Adventure
La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence
From the pre-Alps of Haute-Provence to the Mediterranean: clues and gorges, the hilltop villages of the Mercantour and the descent into the hinterland of Nice.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Where to sleep on La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence
Halta lists 119 places to sleep within 5 km of the route: 68 campsites, 6 mountain huts, 21 bivouac spots, 24 hotels. For each one, the app shows the real detour from your stage — and it is that distance, not the straight line, that decides how a day ends.
- Campsites
- Mountain huts
- Bivouac spots
- Hotels
Alongside the campsites, mountain huts and bivouac spots drawn from open data, there are the hosts of the Halta community: travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free. You write to them before you come; you do not book a slot.
The 8 stages of La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence
An indicative split, drawn on real roads: distances and elevation come from route calculation, not from an estimate. In the app every stage can be adjusted — stretched, cut short, or pushed back a day.
| # | Stage | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sisteron → Digne-les-Bains | 38 km | 948 m |
| 2 | Digne-les-Bains → Barrême | 25 km | 1 345 m |
| 3 | Barrême → Castellane | 24 km | 1 086 m |
| 4 | Castellane → Entrevaux | 35 km | 1 459 m |
| 5 | Entrevaux → Puget-Théniers | 7 km | 193 m |
| 6 | Puget-Théniers → Saint-Martin-Vésubie | 49 km | 3 544 m |
| 7 | Saint-Martin-Vésubie → Sospel | 40 km | 1 725 m |
| 8 | Sospel → Nice | 35 km | 928 m |
Frequently asked questions about La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence
How many days does La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence take?
La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence takes about 7 days, split into 8 stages over 253 km — an average of 36 km a day. The split is indicative: stages stretch or shorten depending on your form and the weather.
Where can you sleep on La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence?
Halta lists 119 places to sleep within 5 km of La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence: 68 campsites, 6 mountain huts, 21 bivouac spots, 24 hotels. On top of those are the hosts of the Halta community, travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free.
How hard is La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence?
La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence is rated hard, with 11 228 m of cumulative elevation gain over 253 km. Per stage, that works out at roughly 1404 m of climbing a day.
Where does La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence go?
La Grande Traversée Alpes-Provence runs from Sisteron to Nice, by way of Castellane, Puget-Théniers, Sospel, across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. It is travelled by bike and totals 253 km split into 8 stages.
Figures established on 17 September 2026, from Halta’s own data. How they are calculated.
More routes by bike
Étapes indicatives d'après la Grande Traversée VTT Alpes-Provence. Tracé reconstitué par routage (ODbL, openrouteservice.org). Halta 2026-07. Places to sleep: OpenStreetMap, refuges.info and DATAtourisme (ODbL). Photo : Wikimedia Commons (CC).