Brains
Planning a road trip to Europe and looking for some pass roads to drive or possibly even cycle? The spectacular mountain passes in the European Alps attract visitors each summer; some come to travel from A to B while others are just there for the experience. Carved through rock and ice over centuries of engineering ambition, they connect valleys that were once separated by impassable terrain. Today, they draw cyclists, motorcyclists, road-trippers, and the occasional Tour de France peloton. From the Swiss Alps to the Italian Dolomites to the high French Alps above Val-d’Isère, these are the 10 highest paved mountain passes on the continent — ranked from lowest to highest, with the best saved for last.
#10 — Furka Pass, Switzerland | 2,429 meters / 7,969 feet
The Furka Pass connects the cantons of Uri and Valais across the central Swiss Alps — connecting Gletsch and Andermatt via Realp — and is considered one of the Swiss Alps “Big Three.” The road was opened to motorized traffic in 1925 and is typically accessible from late June to mid-October before heavy snow forces its closure. The Furka is best known internationally for a single scene: the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, in which an Aston Martin and a Rolls-Royce play cat and mouse on the road’s sweeping hairpin bends above the Rhône Glacier. The glacier itself, visible from the pass, has retreated dramatically since filming — a sobering reminder of how much the Alps have changed in six decades. The historic Furka cogwheel steam railway, which ran through the pass from 1926 until 1981 before being revived by volunteers, now operates as one of Switzerland’s most beloved heritage railways.
#9 — Umbrail Pass, Switzerland/Italy | 2,503 meters / 8,212 feet
The Umbrail Pass is the highest paved road in Switzerland and one of the lesser-known gems of the Alpine pass network. It connects Val Müstair in the Swiss canton of Graubünden with the Italian side near Bormio, joining the Stelvio Pass road at the Swiss-Italian border. The road was built in the early 1900s primarily for military purposes — Switzerland needed reliable access to its southern border — and was later opened to civilian traffic. Today it is almost always driven in combination with the Stelvio, forming one of the great back-to-back pass experiences in the Alps. The Umbrail is narrower and quieter than its famous neighbor, with a rougher surface and fewer guardrails in places that keep speeds honest. It is open from approximately June to October and connects directly with the ski resort of Bormio — host of multiple FIS Alpine World Cup downhill and super-G events on the Stelvio race course.
#8 — Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria | 2,504 meters / 8,215 feet
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is Austria’s most famous mountain road and one of the great engineering achievements of the 20th century. Built between 1930 and 1935 under the direction of engineer Franz Wallack during Austria’s economic depression — providing employment for thousands of workers — it stretches 48 kilometers (30 miles) through the High Tauern range connecting Carinthia (“Kärnten”) with Salzburg. The road passes beneath Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner at 3,798 meters, and includes the famous Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoint at 2,369 meters, from which the Pasterze Glacier — Austria’s longest — is visible, though dramatically retreating. From the Franz-Josefs-Höhe car park, there is a panoramic path to the Kaiserstein — the commemorative stone of when emperor Franz Josef visited in 1856. On the way, you will find the Wilhelm-Swarovski observatory with high-precision optical devices of the Tyrolean company Swarovski. The Grossglockner has hosted its international alpine hillclimb motorsport event since 1938, making it one of Europe’s oldest motorsport venues. It draws approximately one million visitors per year, making it one of Austria’s most visited tourist attractions, and is typically open from May to November.
#7 — Timmelsjoch / Passo del Rombo, Austria/Italy | 2,509 meters / 8,232 feet
The Timmelsjoch — known as Passo del Rombo on the Italian side — connects the Ötztal valley in Austria’s Tyrol with the Passeier valley in South Tyrol, Italy. It is the highest international alpine road pass in Austria and one of the most dramatic cross-border experiences in the Alps. The Austrian side was built and opened in 1969, making it a relative newcomer compared to many passes on this list. The Timmelsjoch sits at the heart of one of the Alps’ most remarkable archaeological discoveries: nearby, in 1991, Ötzi the Iceman — a 5,300-year-old mummy — was found frozen in a glacier just a few kilometers from the pass road, perfectly preserved since the Copper Age. Each year, the pass road hosts the toughest cycling marathon of the Alps, stretching 227 kilometers (141 miles) and covering 5,500 meters (18,045 feet) of vertical, with up to 18% inclines across four alpine passes.
#6 — Passo di Gavia, Italy | 2,621 meters / 8,599 feet
The Passo di Gavia is one of the most feared climbs in professional cycling and one of the most dramatic passes in the Italian Alps, connecting Bormio with Ponte di Legno in the Val Camonica. Narrow, steep, and in places barely wide enough for two vehicles, the Gavia is both dangerous and unforgettable. Its legend was cemented by a single stage of the 1988 Giro d’Italia — Stage 14, ridden in a blizzard with snow falling and temperatures well below zero, during which American cyclist Andy Hampsten attacked on the Gavia’s slopes in near-whiteout conditions and rode into the overall race lead. The images of Hampsten descending the Gavia, soaked and freezing, his face covered in snow, are among the most iconic in cycling history. He won the Giro that year. The Gavia is typically designated the Cima Coppi — the highest point of the Giro d’Italia — in years it appears in the race. The pass is open only in summer, typically late June through September, and is subject to violent and rapid weather changes.
#5 — Col du Galibier, France | 2,642 meters / 8,668 feet
The Col du Galibier stands between the Maurienne and Romanche valleys in the heart of the French Alps and has been a fixture of the Tour de France since 1911 — the very first year it was included in the race. It has appeared in the Tour more times than almost any other climb and is classified hors catégorie in recognition of its length and severity. The road over the summit was completed in the early 20th century, though a tunnel beneath the summit had existed since 1891. Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour de France, was so moved by the Galibier that he wrote: “Oh Sappey! Oh Laffrey! Oh Col Bayard! Oh Tourmalet! I will not fail in my duty to proclaim that compared with the Galibier, you are mere vulgar babies.” A monument to Desgrange stands near the summit. The Galibier sits directly above some of the most celebrated ski terrain in the French Alps — Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez are both within reach, making the surrounding area a genuine four-season mountain destination.
#4 — Col de la Bonette / Cime de la Bonette, France | 2,715 meters / 8,908 feet (pass) + 2,802 meters / 9,193 feet (loop)
The Col de la Bonette deserves a special mention because it comes with an asterisk — and that asterisk is worth understanding. The pass itself sits at 2,715 meters, making it the fourth highest on this list. But a two-kilometer loop road around the summit of the Cime de la Bonette climbs to 2,802 meters, and signs at the base boldly proclaim it “the highest road in Europe.” That claim is technically accurate for a through road — but only if you drive the loop. The underlying pass, without the loop, is lower than the Col de l’Iseran and the Stelvio. Consider it a bonus. The Bonette connects the Tinée and Ubaye valleys in the Mercantour massif of the southern French Alps, and at 42 kilometers is one of the longer Alpine pass climbs. Built largely for military purposes in the 1880s and improved throughout the 20th century, it offers one of the most dramatic summit environments in Europe — a barren, lunar landscape above the treeline where the road appears to float between sky and stone. It is hors catégorie in the Tour de France and the surrounding Mercantour National Park is home to wolves, chamois, ibex, and golden eagles.
#3 — Col Agnel / Colle dell’Agnello, France/Italy | 2,744 meters / 9,003 feet
The Col Agnel sits on the border between France and Italy in the Cottian Alps, connecting the Queyras region of the French Hautes-Alpes with the Varaita valley in Italian Piedmont. At 2,744 meters it is the highest international paved pass in Europe — higher than any other pass that crosses a national border. It is also one of the least-known passes of its stature, carrying relatively little traffic compared to the Stelvio or the Galibier. The pass has a remarkable historical connection: it is one of several routes suggested as the path taken by Hannibal and his elephants during the Second Punic War in 218 BC on the march to attack Rome, and a commemorative plaque on the French side marks the claim. In cycling, it is a hors catégorie climb that has served as the Cima Coppi of the Giro d’Italia three times — in 1994, 2000, and 2007 — and appeared in the Tour de France for the first time in 2008. The Italian ascent from Casteldelfino is particularly brutal: the final nine kilometers average above 10% gradient through a landscape consistently described by cyclists as lunar and otherworldly. It is one of the great undiscovered drives in the Alps.
#2 — Passo dello Stelvio/Stilfserjoch, Italy | 2,757 meters / 9,045 feet
The Stelvio Pass/Stilfserjoch is the most famous mountain road in Europe and by most accounts one of the greatest roads on Earth. It connects the Valtellina valley near Bormio in Lombardy with the Val Venosta in South Tyrol, and was built between 1820 and 1825 by the Austrian Empire — which controlled the region at the time — as a strategic military and commercial route. The architect was Carlo Donegani, and the construction was considered an engineering marvel of its era. The eastern approach from Bormio climbs through 48 numbered hairpin bends, each visible from the next, stacked above one another in a sequence that from a distance looks almost impossible. The BBC’s Top Gear named it the greatest driving road in the world in 2008, a verdict that has driven an enormous increase in motorcycle and sports car tourism ever since. In cycling, the Stelvio is the Cima Coppi par excellence — the highest point the Giro d’Italia has ever reached — appearing in eight editions including 1972, 1975, 1980, 1994, 2005, 2012, 2014, and 2017. From the pass road, you can access the summer-only ski resort Passo Stelvio/Stilfserjoch.
#1 — Col de l’Iseran, France | 2,770 meters / 9,088 feet
The Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved mountain pass in Europe — not a loop, not a dead end, not a glacier access road, but a genuine through route connecting two inhabited valleys across the highest point any true public pass road reaches on the continent. It links Val-d’Isère in the Tarentaise with Bonneval-sur-Arc in the Maurienne, in the heart of the French Graian Alps. Construction began in 1928 and the road was completed in 1937 — a nine-year project of considerable ambition given the altitude and complexity of the terrain. At the summit the landscape is stripped to bare rock and sky, with none of the vegetation visible at lower elevations, and views extend across the Vanoise massif toward the Italian border. The Iseran provided one of the most dramatic moments in recent Tour de France history: in 2019, Colombian climber Egan Bernal attacked on the Iseran in Stage 19 to take the virtual race lead, only for the stage to be stopped due to a landslide lower on the course — a result that effectively handed Bernal the overall victory, the first by a Colombian rider. The pass sits directly above Val-d’Isère, one of the most celebrated ski resorts in the world and home to the Face de Bellevarde — which hosted the 1992 Albertville Olympic men’s downhill and hosts the FIS Alpine World Cup Critérium de la Première Neige each December. In winter, the Iseran disappears under several meters of snow — the same snow that makes Val-d’Isère one of the most reliable ski destinations in the Alps. Typically open from mid-June to late October.
A note on methodology: the above list focuses on mountain passes — roads that cross a col or saddle connecting two valleys — rather than dead-end glacier access roads, which reach higher elevations but terminate at ski stations rather than connecting through to the other side. The three highest of those glacier roads are listed separately below — and they are extraordinary in their own right.
Honorable Mention: The 3 Highest Glacier Access Roads in Europe
These dead-end roads serve ski areas rather than connecting through to other valleys. They are excluded from the main ranking for that reason — but they deserve recognition, not least because two of them are deeply familiar to World Cup ski fans.
Veleta Road, Sierra Nevada, Spain — ~3,300 meters / ~10,827 feet
The highest paved road in Europe by a significant margin, climbing into the Sierra Nevada above Granada to just below the summit of Veleta. Free access to 2,526 meters, after which a restricted section continues to approximately 3,300 meters. The Sierra Nevada ski resort sits at its base and hosted the 1996 Alpine Ski World Championships.
Ötztal Glacier Road, Austria — 2,830 meters / 9,285 feet
Built in 1972 from Sölden to the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers in the Ötztal Alps. At the top of the Rettenbach section, a sign declares it “the highest road in the EU” — a claim that is accurate but slightly confusing for those who don’t understand the difference of the European Union and Europe. The road serves the glacier ski area above Sölden that hosts the FIS Alpine World Cup season opener each October on the Rettenbach Glacier, making this one of the most significant pieces of tarmac in ski racing. Jan Ulrich memorably called the climb “cruelty to animals.” Cyclists and skiers with a valid ski pass use it for free.
Kaunertal Glacier Road, Austria — 2,750 meters / 9,022 feet
Built in 1980 to provide access to the Kaunertal Glacier ski area in Tyrol, this 26-kilometer road with 29 hairpin bends and 1,500 meters of elevation gain is one of the longest and most dramatic glacier access roads in the Alps. It serves a small but dedicated ski area that operates year-round on the Weißseeferner glacier.
