If you only have a week in Switzerland, base yourself in the Urner and Haslital corner and ride the four passes that meet there: Furka at 2,429 m / 7,969 ft, Grimsel at 2,163 m / 7,096 ft, Susten at 2,260 m / 7,415 ft and the Gotthard. Everything else in Swiss motorcycling — Graubünden's high passes, the Ticino descents, the Jura and the lake roads — is a variation on that theme. The country has more paved road above 2,000 m than anywhere else in Europe, a national signposted circuit that strings the best of it together, and a season that opens somewhere between mid-May and late June depending on how much snow fell.
Top roads
| Road | Length and summit | Character | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furka Pass | summit 2,429 m / 7,969 ft | Seasonal high crossing, open sweepers, the James Bond Strasse curve, Rhône Glacier ice grotto near the western summit | Gletsch (Valais) to Realp (Uri) |
| Grimsel Pass | 38 km / 24 miles, summit 2,163 m / 7,096 ft | Hairpins between hydro reservoirs, crosses the North Sea to Mediterranean divide, normally closed October to May | Gletsch to Meiringen |
| Susten Pass | 46 km / 29 miles of engineered road, summit 2,260 m / 7,415 ft | Built 1938–1946 with 26 bridges and tunnels; wide sweeping curves rather than tight switchbacks; 300 m summit tunnel | Innertkirchen (Bern) to Wassen (Uri) |
| Splügen Pass | summit 2,114 m / 6,936 ft; 5 km to Splügen village, 21 km to Chiavenna | Quiet historic road built 1818–1823, preserved galleries, not kept open in winter | Splügen (Graubünden) to Chiavenna (Italy) |
| San Bernardino Pass | summit 2,066 m / 6,778 ft | Open pass road above the tunnel that took its traffic in 1967; open May to November | Thusis (Graubünden) to Bellinzona (Ticino) |
| Nufenen Pass | links Ulrichen with the Ticino side | Highest pass road entirely inside Switzerland; joins the Furka and Grimsel network at Gletsch and Ulrichen | Ulrichen (Valais) to Airolo (Ticino) |
| Grand Tour of Switzerland | 1,643 km / 1,021 miles, 8 stages | Signposted national circuit with 650-plus signs and 83 photo boards, 13 UNESCO sites, 5 Alpine passes, 22 lakes | Loop, clockwise recommended |
| Umbrail Pass | 2,501 m / 8,205 ft | Highest paved road in Switzerland; last unpaved Swiss section surfaced in 2015; a customs crossing | Santa Maria Val Müstair to the Stelvio road |
The central four, and why they are the answer
Furka, Grimsel and Susten sit within an hour of each other, and the Gotthard is the fourth side of the box. That geometry is what makes central Switzerland so efficient for riders: you can do two big passes before lunch, drop into a valley for coffee, and do a third in the afternoon without repeating a metre of road.
The Furka Pass connects Gletsch in Valais with Realp in Uri and is bypassed year round by the base tunnel opened in 1982, which means the road over the top carries only people who want to be there. Grimsel and Susten are the natural pair: Grimsel is the older, tighter, more theatrical one, running 38 km from Gletsch to Meiringen past the Handegg hydro works, an 850 m tunnel and two reservoirs before the hairpins to the Totesee; Susten is the engineered late arrival with sweeping curves, a 300 m tunnel just under the summit and views of the Stein Glacier. Each has a full write-up of its own.
Graubünden, the quiet half
The east of the country has fewer riders per kilometre and more history per bend. The Splügen and San Bernardino pair is the obvious day: Splügen at 2,114 m / 6,936 ft was rebuilt as a proper road between 1818 and 1823 and lost its importance the moment the San Bernardino road tunnel opened in 1967, which is exactly why it is now a quiet pass with substantial stretches of the historic alignment intact, including a 312 m avalanche gallery from 1843. It is not kept open in winter, and the small village of Montespluga on the Italian side is cut off from both countries when it snows. San Bernardino at 2,066 m / 6,778 ft is the parallel crossing, open roughly May to November, and its traffic went underground with the tunnel too.
Further east, the Umbrail Pass at 2,501 m / 8,205 ft is the highest paved road in Switzerland, surfaced along its full length only in 2015, and it drops off the western ramp of the Stelvio into Val Müstair. It is a customs crossing, so carry documents.
The Graubünden network also holds the passes riders use as connectors rather than destinations, and they are worth building a day around rather than transiting. The Julier and the Albula link the Engadin to the north; the Flüela and the Ofenpass run east toward the Austrian and Italian borders; the Bernina drops from the high Engadin toward Valtellina alongside the railway that carries UNESCO World Heritage status. None of them is as famous as Furka, and that is the point: on a July weekend the difference in traffic between a headline pass and the one two valleys east is dramatic. Riders who base themselves around Chur or Zernez rather than Andermatt tend to get more riding and less queuing out of the same week.
Ticino and the south
South of the watershed the character changes completely. Descending the Gotthard or the Nufenen into Ticino means chestnut woods, Italian on the road signs, and a run down to Lake Maggiore, which at 193 m / 633 ft is the lowest point on the Grand Tour. The Tremola, the old cobbled Gotthard road, is the museum piece worth riding once, and the valleys behind Locarno — Valle Maggia, Val Verzasca — give you narrow, quiet, technical roads with granite villages and green water.
The signposted circuit
If you would rather not build a route, the Grand Tour of Switzerland has done it for you. Devised in 2015, it is 1,643 km / 1,021 miles long, split into eight stages, and marked with more than 650 signs. It deliberately keeps off motorways where it can, which makes it slower and better. It covers 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites, five Alpine passes and 22 lakes, and the 83 photo boards along it are a surprisingly good way of finding viewpoints you would otherwise ride past.
To put the best single day of the lot on your phone, open the Andermatt to Meiringen directions and send them to your navigation app. That is Furka and Grimsel in one run.
Practical information
Season. Swiss passes are snow-cleared, not snow-free. The usual pattern is opening between mid-May and early June and closing from the end of October, but the dates move every year: in recent seasons Gotthard has opened in early May, Furka and Grimsel toward the end of May, and Susten in June. On the Grimsel, snow can fall from late September until late June and permanent snowfields survive most summers. As of August 2026 that is the pattern to plan around; check the official pass status service before you commit a day, especially in May, June and late October.
Vignette and charges. Swiss motorways and expressways require a vignette, and it applies to motorcycles. The pass roads themselves are not tolled, but some road tunnels are, and neighbouring countries have their own systems. Buy what you need before the border and check the operators' own sites for current terms rather than trusting a printed figure.
Enforcement. Switzerland enforces speed limits strictly, with a mix of fixed cameras, mobile units and average-speed checks, and penalties scale steeply with the overage. Village limits are 50 km/h and taken seriously. Noise enforcement on pass roads is real and increasing.
Traffic to expect. Cars, coaches, campervans and large numbers of cyclists share every classic pass in July and August. Scheduled PostBus services run over several of them, including the Grimsel; the three-note horn on a blind bend means the bus is coming through and has priority.
Fuel. Pass summits have restaurants, not fuel. Fill in the valley towns — Andermatt, Meiringen, Innertkirchen, Oberwald, Splügen, Thusis — and remember that many rural stations close on Sundays.
Weather. Plan for the summit to be 15 °C or more colder than the valley, and for cloud to sit on a pass while both approaches are in sunshine. Carry a clear or photochromic visor for the tunnels on the Susten and Grimsel roads.
Gear notes
Swiss riding puts three specific demands on kit.
The first is altitude and cold. Repeated climbs of 1,500 m or more into cold summits drop tyre pressure noticeably, which is worth understanding before an Alpine trip — start with why tyre pressure drops in cold weather. A Bluetooth TPMS sensor shows pressure and temperature while you ride instead of at the next petrol station, which on a pass day might be two hours away.
The second is navigation without signal. Deep valleys and long tunnels kill mobile data, and a closed pass means an unplanned reroute at exactly the wrong moment. A head unit holding maps locally, such as the JADO S6 motorcycle riding system, keeps the line on screen regardless. The plain explanation of a motorcycle riding system is the starting point if the category is new.
The third is power. Cold weather, camera use, heated kit and navigation all pull from small batteries, and mountain hotels are stingy with sockets. A 100 W bi-directional fast charger handles the lot from one brick.
FAQ
When do Swiss mountain passes open?
Most open between mid-May and the beginning of June and close from the end of October, with exact dates set by snow clearance each year. Susten typically opens later than Furka and Grimsel. Check the official pass status service rather than planning on last year's dates.
Which is the best pass in Switzerland for motorcycles?
For surface and flow, Susten. For drama, Grimsel. For the sense of being somewhere famous, Furka. Ridden as a loop from Andermatt or Meiringen they are better together than any of them is alone.
Do motorcycles need a Swiss motorway vignette?
Yes, for any use of Swiss motorways or expressways, including a short transit. Pass roads themselves are not tolled, but some tunnels are.
How many days do you need for Switzerland?
Four days covers the central passes properly from one base. Eight days does the full Grand Tour at its intended pace. Two weeks lets you add Graubünden, Ticino and the Valais without repeating roads.
What is the highest paved road in Switzerland?
The Umbrail Pass at 2,501 m / 8,205 ft, which branches off the western ramp of the Stelvio toward Santa Maria Val Müstair. Its last unpaved Swiss stretch was surfaced in 2015.
Is Switzerland expensive for a motorcycle trip?
Fuel, food and accommodation all cost more than in neighbouring countries, and speeding fines are severe. Riders often stay just over the border in Italy or Austria and ride in, which works well in the south and east.
Sources
- Grand Tour of Switzerland, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour_of_Switzerland
- Furka Pass, Grimsel Pass and Susten Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susten_Pass
- Splügen Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splügen_Pass
- San Bernardino Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_Pass
- Umbrail Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrail_Pass
