VCE · Italy
Two hours from the Dolomites and the closest major airport to the Sella Ronda passes. Fly in, drive north and be at altitude by lunch.
Great roads in range
14
First road from the terminal
Passo Fedaia, about 2 hr 16 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 15 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 53 min from the airport · 30.4 mi · Rating 9.9 / 10
Closed roughly November to May
02 · Dolomites
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
About 2 hr 26 min from the airport · 34.2 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10
All four passes need to be open, roughly May to October
03 · Veneto, Italy
Twenty nine hairpins climb to a wide open saddle ringed by the jagged Cinque Torri.
About 2 hr 25 min from the airport · 10.6 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
04 · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Sheer Dolomite towers on both sides make this short link one of the world's great scenic drives.
About 2 hr 26 min from the airport · 6.8 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
05 · Salzburg and Carinthia, Austria
Austria's grandest high alpine road climbs to Franz Josefs Hohe beneath the country's tallest peak.
About 4 hr 10 min from the airport · 29.8 mi · Rating 9.8 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
06 · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Twenty eight numbered hairpins climb to the highest paved point of the Dolomites road network.
About 2 hr 26 min from the airport · 8.1 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
07 · Lombardy, Italy
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
About 3 hr 53 min from the airport · 19.3 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
08 · Julian Alps
Fifty numbered hairpins, twenty four of them cobbled, over the highest pass in Slovenia.
About 3 hr 14 min from the airport · 29.2 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed by snow from November to April
09 · Dolomites
War tunnels, a small lake and the Lagazuoi towers, quieter than its famous neighbours.
About 2 hr 35 min from the airport · 20.5 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Winter closure in heavy snow years
10 · Dolomites
A brutal ramp to a dam under the Marmolada glacier, the roof of the Dolomites.
About 2 hr 16 min from the airport · 18.6 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed or difficult after heavy snow
11 · Tyrol and South Tyrol
A high toll road crossing into Italy with a dramatic glass museum perched at the summit.
About 3 hr 59 min from the airport · 18.6 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly October to May
12 · South Tyrol, Italy
Limestone spires of the Sella group frame every one of this pass's flowing bends.
About 2 hr 32 min from the airport · 7.5 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
13 · Julian Alps
The highest road in Slovenia, blasted through rock tunnels to a 2072 metre saddle.
About 2 hr 52 min from the airport · 7.5 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Open roughly June to October only
14 · Lombardy, Italy
A tunnel like gorge road carved into rock above Lake Garda, once called the world's best road.
About 2 hr 35 min from the airport · 4.3 mi · Rating 9.2 / 10
Practical
Plenty of choice and easy motorway access north. Do not book a hotel in Venice itself if you have a car.
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.