Forget getting there quickly.
For road-trippers, the route itself is increasingly part of the holiday, with global searches for “scenic routes” soaring 170% in the past year.
New research from Avis has ranked Europe’s most winding roads, analysing routes for their length, elevation and number of curves before adding Instagram hashtag volumes and average monthly Google searches to measure their popularity.
The team used Road Curvature maps and AI analysis to count bends, then combined the data into an overall score out of 100 to reveal which roads offer the best mix of scenery, twists and road trip appeal.
While Val d’Orcia in Italy, known for its iconic views, route through the Tuscan countryside and countless cheese farms and wineries to stop at, was named as the most picturesque road trip, adrenaline-lovers will be keen to take a crack at these far windier drives.
Stelvio Pass, Italy
Officially Europe’s most winding road, Stelvio Pass on the border with Switzerland, scored 88 out of 100 on Avis’ winding road index.
With a length of 35km and elevation of 2,757m, it also has a staggering amount of curves – 685 in total – 20 per kilometre.
It’s also very popular with driving fanatics and boasts some 68,700 Instagram hashtags and 74,000 average searches per month.
If you want to tackle this route, you’ll need to pick your times wisely.
Due to its high altitude, the Stelvio Pass is very much seasonal, opening only from June to October when snow and ice won’t make it even more treacherous.
Furka Pass, Switzerland
In second place is Furka Pass, with a score of 86.
Perhaps most famous for featuring in 1964’s ‘Goldfinger’ from the James Bond franchise, alongside its hairpin turns, it’s 22.5km long, with 344 curves – that’s 15 per kilometre – and an elevation of 2,429m.
Located between the Uri and Valais Alps and offering stunning views of glaciers and peaks, the Pass has 101,000 Instagram hashtags, alongside 60,500 average monthly searches.
It’s another seasonal road due to its position and is typically open between June and October.
Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria
Scoring 80 on the index, this breathtaking road in Austria is 48km long and has 350 curves, or about seven turns per kilometre.
Grossglockner High Alpine Road provides drivers with views of Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner, as well as the Pasterze Glacier. It’s little surprise, then, that the road has 182,000 hashtags on Instagram and 18,100 monthly searches.
Closed in the winter due to snowy conditions, it’s one of the best options on this list for nature lovers. Along the route, you’ll find plenty of cabins and lodges available, which give visitors the chance to spot rare animals and plants.
Trollstigen, Norway
The shortest road in the ranking, Trollstigen in Norway is just 6km long, but scores 74 out of 100.
At an 850m elevation, the Troll’s Road averages nearly 20 turns per kilometre despite its brevity – and is not a route for the faint-hearted.
If you can handle it though, you’ll be rewarded with fjord landscapes, waterfalls and spectacular viewpoints which make it the Nordic nation’s most visited tourist road.
Despite this, it has the least amount of monthly searches in Avis’ top five ranking. Nevertheless, it’s well worth a visit when it’s open from mid-May until the first snow falls in autumn.
Transalpina (DN67C), Romania
Rounding out the top five, with a score of 73, is this Romanian beast.
The longest of the five, Transalpina (DN67C) is 148km long with 2,145m elevation.
It also has an impressive 682 curves – or five turns per kilometre. It’s also very popular on Instagram with 89,400 hashtags and an average monthly search volume of 60,500.
Along the journey, there’s plenty to see, including quaint villages serving up hearty local cuisine and countless chances to stop and enjoy hikes through mountains and valleys.
The top 10 windiest roads in Europe
- Stelvio Pass, Italy
- Furka Pass, Switzerland
- Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria
- Trollstigen, Norway
- Transalpina (DN67C), Romania
- Transfagarasan Highway, Romania
- Susten Pass, Switzerland
- Route des Grandes Alpes, France
- Col du Tourmalet, France
- Grimsel Pass, Switzerland
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