Mont Ventoux Is A Southern French Driver’s Paradise

Photos by Romain

In Southern France, if you have a quick car, some driving gloves, and time to kill, point the nose of your ride to Mont Ventoux. This “bald” mountain dominates the region’s landscape, and has been a challenge for riders in the Tour de France for decades—not to mention hikers and excited driving enthusiasts.

Early motorists competed in the Mont Ventoux hillclimb from 1902, no doubt a more treacherous course in period. Petrolicious reader Romain and “the miss” recently tackled Mont Ventoux in a 2005 Renault Clio 182, taking great photos from their journey—with the hopes of inspiring a few other drivers to enjoy the roads.

Driving 400 km over a day, the route begins through forest, then ascends through to clear skies—and on many days—largely clear roads. “Everytime I randomly go on top of Mt Ventoux, a meet with car clubs are at the summit,” Romain says.

“You’re crossing multiple roads from Aix-en-Provence to Mont Ventoux, some are quite narrow and bumpy, but then traffic is very light,” he said in an email. “The roads are fantastic, and there’s nobody around so you can really get the engine screaming. On the south face of Mt Ventoux, corners are large and you can see ahead so you can really push the car without problem.”

What are you waiting for?