Alpine Run 2026 - a 3,257 km First Impression

[midnightdorifto]

Howdy PH - I have always wanted to do one of these write-ups and I can't believe I actually get to do one. This is awesome.

Abstract:
Nearly 20 years ago, I sat down at a lunch break and sketched out what I considered my ultimate Alpine road trip. Over the last couple of years, I started running out of excuses to bolt this thing together; and, with a milestone birthday added to the mix, 2026 was destined to be Alps-bound come hell or high water. Thanks in part to the help of this forum I was able to lock in the route: an 11-day, clockwise tour of some of the greatest tarmac hits I've been filling my imagination with since I learned how to read.

The Route:
https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/display/map/20260705...



Happy to provide the GPX file should anyone want to reproduce this (or provide some really nuanced critiques, I'm going to run parts of this back in the future so I'd love to get started on documenting what I missed!)

The Itinerary:
Day 1 - Stuttgart to Gaimberg, Austria - Großglockner Hochalpenstraße
Day 2 - Gaimberg to Merano, Italy - Loop of Piz Boe, Jaufenpass
Day 3 - Merano to Como, Italy - Passo Stelvio, Passo Gavio
Day 4-5 - Explore Lake Como
Day 6 - Como to La Giettaz, France - Nufenenpass, Furkapass, and a special shoutout to the roads from Megève to La Giettaz
Day 7 - La Giettaz to Jausiers, France - Cormet de Roselend, Col de l'Iseran, Col du Mont Cenis, Col d'Izoard, Col de Vars
Day 8 - Jausiers to Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur, France - Col de la Bonette, Col de Restefond, Route Napoleon
Day 9 - Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur to Bern, Switzerland - Route Napoleon, Col de Porte
Day 10 - Explore Bern
Day 11 - Bern to Stuttgart, Germany - B500

The Car:
2026 Porsche 911 Carrera T 6MT, sourced from the great folks over at Porsche Drive who took delivery of the brand new car a couple days before I showed up. Would highly recommend the experience - not the cheapest way to see the continent but the service is excellent and I'm not sure there's a better long-distance rental that's available.

The Food:
Reckon I'd be doing y'all a disservice if I didn't include some of the culinary highlights:

Merano - Ristorante Pizzeria Kirchsteiger - https://maps.app.goo.gl/vjAEmGYorGfRKTwy5
Como - Di Puglia un po' - https://maps.app.goo.gl/27Vis7YHZPcPA5a3A
Como - Ristorante COMI107 - https://maps.app.goo.gl/DaGdxoU2DRH1Jf7c8
Torno - Il Sereno Al Lago Restaurant - https://maps.app.goo.gl/REZUEU5rxbURGJqs9
La Giettaz - Restaurant Le Chalet Savoyard - https://maps.app.goo.gl/sdrjKoQqBnJUs5FG9
Bern - Ristorante Pizzeria Da Bucolo - https://maps.app.goo.gl/4hp5PzMEEzLCYPb2A
Bern - Volver BarTapasCafe - https://maps.app.goo.gl/Hy5VRRBNY3Addetu9
Stuttgart - Caffè-Bar - https://maps.app.goo.gl/me9oDwSVeS8TevY1A
Frankfurt - Im Herzen Afrikas - https://maps.app.goo.gl/UM1zN8vofYo2oYrL6
Frankfurt - Bar Shuka - https://maps.app.goo.gl/2uonrdNB6XSLJgaZA

The Trip (56k warning):






































The Conclusion:
Somehow - this trip exceeded expectations by a wild margin. I cannot believe I'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to do something like this in my life - my heart is full of joy and gratitude to everyone who helped get me to a spot in my life where I could do this. I'm still processing this - and I reckon I will be for some time to come - but man I'm glad I finally took a swing and realized a dream. If you're reading this and have a trip like this in mind - please take this as your sign from the universe that you need to just book the damn trip.

[Imasurv]

Thanks for the report, sounds like an amazing trip!

What are the stand out moments/best driving roads from the trip?

[RDMcG]

I have done tons of this....looks like a great trip indeed! Best way to use a car.

[Robertb]

Thanks for posting, certainly inspirational! A friend did a shorter trip around a rented Mercedes SL AMG in Austria.

I've cycled much of your "Day 7" Cols, and also Stelvio and Col de la Bonnette. The Lac du Roselend is absolutely stunning. Did you get to the top of the Cime de la Bonette?

I'd love to go back and do a combined cycling/road trip sometime, should get some roofbars for my C4S...

[midnightdorifto]

Imasurv said:

Thanks for the report, sounds like an amazing trip!

What are the stand out moments/best driving roads from the trip?

Some context here - I'm from Seattle and my only experience driving in Europe (like, anywhere on the continent) was driving a rental from Nice to Paris to catch a flight a decade ago thanks to an Air France labor strike. So even just being in traffic is kinda special drooling over all the stuff we just don't get, so take this with a grain of salt.

That drive from La Giettaz to Jausiers on Day 7 was one of the most spectacular single days of driving I've done. That entire route is wild - I wouldn't change a single turn. The elevation changes over the course of the day, the changes in flora and fauna, running into some other enthusiasts and trying to keep up with the locals? It's magnificent. I've had the good fortune to put in tens of thousands of miles of enthusiastic driving all over my home country and, while I think I could structure a single-day route that might match it on pure driving joy, paired up with the scenery? I'm not convinced that exists anywhere else in the world.

There's a consistent thread that I'm finding to be true globally: Mullholland Drive, the Tail of the Dragon, the Hakone Turnpike, the Stelvio Pass, the Furka Pass - they're all exquisite driving experiences but are best enjoyed as a scenic intermission to the roads that are as good (if not better) in the near vicinity. I'd recommend all of those to anyone who hasn't done them before, but they're more once-in-a-lifetime roads with higher traffic and enforcement, while the stuff that's close by is where the real...dynamic envelope exploration can take place.

Robertb said:

Thanks for posting, certainly inspirational! A friend did a shorter trip around a rented Mercedes SL AMG in Austria.

I've cycled much of your "Day 7" Cols, and also Stelvio and Col de la Bonnette. The Lac du Roselend is absolutely stunning. Did you get to the top of the Cime de la Bonette?

I'd love to go back and do a combined cycling/road trip sometime, should get some roofbars for my C4S...

We did indeed and my goodness what a day and what a view - and I've had great luck with my SeaSucker here on my Corvette!

https://www.seasucker.com/collections/bike

[Michael_B]

Ten days ago this was the view from my lunch table a kms north of La Giettaz.



Having lived in Geneva since 1999, a lot of this is my back yard, mostly on two wheels but occasionally on four

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

[midnightdorifto]

Michael_B said:

Ten days ago this was the view from my lunch table a kms north of La Giettaz.



Having lived in Geneva since 1999, a lot of this is my back yard, mostly on two wheels but occasionally on four

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

I think I'd like to move to La Giettaz at this point - was that at Les Rhodos by chance?

[Mr Tidy]

A great car, superb roads and stunning scenery - what a fantastic trip!

And credit to you coming from another continent to do it.

[Michael_B]

midnightdorifto said:

I think I'd like to move to La Giettaz at this point - was that at Les Rhodos by chance?

Indeed it was. A planche de charcuterie each and a large bottle of eau gazeuse.

As a Swiss national/resident, moving to France would of course be financial suicide. But I am happy to spend <183 days a year enjoying their roads, food and wine with fiscal immunity

[Manatee]

I congratulate you, this sort of thing is what drivers' cars are for. I hope you had Matt Monro playing at some point in the mountains.

My wife would say you should have had a convertible but I wouldn't second guess your choice. We have done some of your drive in our MX-5 soft top over the last 8 years or so although none of the French Alps yet. She won't let us take our series 1 BRZ, which has more luggage space, to the Pyrenees this year insisting the MX-5 must go there too, a roof being an obstacle to viewing mountains properly on the move. I conceded she has a point (well, I had to).

I'd never get her to do your trip. After taking the road over St Gotthard a couple of years ago, on the way home from the Italian Lakes, I gratuitously went on to the Furka, Grimsel and Susten passes, following which she said she was all "passed out" and would never do another. So last year was the slightly gentler but equally wonderful Picos de Europa. She's recovered now.

What next? Shall you rest on your laurels regarding Europe?

[midnightdorifto]

Michael_B said:

Indeed it was. A planche de charcuterie each and a large bottle of eau gazeuse.

As a Swiss national/resident, moving to France would of course be financial suicide. But I am happy to spend <183 days a year enjoying their roads, food and wine with fiscal immunity

Certainly appreciate the recommendation - I've got that restaurant added to our list for the return visit!

Manatee said:

I congratulate you, this sort of thing is what drivers' cars are for. I hope you had Matt Monro playing at some point in the mountains.

My wife would say you should have had a convertible but I wouldn't second guess your choice. We have done some of your drive in our MX-5 soft top over the last 8 years or so although none of the French Alps yet. She won't let us take our series 1 BRZ, which has more luggage space, to the Pyrenees this year insisting the MX-5 must go there too, a roof being an obstacle to viewing mountains properly on the move. I conceded she has a point (well, I had to).

I'd never get her to do your trip. After taking the road over St Gotthard a couple of years ago, on the way home from the Italian Lakes, I gratuitously went on to the Furka, Grimsel and Susten passes, following which she said she was all "passed out" and would never do another. So last year was the slightly gentler but equally wonderful Picos de Europa. She's recovered now.

What next? Shall you rest on your laurels regarding Europe?

Well I think your wife might be on to something - I'll try to avoid bringing over the record heat next time I head that way, I reckon having something with a removable top would be a delight. That said - I know Alpine used to have a manufacturer-supported rental program and I'm sad that's not still a thing. I've tried to cyberbully them over social media to bring the A110 stateside but I have not had any luck just yet. If I can track one of those down for my next adventure in the Alps, I reckon going for something eponymous would be a smart choice.

As for what's next, I think I just had the conversation 15 minutes ago that solidified the selection. We've got some less-driving oriented adventures outlined next year, but 2028 looks like a phenomenal year to fly in to Haneda, take the train out to Omoren's HQ, and make a proper week or two out of Japan. We did a short 3-day loop of Fuji in a GR Yaris back in November of last year and after just getting a taste (and narrowly avoiding just pulling up stakes here and putting down roots in Osaka, what a dang town) I'd like to give that the time the touge demands.

With all that said - I've got a boss that's moving to London and wouldn't you know it, that's just a hop, skip, and a jump away from a heaty Savoyard meal...