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The twistiest roads in Europe, by hairpin count

Twisty is a feeling, but hairpins can be counted. These are the roads where the count is highest, with what the road is like between the bends.

Published 6 October 2026 · facts fetched from Wikipedia on 6 October 2026

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  1. 1 Stelvio Pass

    Stelvio Pass
    Photo by kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Stelvio Pass is a mountain pass in northern Italy bordering Switzerland at an elevation of 2,757 m (9,045 ft) above sea level. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, 7 m (23 Wikipedia

    48 hairpins on the east side, 36 on the west. Nothing else in Europe has as many on one climb.

    Written about in 32 languagesStart a trip here

  2. 2 Vršič Pass

    Vršič Pass
    Photo by Sl-Ziga, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Vršič Pass is a high mountain pass across the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. It is the highest pass in Slovenia, with an elevation of 1,611 metres (5,285 ft), as well as the highest in the Eastern Julian Alps. Wikipedia

    50 numbered bends, 24 up from Kranjska Gora and 26 down to Trenta, several still cobbled from the First World War.

    Written about in 15 languagesStart a trip here

  3. 3 Trollstigen

    Trollstigen
    Photo by Clementp.fr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Trollstigen is a serpentine mountain road and pass in Rauma Municipality, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of Norwegian County Road 63 that connects the town of Åndalsnes in Rauma and the village of Valldal in Fjord Municipality. Wikipedia

    11 hairpins in a few kilometres, at gradients up to 10 percent. Lorries are banned above a certain length for good reason.

    Written about in 26 languagesStart a trip here

  4. 4 Sa Calobra

    Sa Calobra
    Photo by Olaf Tausch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Sa Calobra is a small village in the Escorca municipality on the northwest coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca. The port village is a popular destination for coach trips and road cyclists. Wikipedia

    26 hairpins and the famous knot where the road loops under itself. Twelve kilometres that take half an hour.

    Written about in 8 languagesStart a trip here

  5. 5 Lysevegen (Lysebotn road)

    Lysevegen (Lysebotn road)
    Photo by Pegasus2 at German Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Lysebotn is a village in Sandnes Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located at the eastern end of the Lysefjorden in a very isolated valley that is only accessible by a seasonal road or by boat. Wikipedia

    27 hairpins climbing out of the Lysefjord, ending in a spiral tunnel. Norway's steepest road to a dead-end village.

    Written about in 10 languagesStart a trip here

  6. 6 Col de Braus

    Col de Braus
    Photo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Col de Braus (1002 m) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Alpes-Maritimes in France. It connects Sospel and L'Escarène. Wikipedia

    The road from Sospel to L'Escarène above Nice: a ladder of tight, even hairpins that photographs like a drawing.

    Written about in 6 languagesStart a trip here

  7. 7 Splügen Pass

    Splügen Pass
    Photo by Roland Zumbühl (Picswiss), Arlesheim (Commons:Picswiss project), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Splügen Pass is an Alpine mountain pass of the Lepontine Alps. It connects Splügen in the Swiss canton of Graubünden 5 kilometres (3. Wikipedia

    The Italian side has the Cardinello gorge hairpins, narrow and stacked, before the lake at Montespluga. Quieter than the Stelvio an hour away.

    Written about in 29 languagesStart a trip here

  8. 8 Transfăgărășan

    Transfăgărășan
    Photo by Horia Varlan from Bucharest, Romania, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Transfăgărășan (trans + Făgăraș), or DN7C, is a paved mountain road crossing the southern section of the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. It has national-road ranking and is the second-highest paved road in the country after the Transalpina. Wikipedia

    Not the highest count, but the longest sustained run of bends on the northern ramp, and the view down them from the top.

    Written about in 31 languagesStart a trip here

Riding or driving it

Roadlegs rates every day of a planned trip from Straight to Very twisty by the shape of the route itself, so you can see which days earn the label before you leave.

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About the facts and photos

The descriptions in italics are the opening sentences of the Wikipedia article for each place, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, fetched on 6 October 2026. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licence named beside each one. "Written about in N languages" counts the Wikipedia editions that have an article, from Wikidata; it is a measure of how well known a place is, not a rating. Everything else is the author's own opinion. Roads close with the seasons: check before you go.

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