Col de la Bonette | 2715 METER | Jausiers St. Etienne de Tinée

The Col de la Bonette is a 2,715-metre-high mountain pass in the French Maritime Alps in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, near the Italian border. The narrow but fully asphalted road has been continuously expanded to two lanes in recent years and connects the Ubaye valley near Jausiers with the Tinéetal near Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée.
 

On the south side of the Col de la Bonette, there are the ruins of a military barracks – but it is still worth stopping for a moment to enjoy the view of the Tinéetal valley that you had and still have from here.

The Cime de la Bonette, a loop that you can drive around the mountain, is directly adjacent to the pass. This takes you up to over 2800 metres. Of course, there are discussions about whether this is then considered the highest passable Alpine pass in the mountains, but: it is just a loop that you drive. Nevertheless, the view is worth it, especially since you can still walk to the top of the mountain. From there, there is a 360-degree panoramic view of the ‘Haute-Alpes’.
 

The Col de Restefond is located directly below, but it can only be recognised by the old pass sign, a ruin and a car park. The former pass road that led up here can only be recognised as a gravel road.