Guides
Everything a UK driver needs before the Alps.
We have driven these roads for years, and the same questions come up every spring: which route, what the law wants from a British car, and whether the pass will even be open when you get there. These are our answers.
The best European road trips from the UK
Five drives worth taking your own car across the Channel for, with the distance from Calais, the season each one needs, and how many days it really takes.
Read the guide LogisticsDriving to the Alps from the UK
Tunnel or ferry, how long the drive south really takes, where to break the journey, and what the Alps ask of a car that lives in Britain.
Read the guide SeasonsWhen do the alpine passes open?
The great passes are shut by snow for half the year. Typical opening windows for Stelvio, Furka, Grimsel, the Grossglockner and more, and where to check live status.
Read the guide Road lawDriving in Europe: the UK driver's checklist
Stickers, vignettes, beam deflectors and the paperwork. What is actually required of a British car in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria, and what is only folklore.
Read the guide Choosing a tripGuided vs self-drive alps tour
Two ways to drive the passes: in a led convoy, or at your own pace with a road book. The honest differences in cost, pace and company, from a company that runs both.
Read the guide CostHow much does an alps driving tour cost?
Guide prices, what's included, and the vignettes, tolls and crossings you pay either way. Real 2026 figures for a week driving the Alps from the UK.
Read the guide ComparisonStelvio vs Grossglockner
The two most famous driving roads in the Alps, weighed against each other on height, difficulty, toll and season. Which one to drive, and whether you can have both.
Read the guideWould you rather we did all this for you?
Every trip we run starts and ends in the UK. We plan the route, book the hotels, arrange the Channel crossing and hand you a printed road book. You bring the car.
See the trips