The Grand Tour des Préalpes d’Azur à vélo is a circuit through the mountains behind the French Riviera, presented by France Vélo Tourisme as six stages beginning and ending in Grasse. It links Mediterranean viewpoints with limestone plateaux, wooded valleys and villages above the Estéron and Loup rivers.
From Grasse into the high country
The opening stage heads from Grasse towards Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne and Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey. Views reach towards the Mediterranean and Lac de Saint-Cassien, while the road climbs the bends of the Col de la Lèque. Cabris and other hillside villages offer places to appreciate the contrast between the coast and the inland mountains.
Beyond Saint-Vallier, the circuit crosses the Col du Ferrier and Col de la Sine before following the Loup gorge towards Gréolières. It continues upwards towards Gréolières-les-Neiges and across the Plan du Peyron to Thorenc, amid the ranges and plateaux of the regional natural park.
The Estéron valleys and return
From Thorenc, the route travels through the Artuby valley and briefly enters Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It passes towards Saint-Auban and the Faye valley, then approaches Aiglun via the narrow Gironde valley and the bridge over the Estéron.
The road beyond Aiglun is cut into the mountainside above the river. The itinerary passes Sigale and the Riolan gorge, then climbs through Saint-Antonin towards Ascros before descending towards Gilette. The next section visits the Estéron valley and the villages of Roquestéron and Roque-en-Provence.
From Bouyon the final stage crosses the Bouyon gorge and climbs towards Coursegoules. It returns through the Loup landscape, with views towards Cipières and Gréolières, before climbing to Gourdon and descending towards Grasse.
Preparing for the mountain roads
France Vélo Tourisme describes the tour as an adventure for trained, experienced cyclists able to handle repeated climbs and technical descents while carrying their equipment. It runs mainly on departmental mountain roads and is waymarked only clockwise. The route overview also identifies a provisional section, so consult the current itinerary before setting out.
Take particular care with motor traffic through Grasse, between Grasse and Cabris, and between Cabris and Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne. The D3 descent from Gourdon towards Châteauneuf-Grasse is steep and also carries significant traffic. After storms, stones can make descents hazardous.
The route guide advises arranging overnight stops in advance because accommodation is relatively sparse in parts of the mountains. It recommends carrying water and sun protection, and advises against the hottest summer months. Grasse has a railway station; the guide also identifies Puget-Théniers as a northern rail access point.
A landscape shaped by water and limestone
The Parc naturel régional des Préalpes d’Azur presents the Grand Tour as a way to discover the park’s varied landscapes: high limestone plateaux, narrow gorges known locally as clues, perched villages and viewpoints overlooking the Mediterranean. The park’s description and the route guide make Grasse a practical reference point for understanding the complete circuit, while France Vélo Tourisme also allows riders to plan selected official stages.