Col de Turini
Length
31km (La Bollène-Vésubie to Sospel approach)
Elevation
1,607m at Col de Turini
Hairpins
~34 hairpins across both approaches
The Mountain Stage. Monaco's alpine altar.
The Map
The Col de Turini sits in the Maritime Alps above Nice and Monaco, connecting the Vésubie valley with the Bévéra valley. Two approaches — from La Bollène-Vésubie to the north and from Moulinet to the south — each offer their own character of alpine driving. The summit, at 1,607 metres, lies in open mixed forest; below, the road winds through conifer groves and rocky gorges that feed the Tinée and Roya tributaries. Every January, this road becomes the mountain stage of the Monte Carlo Rally.
The Approach
The northern approach from La Bollène begins in the Var gorge, following the river upstream. The walls close in quickly — this is not an open alpine road but a series of tunnels, gallery sections, and tight valley corners that demand attention from the first kilometre. As elevation increases, the gorge opens and the road begins its earnest climbing. The last 10km to the summit offer a succession of open hairpins with views across the Maritime Alps that make stopping seem less consequential than it is.
The Ascent
The southern approach from Moulinet is the Monte Carlo Rally's favoured direction — southward, descending from the col, which in winter means ice on the shaded north-facing sections and dry asphalt immediately after. In summer it is the opposite: a climb through olive and chestnut groves giving way to alpine meadow. The asphalt quality is excellent. The width is generous by alpine standards. The gradient consistent at 7–8%. The 34 hairpins are spaced such that momentum can be built between them and braking points are visible well in advance.
“At Turini at night in January, in a Group B car, at 160 kilometres per hour, with the crowd touching your wing mirror — that is not sport. That is something else.”
— Walter Röhrl, four-time World Rally Champion
History
The Monte Carlo Rally has used Turini as a competitive stage since 1912. The January timing means snow, ice, and fog are constants — the most dramatic stages in modern rallying are consistently those run at night on Turini's iced northern approaches. Sébastien Loeb won here. Carlos Sainz won here. In the sport's Group B era of the mid-1980s, the Turini crowds reached 100,000 people in a single night — standing on the snowbanks, touching the cars as they passed, an act of collective madness that the motorsport authorities have been attempting to curtail ever since.
What to Drive Here
Practical Notes
The road is open year-round but winter conditions make the northern approach dangerous without snow tyres. The restaurant at the summit (Auberge du Turini) serves reliable mountain food. The town of Moulinet below offers accommodation. Monaco is 35km from the southern descent — the combination of Turini summit and Monaco harbour in a single afternoon is a particular form of mental satisfaction available to no other location on Earth.
Best Season
March through November
Access
Open year-round (ice possible in winter)
Surface
Asphalt, narrow in places
Country
France, Maritime Alps, Alpes-Maritimes