4 unlit tunnels, 10 hairpin turns, severe drop-offs, and narrow (very narrow) sections make Road D219 one of the scariest drives in Europe. It’s one of the French balcony roads.
The road is located to the east of Grenoble, in the Isère department, in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, in the southeastern part of the country. It is surrounded by several well-known mountain resorts, including Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes. The Écrins National Park lies to the southeast of Le Bourg-d'Oisans.
The challenging D219 road, carved into the sheer rock face, follows the Romanche River on its western side. It’s totally paved.
It’s 9km (5.59 miles) long, running north-south from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Villard-Notre-Dame. The approximate driving time is 13 minutes.
Set high in the French Alps, the road is open year-round, but it can be closed often due to snow in winters. The road is closed to vehicles exceeding a maximum weight of 15 tons, a maximum length of 7 meters, and a maximum width of 3 meters.
The road is extremely challenging. If you’re scared of narrow mountain roads, avoid it at all costs. This narrow and steep road features 9 hairpin turns and 4 unlit and narrow tunnels: