Top 5 Most Winding Roads in Europe 2026

Avis research identified Europe's most winding roads by turns, elevation and popularity. Find out which routes topped the 2026 ranking

More and more travelers are choosing to drive not to get from point A to point B faster, but for the sake of the journey itself. Car rental company Avis has put together a new ranking of Europe's most winding roads, and the results are worth adding to your future road-trip list. Over the past year, global searches for the phrase "scenic routes" have risen by 170%, and the travel industry has taken notice. We cover the most scenic roads in Europe for 2026 in this article.

10 most beautiful places in the Balkans – link.

When planning a road trip across Europe, it's important to think not only about your car's technical condition but also about the mandatory road documents. The e-vignette confirms payment for using toll motorways and fully replaces the paper stickers on the windshield – all vehicle data is stored in the official database and checked automatically by license plate number. It's a fast way to avoid fines and border queues, relevant for any route across the continent. Get your e-vignette online.

How were Europe's most beautiful roads chosen?

Avis analysts didn't just put together a list of pretty mountain roads – they approached the question methodically. The ranking factored in route length, elevation gain, and the number of turns per kilometer, calculated using road-curvature maps and AI-based analysis. To this they added Instagram hashtag volumes and average monthly Google search figures, to understand not just how winding a route is, but how much it actually interests drivers. Each road ended up with an overall score out of 100.

Separately, researchers highlighted Tuscany's Val d'Orcia as the best combination of scenery, wineries, and cheese farms for a relaxed trip without sharp turns. But if you're after a real drive rather than a picnic among the hills, the top five in the ranking are exactly what's worth considering.

Everything you need to know about a road trip through Croatia – here.

Stelvio Pass tops the ranking

Europe's most winding road is officially the Stelvio Pass on the Italy-Switzerland border – scoring 88 out of 100. At just 35 km long, the route climbs to 2,757 m and features 685 turns, or about 20 per kilometer. Its popularity is confirmed by the numbers too: around 68,700 Instagram posts and 74,000 monthly searches.

There's one thing worth keeping in mind: because of the high altitude, the pass only operates seasonally, roughly from June to October, before snow and ice make the road too dangerous.

The Furka Pass is remembered thanks to James Bond

Second place went to Switzerland's Furka Pass with 86 points – a road many recognize from scenes in the 1964 James Bond film "Goldfinger." It has 344 turns over 22.5 km (15 per kilometer) and climbs to 2,429 m between the Urner and Valais Alps. Its glacier panoramas have made the pass a genuine social-media star – over 101,000 Instagram tags and 60,500 monthly searches. Like Stelvio, it's open mainly from June to October.

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Grossglockner, Trollstigen and Transalpina round out the top 5

Austria's Grossglockner High Alpine Road scored 80 points: 48 km of road, 350 turns, and views of the country's highest peak along with the Pasterze Glacier. It's this natural element that makes the road exceptional – the route is lined with viewpoints and small shelters where visitors can spot rare animals and plants. It's closed in winter due to snow.

Norway's Trollstigen is the most striking proof that length isn't everything. At just 6 km and 850 m in altitude, it still scores 74 points and packs in nearly 20 turns per kilometer – a figure that puts it on par with far longer roads. It's Norway's most-visited tourist road, though it trails the other leaders in monthly search volume. It's open from mid-May until the first autumn snowfall.

Rounding out the top five is Romania's Transalpina (DN67C) with 73 points – the longest route on the list, at 148 km with a 2,145 m elevation gain and 682 turns. The road passes traditional villages serving hearty local food and offers plenty of opportunities for hiking among the mountains and valleys, with its popularity confirmed by 89,400 Instagram hashtags and 60,500 monthly searches.

Quietest countries in the world 2026 – link.

What to know before your trip

Mountain passes aren't ordinary motorways, and planning matters here more than anywhere. Most roads on the list are only open for a few months a year, so it's worth checking the current schedule before setting off. It's also worth remembering that part of the route inevitably crosses toll sections of neighboring countries, so it's best to get your e-vignette for Europe's toll roads in advance, rather than looking for a sticker vendor right at the border.

For those who want to cover several passes from the ranking at once, Avis's researchers also compiled an extended list of the continent's ten most winding roads:

- Stelvio Pass, Italy

- Furka Pass, Switzerland

- Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria

- Trollstigen, Norway

- Transalpina (DN67C), Romania

- Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania

- Susten Pass, Switzerland

- Route des Grandes Alpes, France

- Col du Tourmalet, France

- Grimsel Pass, Switzerland

You could even build a multi-day trip around this, combining several neighboring passes into one route – most of them are within a few hours' drive of each other.

Routes like the Stelvio Pass or the Transalpina rarely stay within a single country – the road to a mountain pass often runs through toll motorways in Switzerland, Austria, Romania, or Slovenia. Each of these countries has its own e-vignette system with its own rates and validity periods, so it's worth checking before departure which sections of the route require payment. Not having a valid vignette can turn into a fine right in the middle of a scenic route – not the best way to ruin your trip. On the Visit World portal, simply enter your departure and arrival points, and the system will tell you which countries require a vignette for your specific route. Buy a vignette for your route.

A reminder: road safety levels across European countries vary enormously – from Scandinavian leaders to Eastern European laggards. A recent study assessed road fatalities, decade-long improvement trends, and risks in popular tourist destinations. We've already covered Europe's most and least dangerous countries for drivers.

Photo – generated with Gemini

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