When to drive

The right road at the wrong time of year is a closed gate and a three hour detour. These guides cover 12 regions across all twelve months, with what is open, what is busy and which weeks are genuinely worth booking.

The densest set of high passes in the world, and the most seasonal driving on the continent. Everything above about 2,000 metres is dictated by snow clearance rather than the calendar.

A compact cluster of passes where you can drive four world class roads before lunch. The rock walls make it the most photogenic driving in Europe.

Single track roads, sea lochs and mountain passes, with weather that decides how good your day is going to be far more than the calendar does.

The best value driving in Britain, with mountain passes in the north, moorland sweepers in the middle and empty coast roads all the way round.

Quieter than the Alps, cheaper than Switzerland and every bit as steep. Tour de France cols on the French side, wilder and emptier roads on the Spanish.

Alpine passes in the north, ridge roads through Tuscany and Umbria, and a cliff road on almost every coast. The country works all year if you move around it.

Fjord roads, tunnels, hairpins and ferries, with a driving season that is short, brilliant and entirely dictated by the mountain crossings.

Empty tarmac, cheap fuel and a climate that lets you drive in February. The Picos, the Sierras and the Balearic mountain roads carry the country.

Red rock, canyon climbs and hundred mile views, on roads that are open all year but only comfortable for part of it.

The highest paved roads in North America, and the shortest driving season on the continent outside Alaska.

Cliff roads, redwoods and fog, running from the Cascades to Big Sur. Open all year, but the character changes completely with the season.

Two islands of mountain passes, empty highways and coastlines, with a seasonal calendar reversed from the northern hemisphere.