Best of
Eighty four hairpins, glaciers hanging over the tarmac, and the highest paved through road in Europe. These are the passes drivers plan a whole trip around.
A mountain pass has to earn its place on this list on the driving itself, not the view from the summit café. We have ranked the great passes of the Alps and Pyrenees using the Drivers Atlas driving score, which favours a sustained, technical climb over a merely pretty one.
All of these close for winter, most from October or November to May, so the season matters as much as the road. Check current status before committing a trip to any of them.
The ranking
Italy · Driving score 9.9 / 10
Eighty four numbered hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
France · Driving score 9.7 / 10
A looping summit road above 2800 metres that circles the peak itself, the highest paved through road in Europe.
Austria · Driving score 9.8 / 10
Austria's grandest high alpine road climbs beneath the country's tallest peak.
France · Driving score 9.6 / 10
The spine of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a relentless climb to one of driving's holiest summits.
Italy · Driving score 9.6 / 10
A narrow, unguarded ribbon that feels wilder than its famous Stelvio neighbour.
Austria · Driving score 9.5 / 10
A high toll road crossing from Austria into Italy, with a glass museum perched at the summit.
France · Driving score 9.5 / 10
Hairpins through larch forest give way to the lunar Casse Deserte, one of the Alps' strangest landscapes.
Switzerland · Driving score 9.4 / 10
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Swiss crossing.
Methodology
Ranked by the Drivers Atlas driving score, a rating out of ten for the road itself, weighted for hairpin density, surface quality and the sense of exposure at altitude, with scenery scored separately.
FAQ
What is the greatest mountain pass in Europe?
The Passo dello Stelvio in Italy carries the highest combined driving and scenery score in our library, thanks to its eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline.
When do Alpine passes reopen after winter?
Most reopen between late May and mid June, though the exact date depends on that year's snowfall. The Stelvio and Gavia are often among the last to clear.
Which is the highest paved pass in Europe?
The Col de la Bonette in the French Alps includes a loop above 2800 metres, making it the highest paved through road in Europe.