November to March
When the high passes close, the driving does not have to stop. Coast roads, valley routes and low gaps stay open all year, and they are gloriously empty in January.
Winter driving in Europe is a matter of dropping altitude. Below roughly 1,000 metres, most of the continent's best roads stay open and stay dry, and the crowds are gone entirely.
Southern Spain, Portugal, Sicily and the Cote d'Azur all offer genuinely good winter driving. Further north, coastal routes in Ireland, Scotland and Norway stay open but demand more respect from the weather.
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 27 May 2026
The roads
Italy · Campania, Italy
A cliffside ribbon of hairpins clinging above turquoise water and pastel towns.
50 km · 31.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.7 / 10
Spain · Andalusia, Spain
Endless third gear curves cut through cork oak hills between two fine Andalusian towns.
50 km · 31.1 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
Portugal · Douro, Portugal
Voted among the world's best roads, it snakes above terraced vineyards along the Douro.
27 km · 16.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
United Kingdom · Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
One of the world's great coast roads, hugging cliffs beneath nine dramatic glens.
48 km · 29.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
France · Alpes-Maritimes, France
A sea level corniche skimming every harbour and cove between Nice and the Italian border.
22 km · 13.7 mi · Atlas rating 8.4 / 10
Romania · Fagaras Mountains
Ceausescu's mountain folly, the most photographed hairpin stack in Europe.
90 km · 55.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.9 / 10
Closed above the treeline from November to late June
Practicalities
Austria, Germany, Italy and several others have winter tyre requirements that vary by region and by conditions. Some alpine roads require chains to be carried even when the tarmac is clear.
A December morning on an east facing coast road puts the sun directly in your eyes at the exact height of a windscreen. Clean glass matters more than it does in summer.
Cold tarmac gives far less grip in the first ten minutes than most drivers expect. Build heat gradually rather than attacking the first set of corners.
Common questions
Coastal routes such as the Amalfi Coast road, the Cote d'Azur corniches, the Antrim Coast Road and the Douro valley road stay open year round, weather permitting.
In several countries yes, either by fixed date or by conditions. Austria and Germany both enforce condition based rules, and Italy applies date based rules on many roads from mid November.