Situated entirely within the Arrondissement of Nice, the Col de Turini is characterised by its narrow road surface, numerous hairpin bends, and dramatic alpine scenery. The road climbs steeply from the valley floor through dense forest before cresting at the pass summit. Two primary ascent profiles define the stage geometry used in rallying: a western approach from Lantosque (15.3 km, average gradient 7.2%, maximum 9%) and a southeastern approach from Sospel (24.1 km, average gradient 5.2%, maximum 8%).
The Col de Turini is one of the most iconic venues in world rallying, featuring every year in the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening event of the FIA World Rally Championship season held each January. The classic stage runs 31 kilometres from La Bollène-Vésubie to the summit and descending to Sospel, or in the reverse direction.
The stage is defined by its combination of narrow width, successive hairpin turns, and the unpredictable winter surface conditions that can shift between dry asphalt, ice, snow, and slush within a single pass. These characteristics demand exceptional car setup compromise and driver judgment, placing it among the most technically demanding stages in the WRC calendar.
For many years, the Monte Carlo Rally tradition included running the Turini stage at night. Tens of thousands of spectators would gather along the hairpins in the darkness to witness the spectacle — powerful rally car headlights cutting through the alpine night gave rise to the nickname "the night of the long knives," a phrase that became synonymous with the atmosphere and drama of Monte Carlo night stages. This nocturnal running was a defining characteristic of the event before organisational changes moved the passage to daytime in later seasons.
The Col de Turini occupies a near-mythical place in the history of the Monte Carlo Rally, which is itself one of the oldest and most prestigious events in motorsport, having originated in 1911. Victories — or dramatic accidents — at the Turini have punctuated the careers of the sport's greatest names, from the pre-war specialists through the Group B era and into the modern WRC. The stage rewards drivers who can manage surface changes, tyre selection, and the physical demands of the climb while carrying competitive speed through blind crests and tight hairpins.
The Col de Turini has appeared in elite road cycling on multiple occasions. The western ascent from Lantosque has been used in the Paris–Nice stage race, hosting the finish of the seventh stage in 2019. The pass has featured in the Tour de France four times — in 1948, 1950, 1973, and 2024 — always as a mid-race climb rather than a summit finish.
The Col de Turini achieved additional recognition when it was featured in the first episode of the tenth series of the British motoring programme Top Gear, in which the presenters explored it as a candidate for the greatest driving road in the world.