France, Occitanie
The Pyrenees are the draw, with Col du Tourmalet and Port de Bales reachable in a morning.
First instinct from Toulouse: head south towards the Pyrenees.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
73 mi
Best rated nearby
9.5 / 10
Shortest full loop
4 hr 38 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 13 June 2026
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 6 hr 25 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
81 mi away · Hautes-Pyrenees, France
The highest paved pass in the Pyrenees and the Tour de France's most storied climb.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
93 mi away · Hautes-Pyrenees, France
A dramatic balcony road along the Litor cliff face connecting straight into the Aubisque.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.0 / 10
73 mi away · Andorra, eastern Pyrenees
Europe's highest paved Pyrenean pass sweeps through bare granite scenery above the treeline.
18 km · 11.2 mi · Atlas rating 8.7 / 10
75 mi away · Haute-Garonne, France
A classic Pyrenean crossing of open pasture and hairpins on the Route des Pyrenees.
18 km · 11.2 mi · Atlas rating 8.7 / 10
85 mi away · Aveyron, France
Rolling limestone plateau roads that deliver a dramatic view of the record breaking viaduct.
22 km · 13.7 mi · Atlas rating 8.3 / 10
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 17 hr of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
245 mi away · Var, France
Cliff hugging ledge road staring straight down into Europe's grandest limestone canyon.
24 km · 14.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
99 mi away · Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France
Cliff cut hairpins and cirque views link two valleys via the dramatic Litor shelf.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
247 mi away · Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
A vertiginous loop skimming the canyon rim with balcony viewpoints at every bend.
23 km · 14.3 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
101 mi away · Lozere, France
A river hugging road beneath towering limestone cliffs, one of the Massif Central's great drives.
52 km · 32.3 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
163 mi away · Ardeche, France
A dramatic corniche skimming turquoise river bends beneath the Pont d'Arc natural arch.
32 km · 19.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.2 / 10
208 mi away · Bouches-du-Rhone, France
A clifftop road above Europe's highest maritime cliff with the Mediterranean glittering below.
15 km · 9.3 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
Longer
325 km · 5h 40m
Lavender, limestone gorges and the finest sustained GT road in France.
684 km · 13h 30m
Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean across seventeen alpine cols.
62 km · 1h 50m
The Monte Carlo Rally's night stage, and still the best test of a small quick car in Europe.
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