The Passes of Switzerland (Illustrated)
Discussion
Having the Swiss alps in the backyard is fantastic for a person with a love for driving. I have made quite a few drives to the passes, and occasionally try and record the details to give my young son a glimpse of his fathers mad passion when he`s older, and maybe he has a similar inclination! I hope this may too be of interest to those that are looking to travel to these parts, and provide some information and entertainment!
Below is the last trip I did nearly six months ago when the weather was favourable.
The 23rd of September 2022 was a nice day. I left home early(ish) in the V8 Vantage and met Rene (Exige S) and Armin (964) at a petrol station/restaurant 45 minutes from home and a 20 minute drive before the fun began. We three last did a similar trip in `21, with Rene in his Exige, Armin had a 992 Cabriolet on loan from Porsche, and I had hired a Caterham 7 for the day, which had been huge fun! At that stage Armin was in the throes of deciding what to buy in the sports car realm, and after the sanitised efficiency of the 992, he opted to step back 30 years and had recently bought the 964. We had done some cliche group photos in front of the Belvedere Hotel last time out, and the guys were keen to do this again individually. My suggestion was to aim for later in the day as there is significantly less people around, and typically, way more interesting light!
After breakfast & coffee we assumed our positions and headed for the Gotthard Pass. Shortly after leaving the motorway just before the Gotthard Tunnel swallows vehicles for 17km, you drive up the Schöllenen Gorge which I remember having a couple of spirited drives on years ago, but it`s often congested of late. After some vaulted tunnels you cross the Teufelsbrücke or Devil's Bridge which has a local legend attached to it as you`d imagine with a name like that. From memory it goes something like this: The local people asked the assistance of the Devil to build a bridge and in exchange the Devil asked for the soul of the first to cross the bridge. Upon completion a shepherd sent his goats across the bridge ahead of himself, somewhat infuriating the Devil!
The road continues up to the small town and ski region of Andermatt, which is in the throes of massive re-development by Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris who seems determined to put it on the ski resort map, sans pyramids. The Radisson Blu hotel there is a decent place to stop for a night or three depending on your dedication to the area. The northern side of the Gotthard is just a couple of minutes up the road, and is a fast, sweeping drive, tar-sealed to perfection and ripping up the valley is always a pleasure. There are overtaking opportunities so we could dispatch the occasional vehicle with ease until arriving at the 2100m summit with its hypnotic wind turbines gently rotating and giving Tesla drivers and their ilk reason to smile. Me too. I think these things are magical and I always marvel at their graceful way of creating power unlike the robotic giraffe-looking oil pumps littering places like Texas, crude in more ways than one. Long may they assist in refining juice for my V8 none the less.
At the top of the Gotthard you can continue down the new road and find yourself in Italian speaking Switzerland, ciao! Alternatively, and this was our plan, you venture off the beaten track to an even more intriguing stretch of road, the old Tremola Pass. The Tremola is over 200 years old and consists of hand laid granite paving stones, giving a somewhat uneasy feeling as not only does it create a little bit of vibration like constantly driving over a rumble strip, you also have questions as to the amount of grip and traction that is available! Adequate amounts seems the answer, although power slides are a bit easier to provoke than on modern roads, but the cool thing about the 300 metre height and 24 switchbacks is that scarcely a person is on it! The occasional vehicle, hiker or bullock-pulled cart, but otherwise it was very simple to stop and take some photos, or put the drone up without disturbing anyone, even the delicate Swiss. The road is effectively a curiosity and not much used by general traffic.
We went to the bottom and turned around, having to wait for what looked like a supercar drivers outing to pass by with several Porsches, three or four Italians, a Corvette and a few others, then drove part way back up the Tremola and stopped for some photos and such. While we were prepping to do this, not one but three Weismanns drove by, beautiful looking things!
Rene took his drone out to make some video footage. He is accustomed to shooting videos so has pretty good control, whereas I fly mine predominantly for stills and don`t have the deft touch, so mine stayed in the boot. The upside was my car features in the footage, while Rene`s does not. Mental note, don`t get good at drone video!
After filming and taking some photos we went to get back in our cars, and it was at this point while lowering myself into the Vantage that I realised the structural integrity of my pants was not absolute, as I ripped the arse of them open as I brushed past the door frame or seat edge, not sure which. Bugger. At least I had a wind jacket I could tie around my waist while outside of the car to avoid amusing the locals.
We drove back up the Tremola, out to the main road and back down the Gotthard in the direction we had come, also a fun drive heading north as it does not descend rapidly, so you can, with limited leaning on the brakes. We passed a Vantage on GB plates that was heading up, a quick wave and soon after a left at the roundabout at the bottom and we are 5 minutes to Realp.
A little over a kilometre from the roundabout is a village named Zumdorf which lays claim to being the smallest village in Switzerland. Blink and you`ll miss it but it does have a restaurant among its four or so buildings for if you`re hungry or want small village bragging rights.
Just after Realp you`re on the Furka Pass. Driving out of Realp we passed a DB9 (& 992) heading the other way, and I immediately recognised the UK plate as belonging to PH member “M1AGM” who had contacted me about a passes trip in September. I had to turn it down as I had a job in Italy, which ended up being brought a week forward due to election shenanigans, so I could have joined him but completely forgot, and now I felt like a heel.
Three or four minutes up the pass from Realp there is a pull-over on the right with an information board and a street sign reading “James Bond Str.” which marks where they filmed Sean Connery standing by the DB5 and then getting shot at in “Goldfinger.”
This side of the Furka is the rougher side, and it can be hard to enjoy at times, uneven seal and narrow roads but the views from the top and sweet drive down the other side is the payoff. Sweeping across the top, the Belvedere Hotel, switchbacks and then the fast flow down towards Gletsch, it`s Furking good stuff. It was just after midday when we passed the Belvedere, and opted to keep going because there was a hoard of vehicles stopped there as is not surprising at midday in early autumn.
Driving down to Gletsch we passed a Ferrari that initiated a wave! That was a first.
At the once decorated but mostly deserted village of Gletsch you pass the now closed Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhone, that previously enjoyed views from the base of the glacier, but now you can only see the rocks that the glacier has left behind as it retreats back up the alps. The old images make for sad viewing of what was.
From here you can carry on driving the Furka, which becomes more forested as it heads down the Rhone valley to Obergoms, the southern terminus of the car-train that runs through the mountains, to and from Realp, in the winter time. It`s also a decent drive and going further takes you down into the Valais canton proper, past many small villages with centuries old buildings, but it`s effectively a cruise. We did not take this route, but rather turned right just after the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhone and onto the south-eastern side of the Grimsel Pass. We ripped up the half-dozen switchbacks, spotting a couple of curious marmots looking over a rock at one of the bends, and quickly found ourselves at the top where there is a small lake named Totesee and next to it are a couple of restaurants, lunch time!
As it was a nice day, we took a seat outside at the Grimselpass Hotel, overlooking the lake. It`s a pleasant view, despite the fact that Totesee means “Lake of the Dead.” This dates back to 1211 and the Battle of Ulrichen, (Ulrichen being a village about 11km down the Furka from the Grand Hotel) when it is said that the forces of Valais caught up to and slaughtered the retreating Bernese soldiers of Duke Berchtold V of Zahringen, after they had made an unsuccessful attempt at land expansion.
In 2006 the lake`s entire trout population died also, so it seems it`s aptly named!
While seated, enjoying a schnitzwasser and inspecting the menu, a 991 GT3 parked up, resplendent in a full Gulf livery. Rene, who happened to be wearing a Gulf T-shirt, felt compelled to go and take a closer look, no doubt inspired to make some funny remark as he was prone to do. As the driver emerged, we saw that he certainly trumped Rene in the Gulf clothing department, cap, jacket, shirt, and on closer inspection a branded Tag Heuer Monaco. Enter Rainer, a German gentleman living in Switzerland.
Sensing car people he asked if he could join us for lunch. We sat and chatted and discovered he was a huge Gulf fan (didn't see that coming) and had purchased the GT3 as it had been for sale with the livery wrap, which was clearly a sign.
A horde of Porsches parked across the road as we discussed our plans for the day and Rainer thought tagging along with us would be a good thing to do, so our number increased to four. After eating and downing a quick espresso we went back to our three cars on the other side of the hotel and found that they had become surrounded by a further congregation of Porsches. It's clear to see why that company does not have the history of financial woes that provides so much character to the Aston brand!
I got into the Vantage and heard my pants rip a little bit more...
This northern side of the Grimsel is a very good run, in either direction, and is about a 26 kilometre blast from the 2164m summit down to Innertkirchen, as opposed to the south-eastern side which we'd just done, a short 6km drive up from Gletsch. The drive was great fun and relatively traffic free. We passed a new DBS heading in the other direction and the driver waved enthusiastically as I led our group by, down past the striking Grimsel Dam and surrounds. This side of the pass has a nice mixture of driving, bends, corners, flow and a mostly gradual elevation change with excellent, diverse scenery.
We stopped at a sneaky side road I know as Armin was keen on some photos with his 964, so we did a few individual shots of the Porsches and Lotus, and then moved on. The weather was still excellent, and it was still only mid-afternoon, so the plan was now to run the Grimsel, take the Susten Pass to a spot for some more photos and drone video, and on to the small village of Wassen at the eastern end of the Susten, and decide which direction we were going to drive back to the Belvedere.
The next two hours was driving delight on these spectacular roads, and as the clock ticked on it just became better, as the vehicle numbers dwindle and the late afternoon kicks in you sometimes feel like you`re on a closed road. Hitting the Susten from Innertkirchen takes you east to west and this is the best direction in my opinion. It wends up through the trees and farmland, passing small villages, hotels, restaurants and farm signs encouraging the purchase of alp cheese! 10km out of Innertkirchen the trees fall back and road straightens out a bit for about 4km until you hit another twisty section that leads you up through more trees, tunnels and rock overhangs with waterfalls gushing down, all marvellous! We stopped for 15 minutes for some photos and in that time noticed two Caterhams, a Morgan Plus 4, a 488, three old 911`s and a Ford Escort Mk I with the full Mexico/RS2000 look, drive by. If one was to sit at a spot on a pass with a picnic and suitable refreshments, I wonder what wonders you may see over the course of a day?
Armin, Reiner and myself drove up and down a couple of times while Rene made a drone video, and then we saddled up and headed for Wassen. The west side of the pass is about 28km to the tunnel at the top, the east a good 18km, and is a nice run, generally much more open and flowing and with big a panorama. The east side works nicely coming back up the other way too!
We dispatched this rather quickly and parked up in Wassen. It was now 5:30pm and we quickly decided the smart move was, rather than run back over the Susten and Grimsel for about 90km, we would go back up through Andermatt and over the Furka, about 35km.
We reached the top of the pass just after 6pm, the high cloud was settling on the horizon and the light was subdued and moody. We parked in a pull-over next to a “Grand Tour of Switzerland” photo spot, and I climbed up the rocks on the other side of the road to get a panoramic group photo that I think was worth the effort, and we then continued the last couple of kilometres down to the Belvedere. It was 6:40pm and there was one white van in the carpark and not a soul in sight! I shot the Porsches and Lotus individually, with and without their drivers, not worrying about the Aston as I`ve done it here before.
Just as we were wrapping up three guys pulled up in a Maserati GranTurismo, Audi A3 and Mini Cooper, Italian number plates, exhausts ticking and pinging, the smell of brake pads wafting through the evening air. We got chatting to them and they had been having a blast in the passes and needed that last photo at the Belvedere before continuing South towards the border. With their cars lined up I took a few shots with one of their phones and off they went, taking the tortured smell of friction material with them.
With the light decreasing and the pass all but silent, we stood and chatted for several minutes, about the fortunate character of being a car nerd, the immediate bonding effect, and ending up in a place like this, driving what we drive. With the emotional clap trap out of the way we decided food was next and we agreed to meet at the Ace Café in Luzern, about and hour and a half away. I was again greeted with the sound of ripping cotton while lowering my tortured pants into the Vantage for the second to last time of the day. The sun was well gone but the twilight kept the darkness at bay until we reached the motorway and cruised north. The hunger was very real as the drive got nearer to the destination, and shortly after arriving the food tasted good. The beer though… bliss!
Here`s a link to the video that Rene made, starting at the Tremola and then onto the Furka and lastly Susten.
https://youtu.be/R_ASeaLA0aw
Below is the last trip I did nearly six months ago when the weather was favourable.
The 23rd of September 2022 was a nice day. I left home early(ish) in the V8 Vantage and met Rene (Exige S) and Armin (964) at a petrol station/restaurant 45 minutes from home and a 20 minute drive before the fun began. We three last did a similar trip in `21, with Rene in his Exige, Armin had a 992 Cabriolet on loan from Porsche, and I had hired a Caterham 7 for the day, which had been huge fun! At that stage Armin was in the throes of deciding what to buy in the sports car realm, and after the sanitised efficiency of the 992, he opted to step back 30 years and had recently bought the 964. We had done some cliche group photos in front of the Belvedere Hotel last time out, and the guys were keen to do this again individually. My suggestion was to aim for later in the day as there is significantly less people around, and typically, way more interesting light!
After breakfast & coffee we assumed our positions and headed for the Gotthard Pass. Shortly after leaving the motorway just before the Gotthard Tunnel swallows vehicles for 17km, you drive up the Schöllenen Gorge which I remember having a couple of spirited drives on years ago, but it`s often congested of late. After some vaulted tunnels you cross the Teufelsbrücke or Devil's Bridge which has a local legend attached to it as you`d imagine with a name like that. From memory it goes something like this: The local people asked the assistance of the Devil to build a bridge and in exchange the Devil asked for the soul of the first to cross the bridge. Upon completion a shepherd sent his goats across the bridge ahead of himself, somewhat infuriating the Devil!
The road continues up to the small town and ski region of Andermatt, which is in the throes of massive re-development by Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris who seems determined to put it on the ski resort map, sans pyramids. The Radisson Blu hotel there is a decent place to stop for a night or three depending on your dedication to the area. The northern side of the Gotthard is just a couple of minutes up the road, and is a fast, sweeping drive, tar-sealed to perfection and ripping up the valley is always a pleasure. There are overtaking opportunities so we could dispatch the occasional vehicle with ease until arriving at the 2100m summit with its hypnotic wind turbines gently rotating and giving Tesla drivers and their ilk reason to smile. Me too. I think these things are magical and I always marvel at their graceful way of creating power unlike the robotic giraffe-looking oil pumps littering places like Texas, crude in more ways than one. Long may they assist in refining juice for my V8 none the less.
At the top of the Gotthard you can continue down the new road and find yourself in Italian speaking Switzerland, ciao! Alternatively, and this was our plan, you venture off the beaten track to an even more intriguing stretch of road, the old Tremola Pass. The Tremola is over 200 years old and consists of hand laid granite paving stones, giving a somewhat uneasy feeling as not only does it create a little bit of vibration like constantly driving over a rumble strip, you also have questions as to the amount of grip and traction that is available! Adequate amounts seems the answer, although power slides are a bit easier to provoke than on modern roads, but the cool thing about the 300 metre height and 24 switchbacks is that scarcely a person is on it! The occasional vehicle, hiker or bullock-pulled cart, but otherwise it was very simple to stop and take some photos, or put the drone up without disturbing anyone, even the delicate Swiss. The road is effectively a curiosity and not much used by general traffic.
We went to the bottom and turned around, having to wait for what looked like a supercar drivers outing to pass by with several Porsches, three or four Italians, a Corvette and a few others, then drove part way back up the Tremola and stopped for some photos and such. While we were prepping to do this, not one but three Weismanns drove by, beautiful looking things!
Rene took his drone out to make some video footage. He is accustomed to shooting videos so has pretty good control, whereas I fly mine predominantly for stills and don`t have the deft touch, so mine stayed in the boot. The upside was my car features in the footage, while Rene`s does not. Mental note, don`t get good at drone video!
After filming and taking some photos we went to get back in our cars, and it was at this point while lowering myself into the Vantage that I realised the structural integrity of my pants was not absolute, as I ripped the arse of them open as I brushed past the door frame or seat edge, not sure which. Bugger. At least I had a wind jacket I could tie around my waist while outside of the car to avoid amusing the locals.
We drove back up the Tremola, out to the main road and back down the Gotthard in the direction we had come, also a fun drive heading north as it does not descend rapidly, so you can, with limited leaning on the brakes. We passed a Vantage on GB plates that was heading up, a quick wave and soon after a left at the roundabout at the bottom and we are 5 minutes to Realp.
A little over a kilometre from the roundabout is a village named Zumdorf which lays claim to being the smallest village in Switzerland. Blink and you`ll miss it but it does have a restaurant among its four or so buildings for if you`re hungry or want small village bragging rights.
Just after Realp you`re on the Furka Pass. Driving out of Realp we passed a DB9 (& 992) heading the other way, and I immediately recognised the UK plate as belonging to PH member “M1AGM” who had contacted me about a passes trip in September. I had to turn it down as I had a job in Italy, which ended up being brought a week forward due to election shenanigans, so I could have joined him but completely forgot, and now I felt like a heel.
Three or four minutes up the pass from Realp there is a pull-over on the right with an information board and a street sign reading “James Bond Str.” which marks where they filmed Sean Connery standing by the DB5 and then getting shot at in “Goldfinger.”
This side of the Furka is the rougher side, and it can be hard to enjoy at times, uneven seal and narrow roads but the views from the top and sweet drive down the other side is the payoff. Sweeping across the top, the Belvedere Hotel, switchbacks and then the fast flow down towards Gletsch, it`s Furking good stuff. It was just after midday when we passed the Belvedere, and opted to keep going because there was a hoard of vehicles stopped there as is not surprising at midday in early autumn.
Driving down to Gletsch we passed a Ferrari that initiated a wave! That was a first.
At the once decorated but mostly deserted village of Gletsch you pass the now closed Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhone, that previously enjoyed views from the base of the glacier, but now you can only see the rocks that the glacier has left behind as it retreats back up the alps. The old images make for sad viewing of what was.
From here you can carry on driving the Furka, which becomes more forested as it heads down the Rhone valley to Obergoms, the southern terminus of the car-train that runs through the mountains, to and from Realp, in the winter time. It`s also a decent drive and going further takes you down into the Valais canton proper, past many small villages with centuries old buildings, but it`s effectively a cruise. We did not take this route, but rather turned right just after the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhone and onto the south-eastern side of the Grimsel Pass. We ripped up the half-dozen switchbacks, spotting a couple of curious marmots looking over a rock at one of the bends, and quickly found ourselves at the top where there is a small lake named Totesee and next to it are a couple of restaurants, lunch time!
As it was a nice day, we took a seat outside at the Grimselpass Hotel, overlooking the lake. It`s a pleasant view, despite the fact that Totesee means “Lake of the Dead.” This dates back to 1211 and the Battle of Ulrichen, (Ulrichen being a village about 11km down the Furka from the Grand Hotel) when it is said that the forces of Valais caught up to and slaughtered the retreating Bernese soldiers of Duke Berchtold V of Zahringen, after they had made an unsuccessful attempt at land expansion.
In 2006 the lake`s entire trout population died also, so it seems it`s aptly named!
While seated, enjoying a schnitzwasser and inspecting the menu, a 991 GT3 parked up, resplendent in a full Gulf livery. Rene, who happened to be wearing a Gulf T-shirt, felt compelled to go and take a closer look, no doubt inspired to make some funny remark as he was prone to do. As the driver emerged, we saw that he certainly trumped Rene in the Gulf clothing department, cap, jacket, shirt, and on closer inspection a branded Tag Heuer Monaco. Enter Rainer, a German gentleman living in Switzerland.
Sensing car people he asked if he could join us for lunch. We sat and chatted and discovered he was a huge Gulf fan (didn't see that coming) and had purchased the GT3 as it had been for sale with the livery wrap, which was clearly a sign.
A horde of Porsches parked across the road as we discussed our plans for the day and Rainer thought tagging along with us would be a good thing to do, so our number increased to four. After eating and downing a quick espresso we went back to our three cars on the other side of the hotel and found that they had become surrounded by a further congregation of Porsches. It's clear to see why that company does not have the history of financial woes that provides so much character to the Aston brand!
I got into the Vantage and heard my pants rip a little bit more...
This northern side of the Grimsel is a very good run, in either direction, and is about a 26 kilometre blast from the 2164m summit down to Innertkirchen, as opposed to the south-eastern side which we'd just done, a short 6km drive up from Gletsch. The drive was great fun and relatively traffic free. We passed a new DBS heading in the other direction and the driver waved enthusiastically as I led our group by, down past the striking Grimsel Dam and surrounds. This side of the pass has a nice mixture of driving, bends, corners, flow and a mostly gradual elevation change with excellent, diverse scenery.
We stopped at a sneaky side road I know as Armin was keen on some photos with his 964, so we did a few individual shots of the Porsches and Lotus, and then moved on. The weather was still excellent, and it was still only mid-afternoon, so the plan was now to run the Grimsel, take the Susten Pass to a spot for some more photos and drone video, and on to the small village of Wassen at the eastern end of the Susten, and decide which direction we were going to drive back to the Belvedere.
The next two hours was driving delight on these spectacular roads, and as the clock ticked on it just became better, as the vehicle numbers dwindle and the late afternoon kicks in you sometimes feel like you`re on a closed road. Hitting the Susten from Innertkirchen takes you east to west and this is the best direction in my opinion. It wends up through the trees and farmland, passing small villages, hotels, restaurants and farm signs encouraging the purchase of alp cheese! 10km out of Innertkirchen the trees fall back and road straightens out a bit for about 4km until you hit another twisty section that leads you up through more trees, tunnels and rock overhangs with waterfalls gushing down, all marvellous! We stopped for 15 minutes for some photos and in that time noticed two Caterhams, a Morgan Plus 4, a 488, three old 911`s and a Ford Escort Mk I with the full Mexico/RS2000 look, drive by. If one was to sit at a spot on a pass with a picnic and suitable refreshments, I wonder what wonders you may see over the course of a day?
Armin, Reiner and myself drove up and down a couple of times while Rene made a drone video, and then we saddled up and headed for Wassen. The west side of the pass is about 28km to the tunnel at the top, the east a good 18km, and is a nice run, generally much more open and flowing and with big a panorama. The east side works nicely coming back up the other way too!
We dispatched this rather quickly and parked up in Wassen. It was now 5:30pm and we quickly decided the smart move was, rather than run back over the Susten and Grimsel for about 90km, we would go back up through Andermatt and over the Furka, about 35km.
We reached the top of the pass just after 6pm, the high cloud was settling on the horizon and the light was subdued and moody. We parked in a pull-over next to a “Grand Tour of Switzerland” photo spot, and I climbed up the rocks on the other side of the road to get a panoramic group photo that I think was worth the effort, and we then continued the last couple of kilometres down to the Belvedere. It was 6:40pm and there was one white van in the carpark and not a soul in sight! I shot the Porsches and Lotus individually, with and without their drivers, not worrying about the Aston as I`ve done it here before.
Just as we were wrapping up three guys pulled up in a Maserati GranTurismo, Audi A3 and Mini Cooper, Italian number plates, exhausts ticking and pinging, the smell of brake pads wafting through the evening air. We got chatting to them and they had been having a blast in the passes and needed that last photo at the Belvedere before continuing South towards the border. With their cars lined up I took a few shots with one of their phones and off they went, taking the tortured smell of friction material with them.
With the light decreasing and the pass all but silent, we stood and chatted for several minutes, about the fortunate character of being a car nerd, the immediate bonding effect, and ending up in a place like this, driving what we drive. With the emotional clap trap out of the way we decided food was next and we agreed to meet at the Ace Café in Luzern, about and hour and a half away. I was again greeted with the sound of ripping cotton while lowering my tortured pants into the Vantage for the second to last time of the day. The sun was well gone but the twilight kept the darkness at bay until we reached the motorway and cruised north. The hunger was very real as the drive got nearer to the destination, and shortly after arriving the food tasted good. The beer though… bliss!
Here`s a link to the video that Rene made, starting at the Tremola and then onto the Furka and lastly Susten.
https://youtu.be/R_ASeaLA0aw
Thank you folks!
https://alpen-paesse.ch/en/
ChocolateFrog said:
Great pics.
We've got a family holiday in mid April so hoping to enjoy a few passes but I imagine most will still.be closed then.
Usually they start opening in mid to late May, but having had such a lacklustre winter in regards to snow, maybe some open earlier... Keep an eye on this website, it gives you all the pass info.We've got a family holiday in mid April so hoping to enjoy a few passes but I imagine most will still.be closed then.
https://alpen-paesse.ch/en/
cherryowen said:
That first pic? This was taken at pretty much the same spot in June 2013 (fuk me, 10 years ago!!) on our way to Santo Stefano in the Abruzzo region of Italy (yes, in a boggo 2008 Vectra):-
Great write up and pics, Mr. Tremlini which brought back some great memories
Thanks, your photo is on the other side of the restaurant, that`s about where Rainer parked his boggo GT3! Great write up and pics, Mr. Tremlini which brought back some great memories
A great write-up and fantastic photos.
I will be doing my first driving venture into mainland Europe in July this year with my partner for my 30th birthday, which I'm slowly documenting here https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
10 day trip starting in Rotterdam, heading to Munich and onto Switzerland, staying in St Moritz, Andermatt and Zurich then back up to Baden-Baden, Bruges and back to Rotterdam over 10 days.
I currently have the below roughly planned for Switzerland:
Drive from Munich to St Moritz (stay for 1 night) then drive to Andermatt (stay for 1 night) and then drive to Zurich (stay for two nights).
Do you think it's possible to do the above passes in the allotted time? We need to arrive into Zurich around 4pm from Andermatt.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I will be doing my first driving venture into mainland Europe in July this year with my partner for my 30th birthday, which I'm slowly documenting here https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
10 day trip starting in Rotterdam, heading to Munich and onto Switzerland, staying in St Moritz, Andermatt and Zurich then back up to Baden-Baden, Bruges and back to Rotterdam over 10 days.
I currently have the below roughly planned for Switzerland:
Drive from Munich to St Moritz (stay for 1 night) then drive to Andermatt (stay for 1 night) and then drive to Zurich (stay for two nights).
Do you think it's possible to do the above passes in the allotted time? We need to arrive into Zurich around 4pm from Andermatt.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure about the order you've shown above for the Andermatt loop passes.
From Andermat it would be logical to do Furka, Grimsell, then Susten to get to Zurich. Getting there for 4pm should be fine if leaving around 9am.
We'll be in Adermatt about a week before you, but intend doing the Nufenen rather the Furka as it's a much better driving road.
Paul.
From Andermat it would be logical to do Furka, Grimsell, then Susten to get to Zurich. Getting there for 4pm should be fine if leaving around 9am.
We'll be in Adermatt about a week before you, but intend doing the Nufenen rather the Furka as it's a much better driving road.
Paul.
Really nice write up op thank you! You are whetting my appetite for another trip planned to the Jura and French/Italian Alps and down to Sardinia and Corsica this September and return via Graubunden (base in Thusis for a few days) and Black Forest/Freiburg.
In September 2021 I drove from Grenoble to Thusis avoiding motorways (while hung over after a bit of a night out) in a 1970's Alfa Spider while it chucked it with rain most of the day (the wipers on these really are for emergencies lol).
Then the route was via Nufenen, Gotthart and Oberalp which I just had to blast as time was against me. Also, after a day of recovery, I did attempt a jaunt from my friend's house in Thusis, via Splugen, Julier, Albula, Fluela and back to Thusis, but the 45 year old fan blade broke up (fouled on the radiator cowl that had fractured) at the bottom of Splugen. Lots of first gear hairpins on the German ascent of Splugen, the poor old thing was boiling up at the top, so I had to turn back, but hope to accomplish this in 2023.
I must say that the Lukmanier is a favourite route for me, so maybe this could be incorporated with a jaunt from Thusis around Furka, Nufenen and Gottard?
Photos from Nufenen pass (Sept 2021).
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In September 2021 I drove from Grenoble to Thusis avoiding motorways (while hung over after a bit of a night out) in a 1970's Alfa Spider while it chucked it with rain most of the day (the wipers on these really are for emergencies lol).
Then the route was via Nufenen, Gotthart and Oberalp which I just had to blast as time was against me. Also, after a day of recovery, I did attempt a jaunt from my friend's house in Thusis, via Splugen, Julier, Albula, Fluela and back to Thusis, but the 45 year old fan blade broke up (fouled on the radiator cowl that had fractured) at the bottom of Splugen. Lots of first gear hairpins on the German ascent of Splugen, the poor old thing was boiling up at the top, so I had to turn back, but hope to accomplish this in 2023.
I must say that the Lukmanier is a favourite route for me, so maybe this could be incorporated with a jaunt from Thusis around Furka, Nufenen and Gottard?
Photos from Nufenen pass (Sept 2021).
[url][img]Edited by courty on Monday 20th March 19:39
Percy. said:
A great write-up and fantastic photos.
10 day trip starting in Rotterdam, heading to Munich and onto Switzerland, staying in St Moritz, Andermatt and Zurich then back up to Baden-Baden, Bruges and back to Rotterdam over 10 days.
I currently have the below roughly planned for Switzerland:
Drive from Munich to St Moritz (stay for 1 night) then drive to Andermatt (stay for 1 night) and then drive to Zurich (stay for two nights).
Do you think it's possible to do the above passes in the allotted time? We need to arrive into Zurich around 4pm from Andermatt.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Percy!10 day trip starting in Rotterdam, heading to Munich and onto Switzerland, staying in St Moritz, Andermatt and Zurich then back up to Baden-Baden, Bruges and back to Rotterdam over 10 days.
I currently have the below roughly planned for Switzerland:
Drive from Munich to St Moritz (stay for 1 night) then drive to Andermatt (stay for 1 night) and then drive to Zurich (stay for two nights).
Do you think it's possible to do the above passes in the allotted time? We need to arrive into Zurich around 4pm from Andermatt.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Looking at your itinerary, I would probably do a couple of things differently.
Munich to St. Moritz shows as 325km, a 4hr30 to 5 hour drive without stops. Easy day, feet up in St. Mortiz with a Moet!
St. Moritz to San B, Gotthard/Tremola and on to Andermatt would be around 250km / 4hrs. Wassen is the eastern end of the Susten, unless you have a motive there`s no point going there unless you are hitting that pass, and Hotel Galenstock is at the base of the southern side of the Furka, so if you go there you may as well carry on and do the loop - Furka, Grimsel, Susten.
If youre staying in Andermatt, and would be keen on a relatively early departure from St Moritz, say 9am latest, I would be inclined to drop the Andermatt loop into this day, so from the Gotthard to Hotel Galenstock (Lunch?) onto the Furka, Grimsel, Susten to Wassen and back to Andermatt, that`s approx 120km / 2hr30 without stops. 6hr30 driving time, but on a long summer day so quite doable.
As mr pg writes, Furka, Grimsel, Susten would be logical, they flow into each other in that direction, or the other way around, Susten, Grimsel, Furka.
Then after a hearty breakfast in Andermatt, you could avoid the motorway by going to Wassen, back over the Susten in the opposite direction to the day before, to Meiringin and over the Brunig Pass to Hergiswil, about 2hr / 100km. Stop nearby in Luzern for a quick look around, beautiful city, if you`re of a mind, then on to Zurich 45 minutes away. You can easily make 4pm without stress.
I hope this helps, feel free to message me if you have any questions.
courty said:
Really nice write up op thank you! You are whetting my appetite for another trip planned to the Jura and French/Italian Alps and down to Sardinia and Corsica this September and return via Graubunden (base in Thusis for a few days) and Black Forest/Freiburg.
I must say that the Lukmanier is a favourite route for me, so maybe this could be incorporated with a jaunt from Thusis around Furka, Nufenen and Gottard?
Cheers courty! I must say that the Lukmanier is a favourite route for me, so maybe this could be incorporated with a jaunt from Thusis around Furka, Nufenen and Gottard?
From Thusis to Lukmanier you could easily run to Nufenenpass, up the Rhone valley through Obergoms and you find yourself in Gletsch where turning left puts you on the Grimsel or straight ahead is the Furka. Over the Furka to Hospental and turn right at the roundabout and you`re straight on the Gotthard, down to Airolo on the other side, either staying on the Gotthard or jumping onto the Tremola for something different. All pretty seamless. That would be roughly 4hr30 / 300km. You`d then have a 2 hour hop back to Thusis. Sounds fun.
What would you be driving this time?
mr pg said:
Not sure about the order you've shown above for the Andermatt loop passes.
From Andermat it would be logical to do Furka, Grimsell, then Susten to get to Zurich. Getting there for 4pm should be fine if leaving around 9am.
We'll be in Adermatt about a week before you, but intend doing the Nufenen rather the Furka as it's a much better driving road.
Paul.
Thankyou for your help Paul. From Andermat it would be logical to do Furka, Grimsell, then Susten to get to Zurich. Getting there for 4pm should be fine if leaving around 9am.
We'll be in Adermatt about a week before you, but intend doing the Nufenen rather the Furka as it's a much better driving road.
Paul.
Mr.Tremlini said:
Thanks Percy!
Looking at your itinerary, I would probably do a couple of things differently.
Munich to St. Moritz shows as 325km, a 4hr30 to 5 hour drive without stops. Easy day, feet up in St. Mortiz with a Moet!
St. Moritz to San B, Gotthard/Tremola and on to Andermatt would be around 250km / 4hrs. Wassen is the eastern end of the Susten, unless you have a motive there`s no point going there unless you are hitting that pass, and Hotel Galenstock is at the base of the southern side of the Furka, so if you go there you may as well carry on and do the loop - Furka, Grimsel, Susten.
If youre staying in Andermatt, and would be keen on a relatively early departure from St Moritz, say 9am latest, I would be inclined to drop the Andermatt loop into this day, so from the Gotthard to Hotel Galenstock (Lunch?) onto the Furka, Grimsel, Susten to Wassen and back to Andermatt, that`s approx 120km / 2hr30 without stops. 6hr30 driving time, but on a long summer day so quite doable.
As mr pg writes, Furka, Grimsel, Susten would be logical, they flow into each other in that direction, or the other way around, Susten, Grimsel, Furka.
Then after a hearty breakfast in Andermatt, you could avoid the motorway by going to Wassen, back over the Susten in the opposite direction to the day before, to Meiringin and over the Brunig Pass to Hergiswil, about 2hr / 100km. Stop nearby in Luzern for a quick look around, beautiful city, if you`re of a mind, then on to Zurich 45 minutes away. You can easily make 4pm without stress.
I hope this helps, feel free to message me if you have any questions.
Really useful thankyou, couldn't have asked for much more. I'll drop you a message if I have any more questions, I've adapted the route as suggested, my partner is keen on doing the Frakigaudi Toboggan, which appears to be quite close to Hergiswill so that works well. Looking at your itinerary, I would probably do a couple of things differently.
Munich to St. Moritz shows as 325km, a 4hr30 to 5 hour drive without stops. Easy day, feet up in St. Mortiz with a Moet!
St. Moritz to San B, Gotthard/Tremola and on to Andermatt would be around 250km / 4hrs. Wassen is the eastern end of the Susten, unless you have a motive there`s no point going there unless you are hitting that pass, and Hotel Galenstock is at the base of the southern side of the Furka, so if you go there you may as well carry on and do the loop - Furka, Grimsel, Susten.
If youre staying in Andermatt, and would be keen on a relatively early departure from St Moritz, say 9am latest, I would be inclined to drop the Andermatt loop into this day, so from the Gotthard to Hotel Galenstock (Lunch?) onto the Furka, Grimsel, Susten to Wassen and back to Andermatt, that`s approx 120km / 2hr30 without stops. 6hr30 driving time, but on a long summer day so quite doable.
As mr pg writes, Furka, Grimsel, Susten would be logical, they flow into each other in that direction, or the other way around, Susten, Grimsel, Furka.
Then after a hearty breakfast in Andermatt, you could avoid the motorway by going to Wassen, back over the Susten in the opposite direction to the day before, to Meiringin and over the Brunig Pass to Hergiswil, about 2hr / 100km. Stop nearby in Luzern for a quick look around, beautiful city, if you`re of a mind, then on to Zurich 45 minutes away. You can easily make 4pm without stress.
I hope this helps, feel free to message me if you have any questions.
Trying to balance the fun driving element for me and the sightseeing/views element for my partner.
Mr.Tremlini said:
Cheers courty!
From Thusis to Lukmanier you could easily run to Nufenenpass, up the Rhone valley through Obergoms and you find yourself in Gletsch where turning left puts you on the Grimsel or straight ahead is the Furka. Over the Furka to Hospental and turn right at the roundabout and you`re straight on the Gotthard, down to Airolo on the other side, either staying on the Gotthard or jumping onto the Tremola for something different. All pretty seamless. That would be roughly 4hr30 / 300km. You`d then have a 2 hour hop back to Thusis. Sounds fun.
What would you be driving this time?
Ah, yes, very do-able. Wow, to think that the majority drive straight through the Gottard tunnel and down to Ticino (thankfully they do!). From Thusis to Lukmanier you could easily run to Nufenenpass, up the Rhone valley through Obergoms and you find yourself in Gletsch where turning left puts you on the Grimsel or straight ahead is the Furka. Over the Furka to Hospental and turn right at the roundabout and you`re straight on the Gotthard, down to Airolo on the other side, either staying on the Gotthard or jumping onto the Tremola for something different. All pretty seamless. That would be roughly 4hr30 / 300km. You`d then have a 2 hour hop back to Thusis. Sounds fun.
What would you be driving this time?
I will be in the Spider again. It's a great little car for these roads, the brakes are pretty good and it doesn't weigh so much, and also, especially on the narrow passes (especially on the Italian side of the Italian/French passes) it fits past modern cars quite nicely, whereas when I have taken my modern saloon car we have to mess around with passing places.
shirt said:
nice write up. would you mind sharing a link for the caterham hire? i visit ch fairly often and have found some great roads, but usually rent a motorbike. a 7 would be awesome.
Highly recommended!It was from a Lotus/Caterham dealership, "Kumschick" & they have a green and an orange 7 for hire.
Here is the overview page,
https://kumschick.ch/vermietung/uebersicht/
and reservation page.
https://kumschick.ch/vermietung/mietwagenreservati...
All in German I`m afraid.
Brrmm brrrm!
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