List of highest paved roads in Europe in the context of Giro d'Italia

The Col du Galibier (el. 2,642 metres (8,668 ft)) is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the highest point of the Tour de France.

It connects Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and Briançon via the col du Télégraphe and the Col du Lautaret. The pass is closed during the winter. It is located between the massif d'Arvan-Villards and the massif des Cerces, taking its name from the secondary chain of mountains known as the Galibier.

Nufenen Pass (Italian: Passo della Novena, German: Nufenenpass) is the second highest mountain pass with a paved road in Switzerland, with an elevation of 2,478 metres. It lies between the summits of Pizzo Gallina (north) and the Nufenenstock (south). The road opened to motor vehicle traffic in September 1969.

The Tour de France is an annual men's multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France, generally considered the most famous bicycle race in the world. It was founded by the French sports journalist and former professional road racing cyclist Henri Desgrange, who became the first director of the race. He was passionate about taking the Tour up to the highest reachable points of elevation in the Alps and Pyrenees using the most difficult routes.

The highest point of the first Tour de France in 1903 was the summit of the 1,161-metre-high (3,809 ft) Col de la République mountain pass in the Mont Pilat area of the Massif Central highland region. The following year the route remained identical, but in 1905 and 1906 the Tour moved into the Alps, in particular the Dauphiné Alps, and up to the Col Bayard at 1,264 m (4,147 ft). The 1907 Tour took the race higher, up to 1,326 m (4,350 ft) with the Col de Porte in the Chartreuse Mountains. This point was again the highest for the next two Tours.