Early September to mid October
There is a short window between the end of the summer crowds and the first serious snow when the Alps belong to drivers. It is roughly six weeks long and it is the best driving of the year.
Summer in the Alps means motorhomes, cyclists and coach parties on every hairpin. From the second week of September that traffic falls away almost overnight, while the passes stay open and the weather is often more settled than in August.
The larch forests turn from green to gold through late September and early October, which makes the Dolomites and the Engadine particularly worth timing. The trade off is a shorter day and a real risk of an early snowfall closing a summit at short notice.
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 11 June 2026
The roads
Italy · 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
Closed roughly November to May
Austria · Salzburg and Carinthia, Austria
Austria's grandest high alpine road climbs to Franz Josefs Hohe beneath the country's tallest peak.
48 km · 29.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.8 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
Switzerland · 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
Closed roughly October to June
Italy · South Tyrol, Italy
Limestone spires of the Sella group frame every one of this pass's flowing bends.
12 km · 7.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
Italy · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Twenty eight numbered hairpins climb to the highest paved point of the Dolomites road network.
13 km · 8.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
France · Alpes-Maritimes, France
Legendary Monte Carlo Rally stage stitching together forested hairpins above the Roya valley.
17 km · 10.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
Practicalities
Several alpine countries require winter or all season tyres once conditions demand them, not on a fixed date. An early October snowfall at 2,500 metres is entirely normal.
By early October you lose the light around seven. Build days that finish the driving before dusk rather than pressing on over a pass in the dark.
Grossglockner, Timmelsjoch and the Silvretta all publish closing dates that move with the weather. A pass can shut for two days after a snowfall then reopen once it is cleared.
Common questions
Most high passes close between late October and mid November, though the exact date depends entirely on snowfall. Some, such as the Timmelsjoch and Grossglockner, publish a target date each year.
Early October is usually excellent. From mid October onwards you are gambling, and by the end of the month most of the highest passes are shut.