LJU · Slovenia
The Vrsic pass is an hour away, the Dolomites are four and the Croatian coast is three. A small airport in a very good location.
Great roads in range
14
First road from the terminal
Vrsic Pass, about 1 hr 14 min
Best months
May to October
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 8 May 2026
Ranked
01 · Salzburg and Carinthia, Austria
Austria's grandest high alpine road climbs to Franz Josefs Hohe beneath the country's tallest peak.
About 3 hr 33 min from the airport · 29.8 mi · Rating 9.8 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
02 · Julian Alps
Fifty numbered hairpins, twenty four of them cobbled, over the highest pass in Slovenia.
About 1 hr 14 min from the airport · 29.2 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed by snow from November to April
03 · Dolomites
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
About 4 hr 19 min from the airport · 34.2 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10
All four passes need to be open, roughly May to October
04 · Veneto, Italy
Twenty nine hairpins climb to a wide open saddle ringed by the jagged Cinque Torri.
About 3 hr 46 min from the airport · 10.6 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
05 · Julian Alps
The highest road in Slovenia, blasted through rock tunnels to a 2072 metre saddle.
About 1 hr 27 min from the airport · 7.5 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Open roughly June to October only
06 · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Sheer Dolomite towers on both sides make this short link one of the world's great scenic drives.
About 4 hr 19 min from the airport · 6.8 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
07 · Dalmatian Coast
The Magistrala hugs bare karst cliffs above island studded blue water for hours.
About 2 hr 56 min from the airport · 111.8 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Bura winds can close exposed sections in winter
08 · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Twenty eight numbered hairpins climb to the highest paved point of the Dolomites road network.
About 4 hr 19 min from the airport · 8.1 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
09 · Dolomites
War tunnels, a small lake and the Lagazuoi towers, quieter than its famous neighbours.
About 4 hr 9 min from the airport · 20.5 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Winter closure in heavy snow years
10 · Istria
A hairpin climb over the Ucka massif with the whole Kvarner gulf laid out below.
About 2 hr 4 min from the airport · 13.7 mi · Rating 9.1 / 10
Fog and ice on the summit in winter
11 · Carinthia
Six tunnels and a wall of hairpins to Austria's highest dam.
About 2 hr 10 min from the airport · 9.3 mi · Rating 9.1 / 10
Open May to October, toll road
12 · Primorska
Beside the most improbably turquoise river in Europe, bend after flowing bend.
About 1 hr 28 min from the airport · 26.7 mi · Rating 9 / 10
Rockfall after heavy rain
13 · Bavarian Alps, Germany
Germany's highest through road climbs to the border with views over the Watzmann massif.
About 3 hr 59 min from the airport · 9.9 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed by snow in deep winter
14 · Dolomites
A brutal ramp to a dam under the Marmolada glacier, the roof of the Dolomites.
About 3 hr 59 min from the airport · 18.6 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed or difficult after heavy snow
Practical
Buy the motorway vignette at the desk or the first service station. Cross border to Croatia and Italy is usually straightforward.
May to October. 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.