France · Switzerland · Italy
Small & Mighty — Italian Alps
Small cars. Big mountains. The Alps in May.
27–31 May 2027 · 5 days / 4 nights · From £699pp twin share
Four nights, three countries, and the Italian Alps in May — in whatever you drive.
The Small & Mighty trips exist for one reason: to prove you don’t need a big car or a big budget to do the big drives. This one takes that idea to the Italian Alps. Out through Alsace, across Switzerland, and over the top into Italy — with two nights based in Bormio, a mountain town most British drivers have never heard of, at the foot of some of the greatest roads in Europe.
Day one is the run to Colmar. Day two is the good one: Basel, Zurich and Chur, then up the Julier Pass into the Engadin and down the hairpin staircase of the Maloja Pass into Italy, following the Valtellina east to Bormio. A full day on the mountain roads follows — a route we confirm at breakfast, chosen from what the season has opened. Then home the spectacular way: over the Bernina Pass with glaciers on one side and the little red railway running alongside, back to Colmar, and the tunnel on day five.
The Alps in May, in whatever you drive — book your place and come and see them.
Group Road Trip
From £699pp
Per person, two sharing
Solo from £1,219 per car with your own room
Deposit £500 per car · balance due 18 February 2027
Minimum 4 cars to run · maximum 10
Folkestone (Eurotunnel), out and back
✓ Return Eurotunnel crossing for your car
✓ Four nights hotel accommodation, bed & breakfast
✓ Printed guidebook with QR-code routes
✓ Rally plates, stickers and welcome pack
Why This Trip
Why May
The mountains have just woken up.
Late May is the changeover — snow still on the tops, meadows already green, the high roads open again after seven months shut. The Alps look nothing like the summer photographs everyone has seen.
Before the season starts.
The passes and valley roads are quiet in May. By July the same tarmac carries coaches and rental convoys. This is the month you get them to yourself.
Three countries in one drive.
France on day one, Switzerland by day two, Italy by that evening. You cross a border and the food, the language and the road surface change with it.
Built for any car.
No minimum spec, no exclusions, no judgement. The car you actually own is the right car for this trip.
Price Includes
What’s Included
✓ Return Eurotunnel crossing for your car
✓ Four nights hotel accommodation, bed & breakfast
✓ Welcome drinks on arrival
✓ Printed guidebook with QR-code routes
✓ Rally plates, stickers and welcome pack
✓ Curated photo stops mapped in the road book
✓ Full on-trip support, hosted throughout
✗ Dinners — booked as optional group add-ons at cost, so you choose your evenings and your budget
✗ Lunches
✗ Fuel and tolls (Italian motorway tolls are minimal on this route)
✗ Swiss motorway vignette — you buy the e-vignette for your own car before travel (CHF 40, online); the briefing shows you how
✗ Any low-emission-zone passes for your own car (e.g. French Crit’Air, a few euros online)
✗ Travel insurance (required) and personal vehicle insurance with European cover (required)
✗ European breakdown cover (required)
✗ Drinks beyond the welcome drinks
Day by Day
The Itinerary
Day 1 · Thu 27 May
Folkestone → Colmar
Morning crossing, then east across northern France on the A26 and A4 — around 370 miles and six hours, all motorway. Arrive in Colmar late afternoon with time to wander the old town’s canals and half-timbered streets. We book a table for anyone who wants to join for dinner.
Day 2 · Fri 28 May
Colmar → Bormio, over the Maloja
The day the trip is named for. Basel, Zurich and Chur, then the climb up the Julier Pass into the Engadin — and the descent that follows: the Maloja Pass, a staircase of hairpins stacked down the mountainside, dropping you into Italy at Chiavenna. East along the Valtellina through the vineyards to Bormio. Around 350 miles and seven hours; the last three are the reason you came.
Day 3 · Sat 29 May
Bormio — the mountain day
A full day on the high roads with nothing to pack and nowhere to check in to. We confirm the route at breakfast from what the season has opened — expect a proper Alpine loop of around 90 miles and four to five hours at a relaxed, led-from-the-front pace, with a long mountain lunch stop. The afternoon is yours: Bormio’s thermal baths have been in use since Roman times, and the town square deserves an hour with a coffee.
Day 4 · Sun 30 May
Bormio → Colmar, over the Bernina
The long one, and we’re upfront about it — around 370 miles and seven and a half hours. But it opens with the best of it: up past Livigno (duty-free — fill the tank, buy the espresso), over the Forcola, and onto the Bernina Pass, glaciers on one side and the Bernina Express railway running beside the road. Down to Pontresina, then back across Switzerland to Colmar for the final night.
Day 5 · Mon 31 May
Colmar → home
North to Calais — around 370 miles, six hours — and the tunnel home. Back in Kent by early evening, with 1,570 miles and seven passes behind you.
Questions
Good to Know
Is my car suitable?
If it’s road-legal, insured and serviced, yes. The route uses main mountain roads with good surfaces.
How hard is the driving?
Two long motorway days bookend it, and we’re honest about Day 4 being a seven-hour run. The mountain roads themselves are driven at a relaxed pace with regular stops — this is not a time trial.
What if a pass is shut?
Alpine roads open on the season’s schedule, not ours. The route is built so the trip works in full whatever late May brings, and the mountain day is chosen from what’s open.
Do I need a vignette or tolls?
You’ll need a Swiss e-vignette for your own car (CHF 40, bought online in minutes — the briefing walks you through it). Italian tolls on this route are a few euros.
Can I come solo?
Yes — £1,219 with your own room throughout.
The Route
Drive it before you decide.
Tap the days to see each leg, the stops, and the overnight towns.
Interested in Small & Mighty — Italian Alps?
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