Passo dello Stelvio (Stelvio Pass, German: Stilfser Joch) tops out at 2,757 m / 9,045 ft in northern Italy, and the short answer for riders is this: go up from Prato allo Stelvio in the north if you want the famous wall of 48 numbered hairpins across roughly 28 km / 17 miles, and go up from Bormio in the south if you prefer 34 more open bends and a run of tunnels. It is the highest paved pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in the Alps overall. The road is a summer road, typically usable from around May into November.
Why Stelvio is the one everyone names first
Ask ten riders in a European hotel car park to name a pass and most of them say this one. Part of that is the numbers. At 2,757 m / 9,045 ft the summit sits just 7 m / 23 ft below France's Col de l'Iseran (2,764 m / 9,068 ft), which makes Stelvio the second highest paved mountain pass in the Alps and the highest in the Eastern Alps. Part of it is the shape of the thing: the northern ramp stacks its bends so tightly that from the right viewpoint the road looks like something drawn rather than built.
The rest is history. The original road was built between 1820 and 1825 by the Austrian Empire to link its Lombardy holdings with Austria proper, under the engineer Carlo Donegani, and it climbs 1,871 m / 6,138 ft over its length. The route has changed remarkably little since. Before the end of the First World War it marked the frontier between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy, and the peak above the summit is still called Dreisprachenspitze, the Three Languages Peak, because Italian, German and Romansh speaking areas meet there.
One correction worth making, because it gets repeated a lot: the pass is not on the Italian–Austrian border today. It sits in Italy between Stilfs (Stelvio) in South Tyrol and Bormio in the province of Sondrio, right up against the Swiss border, with the Umbrail Pass branching off the western ramp toward Santa Maria Val Müstair.
Route at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Summit elevation | 2,757 m / 9,045 ft |
| Northern ramp (Prato allo Stelvio side) | approx. 28 km / 17 miles, 48 mostly tight hairpins, numbered with stone markers |
| Southern ramp (Bormio side) | approx. 22 km / 14 miles, 34 sweeping hairpins, six tunnels in the lower section |
| Total climb of the original road | 1,871 m / 6,138 ft |
| Built | 1820–1825, engineer Carlo Donegani |
| Typical season | roughly May to November, snow dependent |
| Side trip from the western ramp | Umbrail Pass, 2,501 m / 8,205 ft, into Switzerland |
| Ranking | highest paved pass in the Eastern Alps, second highest in the Alps |
Want it on your phone or head unit before you leave the hotel? Open the Bormio to Prato allo Stelvio directions and send them to your navigation app — that is the full south-to-north crossing.
The northern ramp, Prato allo Stelvio to the summit
This is the side in the photographs. From Prato allo Stelvio the road climbs through forest first, then breaks out onto open mountainside where the hairpins are stacked one above the next and each one carries a numbered stone. Counting down from 48 as you climb is half the entertainment. The bends are tight, many of them properly first-gear tight on a loaded tourer, and the camber inside the apex is often unhelpful.
Two things catch people out here. The first is oncoming traffic cutting the corner — this is a road full of cars, coaches, campervans and cyclists, and on a blind hairpin you plan for someone being wide. The second is that the numbered bends encourage a rhythm, and rhythm on a road with this much cross-traffic is how riders end up braking harder than they wanted. The road is famous enough that the British programme Top Gear once called it the greatest driving road in the world, which is a good indication of how busy it gets in high summer.
The southern ramp, Bormio to the summit
The Bormio side is less photographed and, for a lot of riders, more enjoyable to ride. It runs about 22 km / 14 miles with 34 rather sweeping hairpins, and in the lower section near Bormio it threads through six tunnels. Those tunnels are the thing to prepare for: they are unlit or dimly lit, the temperature drops as you enter, and a dark visor that was perfect on the open climb becomes a real problem. Riders who cross often either carry a clear visor or run a photochromic one.
Because the gradient is spread over fewer, longer bends, this side flows. It is also the natural link to Passo di Gavia, which starts from the same valley and makes an obvious second act to a Stelvio day.
Umbrail Pass, the quiet third option
Roughly 3 km below the summit on the western side, a road drops away toward Switzerland. That is the Umbrail Pass (Giogo di Santa Maria), 2,501 m / 8,205 ft, currently the highest paved road in Switzerland — the last unpaved stretch on the Swiss side was surfaced in 2015. It runs down to Santa Maria Val Müstair and gives you a border crossing, a much emptier road and an easy loop back over the Ofenpass if you want one.
Two practical notes. It is a customs crossing, so carry your documents. And Switzerland's motorway vignette applies to Swiss motorways, not to this pass, but if your route continues onto Swiss motorways afterwards you will need one — buy it before you get there.
Practical information
Season. Stelvio is a seasonal road. Published accounts put it as open from roughly May through November, with the exact dates driven by snow clearance and autumn weather. As of August 2026 that is the range to plan around, but a late spring or an early storm moves it by weeks in either direction, so check the current status with the road authority or a live pass-status service before you commit a travel day to it.
Closures for events. Once a year, on the last Saturday of August or the first Saturday of September, the Stelvio National Park administration runs the Stelvio Bike Day. On that day the roads from Bormio and from Prad up to the pass, plus the road from Santa Maria Val Müstair over the Umbrail, are closed to everything except bicycles, with around 12,000 riders taking part. If your itinerary lands on that date, plan a different day for the pass. The Giro d'Italia also crosses regularly and the summit is normally designated Cima Coppi, which brings its own closures.
Fuel. Fill up in Bormio or in the Vinschgau valley before you start climbing. There is no useful fuel on the mountain itself, and a big adventure bike that returns respectable numbers on the autostrada will drink noticeably more on 48 hairpins.
Weather and temperature. Expect the summit to be 15 °C or more colder than the valley you started in. Snow flurries at 2,757 m in July are unusual but not remarkable. Cloud can sit on the pass while both valleys are in sunshine.
Tolls and restrictions. There is no toll on the Stelvio road itself. Italian city access schemes (ZTL) and low emission zones apply in towns and cities elsewhere on your route rather than on the pass, and Swiss and Austrian motorway charges apply if your ride continues onto their motorway networks. Rates change, so check the operators' own sites for current figures rather than trusting a printed guide.
Gear notes
Three things about Stelvio make specific demands on kit.
The first is altitude and cold. Air pressure in your tyres falls as the temperature drops, and a 1,800 m climb into a cold summit is exactly the situation where a set that felt right in the valley reads low at the top. It is worth reading up on why tyre pressure drops in cold weather before an alpine trip, and a Bluetooth TPMS sensor takes the guesswork out by showing you both pressure and temperature while you ride rather than at the next petrol station.
The second is navigation. Phone signal on the ramps is patchy and the summit car park is a poor place to discover your route has not cached. A dedicated head unit with offline maps, such as the JADO S6 motorcycle riding system, keeps the route on screen when data does not. If you are not sure what that category actually covers, the plain explanation of a motorcycle riding system is a useful starting point.
The third is power. Cold, cameras, heated kit and a phone all pull from the same small battery, and mountain refuges are not charging stations. A 100 W bi-directional fast charger earns its space on a multi-pass trip where you are away from a socket all day.
FAQ
Does Stelvio really have 48 hairpins?
The northern ramp does. Published descriptions put 48 mostly tight hairpin turns on the roughly 28 km / 17 mile northern section, numbered with stone markers, plus 34 more sweeping hairpins on the roughly 22 km / 14 mile southern section from Bormio. So 48 is correct for one side, not for the whole crossing.
When is the Stelvio Pass open?
Typically from around May through November, snow permitting. That range is a planning guide, not a guarantee: opening and closing dates move with snowfall and clearance work every year. Check the official road status before travelling, especially in May, June and late October.
Is the pass on the border with Austria?
No. It lies inside Italy, close to the border with Switzerland, with the Umbrail Pass linking the western ramp to Val Müstair. The Austrian connection is historical — before 1918 the pass marked the frontier between Austria-Hungary and Italy.
Which side should I ride first?
If you only cross once, ride up the northern ramp so you climb into the famous hairpins with the view opening behind you, then descend to Bormio. If you have a full day, cross, ride down to Bormio, and pick up Gavia or head north over Timmelsjoch the following day.
Is there a toll?
Not on the Stelvio road. Tolls do exist on other alpine roads you may combine with it, including the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria and the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road on the Austrian–Italian border. Charges change yearly, so check the operators directly.
Sources
- Stelvio Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelvio_Pass
- Umbrail Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrail_Pass
