I'll be driving from France to Turin, Italy in mid May and would like to know if anyone has done that trip and can give me some advice. How are the roads that time of year? Is it better to take the Mont Blanc tunnel, Frejus Tunnel or Saint Bernard Pass? Any help would be great.

Hi A,

Are you planning to pick up in France and drop off in Italy?

That will cost you an additional $300-500.

I am returning to France and dropping the car off.

ttt

The tunnels are fine then and I beleive most of the major passes are - barring very unusual conditions - but you would need to confirm closer to the date. (Some of the smaller pases do not open until June.)

We took the route up from Annecy over an ultimately terrifying road (hairpin turns down and down, with a drop that looked like about 10,000 feet off the edge of the road) and down into a beautiful valley. Then we drove over the St. Bernard Pass, stopping briefly at the Hospice to see the dogs. The road up to the Italian border was in excellent shape; afterwards the first 20 miles or so were all bumps. But the scenery throughout was magnificent.

arce,

A few years ago we drove, in October, from Chambery, France into Italy via the Frejus tunnel...this was our first (and hopefully, last) experience with an alpine tunnel...roads were good, though steep and twisting...the tunnel was a white knuckler..at that time it was a two way, eight mile "hole" in the mountain with everyone driving VERY fast..since then, there have been two fatal fires in the Mont Blanc and Frejus and reconstruction has made them safer and better lit which will make them a much better experience...drivers probably STILL drive just as fast...when one dared to look, scenery was really beautiful...

So would you say that they are dangerous roads?

arce,

Not at all...just a bit of an adventure..

ttt