In summer the classic European road trip heads for the coast. In winter the interesting roads are in the mountains, and two of the best end in St. Moritz: one from Italy, one from Switzerland, both open all season.
From Milan, over the Maloja Pass
Leave Milan on the road along the eastern shore of Lake Como, through Varenna and Colico to Chiavenna, where the valley turns north into the Val Bregaglia and Switzerland. The climb to the Maloja is short and steep, a stack of hairpins that ends abruptly at 1,815 metres with the Engadin laid out flat in front of you. From there it is a quarter of an hour to town, past the lakes of Sils and Silvaplana, which by January are usually frozen and crossed by cross-country ski tracks.
Without stops the drive takes about three hours. Most people stop anyway, for lunch by the lake in Varenna.
From Zurich, over the Julier Pass
The Swiss approach starts on the motorway, along the Walensee and up the Rhine valley to Chur. After Tiefencastel the road narrows and climbs to the Julier Pass at 2,284 metres. It is kept open through the winter, but this is where four-wheel drive and proper winter tyres earn their keep, and after heavy snow chains can be made compulsory. Allow around three hours from Zurich.
Or fly in, and drive home
Plenty of visitors skip the drive in one direction. Engadin Airport in Samedan, at 1,707 metres the highest airport in Europe, takes private jets and is about five kilometres from town; Zurich is roughly 200 km away and Milan Linate about 190 km. With luxury car hire in St. Moritz, the car can be waiting at Samedan, at Zurich or Linate, or at the hotel door, already on winter tyres, so the mountain road can still be part of the trip on the way back. For those who would rather not drive on snow at all, a chauffeur covers the same transfers.
Two more mountain roads
Venice to Cortina d’Ampezzo. About two hours: motorway across the Veneto plain, then the old Alemagna road up the Piave valley into the Dolomites. Since co-hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan, Cortina has been busier than ever, so book early. Try to arrive late in the afternoon, when the peaks above town turn pink; locals call it enrosadira.
Geneva to Courmayeur. The motorway reaches Chamonix in about an hour, and the 11.6 km Mont Blanc Tunnel comes out in the Aosta Valley a few minutes from the resort. You leave Switzerland after breakfast and are in Italy in time for lunch.
Choosing the car
Four SUVs cover most Alpine trips. The Mercedes-AMG G63 is a common sight in St. Moritz for good reason: three locking differentials and room for four people and their skis. The Ferrari Purosangue pairs a 725 hp V12 with four-wheel drive and copes with snow far better than the badge suggests. The Lamborghini Urus sits lower and is quicker still. For families, the seven-seat long-wheelbase Range Rover is the sensible choice. In St. Moritz all four can be delivered to the hotel or the airport on winter tyres.
Before booking, check three things:
- Winter equipment. From 15 November to 15 April many Italian mountain roads require winter tyres or chains on board, and in Switzerland a car that is not equipped for snow can earn its driver a fine if it holds up traffic. The car should arrive ready.
- The exact model. “Or similar” is an expensive phrase in car rental. If you booked a specific car, make sure it is the one named in the contract.
- Delivery and return. A good service brings the car to the private terminal, the hotel or the chalet, and collects it somewhere else at the end, which matters on a one-way trip from Milan to St. Moritz.
Making it effortlessIsyLuxe, an Italian company that delivers luxury cars to hotels, villas, airports and ports in 68 cities across Europe, works this way, with insurance included in the price. Its concierge also arranges chauffeurs and private jets, which helps during St. Moritz’s busiest weeks, from the Snow Polo World Cup in late January to White Turf racing on the frozen lake in February.
Whichever road you choose, give it a full day. On both routes into St. Moritz, the last hour is the part people remember.
Images courtesy of IsyLuxe.
For more information on luxury car hires on your next trip to St Moritz, visit www.isyluxe.com or contact IsyLuxe at info@isyluxe.com.
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