From Guillestre
Departmental road
Col de Vars — 2,109 m
Col de Vars, 2,109 m, in Hautes-Alpes. Main climb: 21.4 km at 5.8% average, 1,248 m of climbing from Guillestre. The Tour de France has been over it 5 times since 1935.
At a glance
- Distance
- 21.4 km
- Elevation gain
- 1,248 m
- Average gradient
- 5.8 %
- Difficulty index
- 7.9 Sustained
Figures for the main climb (From Guillestre). The other climbs are further down.
Location
- Department
- Hautes-Alpes
- Altitude
- 2,109 m
- Coordinates
- 44.53880, 6.70284
Map of the climbs
- From Guillestre
- From Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye
Cycling ascents
| Main climb | Distance | Elevation gain | Elevation loss | Average gradient | Steepest 500 m | Difficulty index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Guillestre | 21.4 km | 1,248 m | 43 m | 5.8 % | 12.6 % | 7.9 Sustained |
| From Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye | 8.7 km | 678 m | — | 7.8 % | 11.8 % | 6.3 Sustained |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
- 10% and above
- 8 to 10%
- 6 to 8%
- 4 to 6%
- under 4%
From Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye
Departmental road
2 ascents proposed here — other ways up this col remain possible.
Distances and elevation gains derived from the OpenStreetMap road network and a digital terrain model, measured on the very profile shown here.
Figures computed on 7 September 2026.
The Tour de France here
- Crossings
- 5
- Editions
- 5
- On the route
- from 1935 to 2024
- Usual category
- Category 1
| Year | Stage | Cat. | First over the top |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Stage 19 Embrun → Isola 2000 | Hors categorie | Richard Carapaz |
| 2019 | Stage 18 | Category 1 | |
| 2017 | Stage 18 Briançon → Izoard | Category 1 | Alexey Lutsenko |
| 1936 | — | ||
| 1935 | Stage 9 Gap → Digne | — | Félicien Vervaecke |
Cols nearby
- Col Agnel / Colle dell'Agnello 2,744 m · 27 km
- Col d'Allos 2,250 m · 28 km
- Col de la Cayolle 2,326 m · 31 km
- Col d'Izoard 2,361 m · 31 km
- Col Lebraut 1,110 m · 33 km
- Orcières Merlette 1850 1,850 m · 35 km
Straight-line distances, not road distances. The cols a climb actually rides over are listed above.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the climb to Col de Vars?
The hardest climb of Col de Vars, from Guillestre, is 21.4 km long for 1,248 m of ascent, i.e. 5.8% average.
What is the steepest part of Col de Vars?
The steepest 500 m sits at 12.6%, and the hardest kilometre is the 7th, at 8.8%.
How many times has the Tour de France been over Col de Vars?
The Tour de France has crossed Col de Vars 5 times, from 1935 to 2024.
Col de Vars: add this col to your collection
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