0 m500 m1,000 m1,500 m2,000 m2,500 m3,000 m0 km100 km200 km300 km400 km500 km15101520253035High point 2,763 m
Elevation profile: from 6 m to 2,763 m over 589.6 km.
The GR5 at a glance
The GR5 links the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Its Alpine section, known as the Grande Traversée des Alpes, starts from Saint-Gingolph, on the shore of Lake Geneva, and runs down to Nice, crossing the French Alps from north to south. A variant also lets you start from Thonon-les-Bains station. This page covers only this Alpine traverse.
The route strings the massifs together: the alpine pastures of the Chablais, balcony paths facing Mont Blanc, the Beaufortain, then the Vanoise National Park, the Maurienne and the Mont Thabor area, the Briançonnais, the Queyras Regional Nature Park and the Ubaye. Next comes the Mercantour National Park, with its side valleys and high-altitude lakes, then the long descent to the sea through the hinterland of Nice. As the days go by, the alpine chalets give way to larches, then to a light and vegetation that already feel Mediterranean.
This is a mountain route, walked in one go during the summer or in sections, from one year to the next. It involves no mountaineering, but it crosses a high pass almost every day and requires good fitness, a light pack and careful planning of nights in refuges or gîtes. It is for hikers already used to long days in the mountains and to being self-sufficient over several days.
Highlights
A complete traverse of the French Alps, from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean.
Balcony sections facing the Mont Blanc massif in the Haute-Savoie part of the route.
Crossing two national parks, the Vanoise and the Mercantour, and the Queyras Regional Nature Park.
A great variety of landscapes, from the alpine pastures of the Chablais to high-altitude lakes such as the Lauzanier.
A route that is easy to split into sections, as several stage towns are served by train.
A finish by the sea, in Nice, after the last hills of the hinterland.
Practical information
Start
Saint-Gingolph
Saint-Gingolph, on the Swiss border on the south shore of Lake Geneva, is linked to Thonon-les-Bains by coach line 131. Thonon-les-Bains is served by the Léman Express and TER trains; the GR5 variant starts right from its station.
Finish
Nice
Nice is served by Nice-Ville station (main-line and TER trains) and by Nice-Côte d’Azur airport.
When to go
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The most favourable period is from July to mid-September, when the refuges are staffed and the passes should be clear of snow. In June, snowfields often linger on the highest sections. Check the staffed dates of each refuge before setting off.
Difficulty
Hard
No technical sections, but a long succession of high passes and demanding days, in high-mountain terrain exposed to storms and to snowfields early in the season.
Staffed refuges, gîtes, hotels and campsites line the route. At altitude, the refuges are only staffed in summer and it is wise to book every night, especially in July and August. In the Vanoise, a bivouac pitch near a refuge is also booked through the warden.
Rules to know
The GR5 crosses the core zones of two national parks. In the Vanoise, bivouacking is only allowed in the immediate vicinity of certain refuges, while they are staffed and by booking with the warden; dogs are not allowed there, except assistance dogs. In the Mercantour, bivouacking is allowed from 7 pm to 9 am in a small tent, more than an hour’s walk from the boundaries of the core zone or from a road, and for only one night in the same place; dogs are banned there even on a lead, and fires are forbidden.
Water and supplies
The villages along the way let you stock up regularly, but some high-altitude stages only pass refuges: always keep a reserve of food. Stream water is not guaranteed safe to drink in grazing areas, and the mobile signal is patchy in the remote side valleys.
The GR5 on the map
The 38 stages
TrekGR stage plan: each stage ends where you can sleep. Actual walking time excluding breaks (DIN 33466 standard).
No current alerts for this GR (checked on 12 November 2026). All live updates →
Our advice
Book refuges and gîtes from the spring for a traverse in July or August.
Before setting off early in the season, ask the refuges about snow cover on the passes.
Start early in the morning to cross the passes before the storms that are frequent in summer afternoons.
Leave your dog at home: it is not allowed in the core zone of either the Vanoise or the Mercantour.
If you are short of time, split the traverse into sections using the stage towns served by train.
Bring a stove: fires are forbidden in the core zones of the national parks.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the GR5 start in the Alps?
At Saint-Gingolph, on the south shore of Lake Geneva, on the French-Swiss border. A variant starts from Thonon-les-Bains station and then joins the main route.
Can you bivouac on the GR5?
Yes, but with strict rules in the national parks. In the core zone of the Vanoise, bivouacking is only allowed near certain refuges and by booking; in the core zone of the Mercantour, it is allowed from 7 pm to 9 am, more than an hour’s walk from a road or from the boundaries of the core zone. Details on the Vanoise National Park website and in the Mercantour National Park FAQ.
Can you walk the GR5 with a dog?
Not over the whole traverse: dogs are banned in the core zones of the Vanoise and Mercantour national parks, except assistance dogs. In the Mercantour, the ban applies even to a dog on a lead or carried.
When is the best time for the Alpine GR5?
From July to mid-September. In June, snowfields often linger on the highest passes and many refuges are not yet staffed.
Does the GR5 finish in Nice or Menton?
The GR5 ends in Nice. The GR52, which branches off from it in the Mercantour, offers a more mountainous finish towards Menton, with specific bivouac rules around the Vallée des Merveilles.
Do you need to book the refuges?
It is strongly recommended in summer, as places are limited. In the Vanoise, booking with the warden is compulsory to bivouac near a refuge.
Route: OpenStreetMap contributors. Elevation: IGN’s RGE ALTI®, one point every 50 m. Text checked on 10 November 2026.
