Trip ideas · Alba truffle fair, Turin and Lake Maggiore

Alba truffle fair, Turin and Lake Maggiore: a One-Week Road Trip From Lyon

Checked 8 October 2026 against each tourism board's, city's and operator's own page · skynomad

Day by day

Most hours at the wheel in a day No limit3 hours4 hours5 hours6 hours

Kilometres and hours are motorway estimates between the cities named, without stops or traffic. Where you sleep in a smaller place nearby, the real place and its distance are given.

1. Day 1

   Lyon → Aosta 263 km · about 3 h 10 driving

   Roman town (Augusta Praetoria) on the Italian side of the Mont-Blanc tunnel; first night in Italy. Source

2. Day 2

   Aosta → Milan 257 km · about 3 h 10 driving

   Lakeside town facing the Borromean Islands (Isola Bella palace and gardens). Source The place itself: Stresa (Lake Maggiore), about 70 km straight-line from milan (estimate, not from a planner); lugano is slightly nearer as the crow flies but is across the Swiss border.

   

3. Day 3

   A day for Stresa (Lake Maggiore) No long drive

4. Day 4

   Milan → Turin 165 km · about 2 h 20 driving, plus the way back from Stresa (Lake Maggiore)

   Langhe town of the white truffle; base for the truffle fair and the Barolo/Barbaresco hills. Source The place itself: Alba (Langhe), about 50 km straight-line from turin, approx.

5. Day 5

   A day for Alba (Langhe) No long drive

6. Day 6

   A day for Alba (Langhe) No long drive

7. Day 7

   Move on, staying near Turin No long drive

   Former royal capital: Egyptian Museum, Mole Antonelliana (Cinema Museum); last night before the Fréjus tunnel back to Lyon. Source

8. Day 8

   Turin → Lyon 355 km · about 4 h 20 driving

Why go in October and November

• International White Truffle Fair of Alba (96th edition): truffle market, Alba Truffle Show, tastings: 10 October – 6 December 2026. Source
• Same dates in the Piedmont Region's official 2026 fair calendar: 10 October – 6 December 2026. Source
• Isola Bella (Lake Maggiore) palace and Baroque garden still open in autumn; shorter hours from 25 October: season 12 March – 8 November 2026; 25 Oct–8 Nov last entry 16:00. 2027 dates not published yet. Source

What to watch for

• Mont-Blanc tunnel: night closures for works (mostly 22:00–06:00, Monday–Thursday) from mid-September to December 2026; the full calendar was still awaiting prefectural approval (mid-September – December 2026 (example: 8 Oct 22:00 – 9 Oct 06:00)). Source
• Borromean Islands close for the winter: Isola Bella shuts after 8 November 2026, so a November trip loses the lake's main sight (from 9 November 2026). Source
• Savoie (A43 / Fréjus approach): winter tyres required from 1 November (French Loi Montagne; chains or socks are the alternative) (from 1 November). Source
• Italian motorways (Autostrade per l'Italia): winter tyres or chains on board on many sections; dates vary by section (mostly 15 November – 15 April (some sections from 1 November)). Source
• Turin ZTL Centrale: no entry without a permit on weekday mornings; hotel guests inside the zone can be exempted via the hotel; garage users must register the plate by 11:00 (Monday–Friday 7:30–10:30). Source
• Lyon ZFE (start and end of the loop): only Crit'Air 0, 1, 2 vehicles may drive and park; Crit'Air sticker required (from 1 January 2026, year-round). Source

What the week costs to drive

Not included: Lyon–Chamonix/Le Fayet A42/A40 (APRR, ATMB) (operator); Modane–Chambéry–Lyon A43 (SFTRF, AREA) (operator); Italian motorways: A5 Aosta–Santhià, A4/A26 to Lake Maggiore, A26/A21/A33 towards Alba, A32 Turin–Bardonecchia (operator); hotels, food and parking. For your own car and exact days, use the trip cost calculator.

The rules on this route

Driving in France · Driving in Italy

Use this route in my plan to get every vignette, zone, kit rule and deadline for these countries in one checklist, with dates. The speed limits and sign words pages can then show only these countries.