Italy, Lombardy
The lakes are an hour north and the Alps an hour beyond that, which makes Milan a superb touring base.
First instinct from Milan: head north towards Lake Como.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
66 mi
Best rated nearby
9.9 / 10
Shortest full loop
8 hr 2 min
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. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 4 March 2026
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 10 hr 44 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
86 mi away · Bernese Oberland
Three of the best passes in the Alps stitched into one loop back to the same valley.
120 km · 74.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
87 mi away · Lombardy, Italy
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
31 km · 19.3 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
80 mi away · Ticino, Switzerland
A cobbled historic switchback climb that predates the modern Gotthard highway entirely.
13 km · 8.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
85 mi away · Valais and Uri, Switzerland
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
76 mi away · Graubunden, Switzerland
Glaciers hang over the road as it threads past turquoise Lago Bianco to the Poschiavo valley.
33 km · 20.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 10 hr 24 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
95 mi away · Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
49 km · 30.4 mi · Atlas rating 9.9 / 10
141 mi away · Alpes-Maritimes, France
A looping summit road above 2800 metres that circles the peak itself for maximum theatre.
24 km · 14.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.7 / 10
147 mi away · Dolomites
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
55 km · 34.2 mi · Atlas rating 9.7 / 10
99 mi away · Gran Paradiso
The road from the Italian Job, hairpins to a lake plateau at 2600 metres.
20 km · 12.4 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
104 mi away · Savoie, France
The roof of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a stark granite amphitheatre above 2700 metres.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
138 mi away · Savoie and Hautes-Alpes, France
The spine of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a relentless climb to one of driving's holiest summits.
18.1 km · 11.2 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
Longer
187 km · 4h 15m
Four legendary passes strung between limestone cathedrals, the definitive alpine day.
49 km · 1h 30m
Forty-eight numbered hairpins stacked like a staircase into the sky.
142 km · 3h 20m
Gardesana corniche tunnels, then a climb into olive terraces above the water.
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