MXP · Italy
The gateway to the Italian lakes and, beyond them, the Stelvio, the Gavia and the Swiss passes. Also the practical starting point for a Dolomites week.
Great roads in range
14
First road from the terminal
Tremola, the old Gotthard road, about 2 hr 5 min
Best months
June and September
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 2 May 2026
Ranked
01 · Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
About 3 hr 16 min from the airport · 30.4 mi · Rating 9.9 / 10
Closed roughly November to May
02 · Gran Paradiso
The road from the Italian Job, hairpins to a lake plateau at 2600 metres.
About 2 hr 28 min from the airport · 12.4 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Open June to September, closed to cars on summer Sundays
03 · Bernese Oberland
Three of the best passes in the Alps stitched into one loop back to the same valley.
About 2 hr 37 min from the airport · 74.6 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Both passes closed from October to June
04 · Savoie, France
The roof of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a stark granite amphitheatre above 2700 metres.
About 2 hr 51 min from the airport · 9.9 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to June, highest paved pass in the Alps
05 · Ticino, Switzerland
A cobbled historic switchback climb that predates the modern Gotthard highway entirely.
About 2 hr 5 min from the airport · 8.1 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly October to May
06 · Lombardy, Italy
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
About 3 hr 16 min from the airport · 19.3 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
07 · Alpes-Maritimes, France
A looping summit road above 2800 metres that circles the peak itself for maximum theatre.
About 4 hr 27 min from the airport · 14.9 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10
Closed roughly November to May, Europe's highest paved through road
08 · Savoie and Hautes-Alpes, France
The spine of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a relentless climb to one of driving's holiest summits.
About 3 hr 53 min from the airport · 11.2 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to May with snow at the summit
09 · Valais and Uri, Switzerland
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.
About 2 hr 15 min from the airport · 9.9 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
10 · Bern and Uri, Switzerland
A flowing, beautifully engineered road beneath the Steingletscher ice cliffs.
About 2 hr 37 min from the airport · 29.2 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
11 · Valais and Ticino
Switzerland's second highest paved pass, wide, smooth and gloriously empty.
About 2 hr 8 min from the airport · 23.6 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed from October to late May
12 · Hautes-Alpes, France
Hairpins through larch forest give way to the lunar Casse Deserte, a surreal high altitude finale.
About 3 hr 48 min from the airport · 20.5 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
13 · Graubunden, Switzerland
Glaciers hang over the road as it threads past turquoise Lago Bianco to the Poschiavo valley.
About 2 hr 44 min from the airport · 20.5 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Usually open year round, snow chains possible
14 · Tyrol and South Tyrol
A high toll road crossing into Italy with a dramatic glass museum perched at the summit.
About 4 hr 46 min from the airport · 18.6 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly October to May
Practical
The widest choice of interesting cars in northern Italy. Watch for ZTL restricted zones in every town you pass through.
June and September. 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.