A day to Die for - Savoie & Vercors
- Alex Johnson
- Apr 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 24
One of my ultimate day rides, starting in France near Annecy in the Savoie and riding south to finish in the ominously named town - Die.
If you're lucky when you go on a bike trip, you'll get a day where you declare that "that was one of the best days I've ever had on a bike." This route was from one such day in July 2023 when I rode to the Vercors and its balcony roads, often featured on motorcycle magazine covers.
A day of endless twisties, gorges and bucket list balcony roads with unforgettable scenery and a stunning little wine village thrown in for good measure.
Highlights
✅ Start the day in a gorge side Auberge overlooking an old suspension bridge ✅ Combe Laval / Col de la Machine balcony road (Vercors)
✅ Gorges du Nan
✅ Chignin - a stunningly scenic Savoie wine village ✅ Gorges de la Bourne
✅ Col de Rousset
Route Info
Start Point: Abîme l'auberge du pont
End Point: Die
Distance: 282km
Ride Time: 6hrs 25mins
Navigation Route: View on Google Maps
Waypoints: Abîme l'auberge du pont, Chignin, Restaurant du Col du Granier, Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, Gorges de la Bourne, Tunnel des Ecouges, Malleval-en-Vercors, Presles, Pont-en-Royans, Col de Marine, Col de Rousset, Die
Itinerary
Spend the night before at the Abîme l'auberge du pont, a guesthouse perched by a gorge with stunning views overlooking a suspension bridge. Eat and drink well in their great restaurant while enjoying the sunset. Read more about this great place to stay in my France Accommodation Guide article.
After breakfast looking onto the bridge, we ride south through the Bauges mountains before descending into vineyards of the stunning little wine village of Chignin in the Savoie region.
I've visited many wine regions, and Chignin is definitely up there as one of the most scenic, with its vineyards nestled among tower ruins in the valley between two mountain ranges. Have a little ride or walk around the small roads between the vineyards and then call in to one of the winery tasting rooms. I recommend visiting André et Michel Quenard (note half the wineries seem to have the same family name). The white wines are particularly good in the area and I especially liked their Chignin Vieilles Vignes (old vines) made with the Jacquère grape and their Chignin-Bergeron 'Les Terrasses' made with Roussanne. I just turned up so there's no need to book, although check opening times as they will likely be closed at lunch and on Sundays.
After leaving Chignin we head across the valley to the neighbouring Apremont wine region and ascend into the opposing mountains of the Massif de la Chartreuse. A short ride later we come to the a restaurant popular with bikers (Restaurant du Col du Granier) with views across to the towering Col du Granier.
I followed a pair of handy riders on sporty old boxer-engined BMWs who lost me in the twisties rather quickly. I stopped for lunch in a café in the town of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse with a striking Toblerone-like peak (Chamechaude?) as a backdrop.
Continuing southwest along the D512, after more scenic winding roads, you'll descend into the city of Grenoble briefly before heading back up into the mountains again, this time the mountains of the Vercors Natural Park and its famous balcony roads.
It won't be long until you reach another highlight, the Gorges de la Bourne, where you'll travel along winding gorge roads carved into the hillside..
Halfway along the gorge road on the D531, around La Balme de Rencurel, you'll have a decision to make. If the day is getting away from you then you can take a shorter route and continue along the D531 along the Gorges de la Bourne (via Choranche) to Pont-en-Royans which will save you over an hour but you'll miss the Gorges du Nan.
I turned north and rode through Rencurel on the D35, and at some point along here my sat nav went haywire and I couldn't figure out which route was the one I planned to take. I then realized I'd miscalculated how much fuel I had left (my RNineT has no fuel gauge) and I needed to get down out of the mountains to a petrol station ASAP. I rode down through the spectacular Gorges du Nan, although I should have come up it instead by first heading through the single-track Tunnel des Ecouges and down to Rovon (this is the route I have specified on the map).
This meant I missed out on a great mountain road from the Gorges du Nan along the D22/D292 via Presles to Pont-en-Royans. I instead took the less exciting roads to Pont-en-Royans via Saint-Marcellin, where I stopped for petrol in the high 30s degree heat. It wasn't all bad, I got to speak to a lovely English ex-pat who, seeing my British reg plate, called me over to her car for a chat. She was a former biker living locally for 30 years and didn't get to speak to many Brits, so she'd need to settle for an Irishman that day. The day was getting on, and as I'd stopped to take too many photos, it was nearly 5 pm, so I was happy to get to the busy town of Pont-en-Royans, a good spot for a break or a paddle in the river with the other bathers.
Now it was time for the main event, the famous balcony road of Combe Laval. On this trip I had been making my route up as I went but the ultimate goal was to hopefully reach this place, somewhere I'd seen in magazines and social media. It certainly lived up to expectations with a steep drop off the side and stunning views.
Combe Laval Balcony Road
From Combe Laval, there's still an hour of great riding to go, with a highlight being the descent down the hairpins of the Col de Rousset. Fields of aromatic lavender follow before reaching the vineyard areas north of Die, known for producing the sparkling wines Clairette de Die (sweet) and Crémant de Die (dry).
Col de Rousset
As I only booked accommodation that afternoon, pickings were slim. Luckily, I found a glamping tent on a lovely organic farm (Ferme de l'Oadie) with a brilliant view of the mountains. You can read more about staying at the farm in my France Accommodation Guide article.
Vineyards just outside Die & the neighbouring farm I spent the night
Where Next?
You're well tee'd up for the next day with fantastic riding in all directions.
Option 1: Mountains
It was the midway point of my trip so I needed to start heading back to the UK. The farm owner recommended the pretty of Châtillon-en-Diois (great for a wander around the little streets) and the fantastic Col de Menée mountain pass. I then had a lovely lunch in Auberge Buissonnière, in the Gresse-en-Vercors mountain village, before pressing on to the famous ski town of Chamonix for the night.
Option 2: Wine
From Die, you're only an hour away from some of the best vineyards in the world, located in the Northern Rhône between Valence and Vienne. Stay in Tain l'Ermitage and spend the day walking its spectacular terraced vineyards overlooking the town and visiting the various tasting rooms in the town. It's also home to the famous Valrhona chocolate factory which is well worth a tour also.
Option 3: History
Just east of Die you can pick up the Route Napoléon which celebrates the route Napoléon took after returning from exile on the island of Elba in 1815. The 325km route starts in the French Riviera at Golfe Juan (between Cannes & Antibes) and finishes in Grenoble. Read more about the route from the tourist board here and TomTom MyDrive have a map and GPX route here.
