United Kingdom to Italy
The classic run south from England to the Italian lakes, taken the long way through the Alps rather than straight down the autoroute.
Direct
1290 km
801.6 mi
Scenic route
1680 km
1043.9 mi
Days
4
about 13.6 hr direct
Tolls
£190
one way, per car
The drive
London to Lake Garda is the journey most British drivers picture when they think about taking their own car to Italy. Done flat out on motorways it is around 1,290 km and two long days. Done properly it is closer to 1,680 km over four days, and the extra distance buys you the Alps.
The route that works best crosses at Calais, runs east through Champagne and Alsace, then picks up the Swiss passes before dropping into northern Italy. You can swap the Swiss section for Austria if the passes are shut, which they often are before late May.
Fuel, tolls and a Swiss vignette are the fixed costs. Everything else comes down to how many nights you spend in the mountains rather than beside a motorway.
Late May to early October, when the high passes are reliably open.
Worth the detour
Valais and Uri, Switzerland
Furka Pass
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.
9.4 / 10 · 16 km
Bern and Valais, Switzerland
Grimsel Pass
Granite reservoirs and stark rock walls line this dramatic climb from the Bernese Oberland.
9.2 / 10 · 26 km
Bern and Uri, Switzerland
Susten Pass
A flowing, beautifully engineered road beneath the Steingletscher ice cliffs.
9.4 / 10 · 47 km
Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Passo dello Stelvio
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
9.9 / 10 · 49 km
Where to break the drive
Reims or Nancy
First night out of Calais, an easy few hours from the tunnel.
Colmar, Alsace
Half timbered old town and a short hop to the Route des Crêtes.
Andermatt, Switzerland
The base for Furka, Grimsel and Susten in a single day.
Bormio or Sirmione
Last night before Garda, or straight down after the Stelvio.
Questions
About 1290 km, roughly 801.6 miles, by the most direct route. The scenic version described here runs closer to 1680 km.
Around 13.6 hours of driving on the direct route, which most people split over two days. The scenic route takes 4 days without rushing.
Budget about £190 one way per car in tolls, vignettes and crossings, before fuel and hotels.
Late May to early October, when the high passes are reliably open.
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