Italy, Lombardy and Graubunden
Switzerland's link into the Stelvio is a quieter alternative with the same drama.
Length
15 km
In miles
9.3 mi
Driving time
23 min
Atlas rating
9.0 / 10
The run
Passo dello Stelvio to Santa Maria Val Mustair. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Closed roughly October to June
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 29 March 2026
Nearby
2 km away
Passo dello Stelvio
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
22 km away
Passo di Gavia
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
34 km away
Passo del Mortirolo
Cycling's cruellest climb doubles as a brutally steep, tightly hairpinned driving test.
35 km away
Bernina Pass
Glaciers hang over the road as it threads past turquoise Lago Bianco to the Poschiavo valley.
44 km away
Fluela Pass
A remote, boulder strewn crossing linking Davos to the wild Lower Engadine.
44 km away
Kaunertal Glacier Road
Twenty nine hairpins to a glacier at 2750 metres, one of the great dead end drives.
Plan around it
Curated drives
Italy, Dolomites
The Great Dolomites Drive
Four legendary passes strung between limestone cathedrals, the definitive alpine day.
Italy, Italian Alps
Stelvio Pass
Forty-eight numbered hairpins stacked like a staircase into the sky.
Italy, Lake Garda
Lake Garda Mountain Loop
Gardesana corniche tunnels, then a climb into olive terraces above the water.
A to B journeys
4 days
London to Lake Garda
The classic run south from England to the Italian lakes, taken the long way through the Alps rather than straight down the autoroute.
4 days
London to The Dolomites
The best pass driving in Europe sits at the end of this one, reached through Germany and Austria rather than Switzerland.
2 days
Munich to Lake Como
A short journey with an outrageous amount of great road packed into it, including the Stelvio if the season allows.
Longer journeys
4h 15m
The Great Dolomites Drive
Four legendary passes strung between limestone cathedrals, the definitive alpine day.
1h 30m
Stelvio Pass
Forty-eight numbered hairpins stacked like a staircase into the sky.
3h 20m
Lake Garda Mountain Loop
Gardesana corniche tunnels, then a climb into olive terraces above the water.