GVA · Switzerland
The single best fly drive airport in Europe for a driving trip. You can be on the first alpine pass within ninety minutes and you have Switzerland, France and Italy all within a morning.
Great roads in range
14
First road from the terminal
Grand Saint Bernard Pass, about 1 hr 34 min
Best months
June and September for open passes without the crowds
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Drive times are estimates from the terminal to the start of each road, padded for mountain routing. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 28 March 2026
Ranked
01 · Savoie, France
The roof of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a stark granite amphitheatre above 2700 metres.
About 2 hr 18 min from the airport · 9.9 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to June, highest paved pass in the Alps
02 · Savoie and Hautes-Alpes, France
The spine of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a relentless climb to one of driving's holiest summits.
About 2 hr 32 min from the airport · 11.2 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to May with snow at the summit
03 · Gran Paradiso
The road from the Italian Job, hairpins to a lake plateau at 2600 metres.
About 2 hr 36 min from the airport · 12.4 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Open June to September, closed to cars on summer Sundays
04 · Bernese Oberland
Three of the best passes in the Alps stitched into one loop back to the same valley.
About 3 hr 32 min from the airport · 74.6 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Both passes closed from October to June
05 · Alpes-Maritimes, France
A looping summit road above 2800 metres that circles the peak itself for maximum theatre.
About 4 hr 33 min from the airport · 14.9 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10
Closed roughly November to May, Europe's highest paved through road
06 · Hautes-Alpes, France
Hairpins through larch forest give way to the lunar Casse Deserte, a surreal high altitude finale.
About 3 hr 12 min from the airport · 20.5 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
07 · Ticino, Switzerland
A cobbled historic switchback climb that predates the modern Gotthard highway entirely.
About 4 hr 2 min from the airport · 8.1 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly October to May
08 · Bern and Uri, Switzerland
A flowing, beautifully engineered road beneath the Steingletscher ice cliffs.
About 3 hr 32 min from the airport · 29.2 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
09 · Valais and Uri, Switzerland
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.
About 3 hr 43 min from the airport · 9.9 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
10 · Savoie and Isere, France
Turquoise lakes and jagged aiguilles frame this classic crossing of the Grandes Alpes.
About 2 hr 15 min from the airport · 18.6 mi · Rating 9.2 / 10
Closed roughly November to May
11 · Valais and Ticino
Switzerland's second highest paved pass, wide, smooth and gloriously empty.
About 3 hr 33 min from the airport · 23.6 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed from October to late May
12 · Hautes-Alpes, France
Remote high altitude pass to the Italian frontier with tight ribbons and stark empty scenery.
About 3 hr 36 min from the airport · 13.7 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed roughly October to June, one of the highest paved passes in Europe
13 · Valais
The historic crossing over the Alps, hospice, dogs and all, with the tunnel below.
About 1 hr 34 min from the airport · 48.5 mi · Rating 9 / 10
The old pass road is closed from late October to early June
14 · Bern and Valais, Switzerland
Granite reservoirs and stark rock walls line this dramatic climb from the Bernese Oberland.
About 3 hr 32 min from the airport · 16.2 mi · Rating 9.2 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
Practical
Note the French and Swiss sides of the terminal. Renting on the French side is usually cheaper and skips the Swiss motorway vignette, but check the cross border policy before you book.
June and September for open passes without the crowds. Prices and availability move sharply either side of those months, so lock the car in before the flights if you want anything more interesting than a diesel hatchback.