.2% (CC Maurienne-Galibier), 18.1 km and 1,245 m at 6.9% (en.wikipedia) — sources diverge. From Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne: 34.8 km and 2,085 m including the Col du Télégraphe. First Tour de France crossing on 10 July 1911, Émile Georget first over the top. Cyclists are banned from the tunnel: before the summit road opens, the Galibier cannot be crossed by bike at all.
Open in MapsWhen to visit
When to visit
The summit road is open from early June to late October, closing with the first snow. In 2026 it opened on 5 June; no closing date is published yet. Several full closures punctuate the summer, mostly in the morning.
Events :
Cols réservés 2026: 29 June, 16 July and 4 August, 09:00–12:00, summit road closed to cars and motorbikes. Galibier Challenge on 7 June 2026, 09:00–15:00. L'Étape du Tour on 19 July 2026, 08:30–18:00. Tour de France stage 20 on 25 July 2026, 10:00–18:30.
Winter
Winter season
Winter access window
Closed (road shut in winter) — Live status: savoie-route.fr
Winter infrastructure
Ski touring
Snow panorama
Alpine panorama
Equipment mandated
Loi Montagne II — winter tyres or chains required (1 Nov – 31 Mar)
Nearby
Where to eat, drink, stay
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Gallery
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How high is the Col du Galibier?
The summit road is at 2,642 m and the tunnel at 2,556 m: two different crossings. A third figure, 2,645 m, circulates in the cycling press, which attaches it to the summit road as it ran between 1979 and 2017.
Is the Col du Galibier open in 2026?
Yes. The tunnel reopened on 29 May 2026 at midday and the summit road on 5 June 2026 at 12:00. No 2026 closing date is published: check savoie-route.fr before going up.
Can I cross the Galibier by bike through the tunnel?
No. Cyclists are banned from the tunnel. Until the summit road opens, the col cannot be crossed by bike.
Is there a refuge at the Col du Galibier?
The Refuge du Galibier is at 2,556 m, about 100 m below the col, in the commune of Le Monêtier-les-Bains in the Hautes-Alpes — so not on the Valloire side. Summer 2026: open 29 May to 28 September, daily.
Is the road closed during the 2026 Tour de France?
Yes. Stage 20, on Saturday 25 July 2026, closes the road in both directions from 10:00 to 18:30, and parking is banned at the summit from 18:00 on 24 July.
Sources
Sources & verification
- Office de Tourisme de Valloire — le col du Galibier
- Office de Tourisme de Valloire — état des routes
- Office de Tourisme de Valloire — l'ouverture du col du Galibier
- Communauté de communes Maurienne-Galibier — col du Galibier, point de vue
- Savoie News — deux cols rouvrent à la circulation avec des restrictions à prévoir
- Alpes 1 — le col du Galibier ouvert depuis midi ce vendredi
- Envie de Briançonnais — guide du col du Galibier
- Envie de Briançonnais — col réservé Galibier 2026
- Refuge du Galibier
- Inventaire du patrimoine, région Sud — monument Henri Desgrange
- Préfecture de la Savoie — Tour de France en Savoie, édition 2026
- Le Grand Tour, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme — le col du Galibier
- Le Dico du Tour — col du Galibier (altitudes historiques)
- Wikipedia (EN) — Col du Galibier (profil de montée, historique du tunnel)
- valloire.net
Multi-source verification at publication. Information may change — confirm with the official operator before travelling.
Nearby
Nearby
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