Furka Pass (Furkapass, French: Col de la Furka) crosses at 2,429 m / 7,969 ft in the southern Swiss Alps, linking Gletsch in Valais with Realp in Uri on Road 19. It is a seasonal road: the regional tourist board for Andermatt states that the alpine passes here usually open between mid-May and the beginning of June and close at the end of October, depending on the weather. For riders it is best known for two things — the Hotel Belvédère hairpin above the Rhône Glacier, and the stretch used in the Aston Martin chase in Goldfinger, still signposted as the James Bond Strasse.
Why Furka is on every Swiss itinerary
Furka is one of the three passes that meet in this corner of central Switzerland, and the one with the most recognisable shape. From Gletsch the road climbs in long, exposed traverses with hairpins stacked at the ends, so that from the opposite side of the valley — from the Grimsel Pass road — you can see the whole ascent at once. That view is the reason so many photographs of Furka are taken from somewhere that is not Furka.
The road itself has been superseded for practical transport. The Furka Oberalp railway now runs under the mountain through the Furka Base Tunnel at 1,390 m / 4,560 ft, opened in 1982 to replace the seasonal Furka Summit Tunnel at 2,160 m / 7,090 ft. That has left the pass road with a lighter and more leisurely kind of traffic than it once carried, which suits it.
Route at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Summit elevation | 2,429 m / 7,969 ft |
| Road | Road 19, the Furkapassroute (seasonal) |
| Connects | Gletsch (Valais) with Realp (Uri) |
| Typical season | opens mid-May to early June, closes end of October, weather dependent |
| Rail alternative | Furka Base Tunnel, 1,390 m / 4,560 ft, opened 1982 |
| Landmark on the western ramp | Hotel Belvédère and the Rhône Glacier ice grotto |
| Film location | a curve marked James Bond Strasse, from Goldfinger, with a lookout and small car park |
| Connects onward to | Grimsel Pass at Gletsch; Susten and Oberalp via Realp and Andermatt |
Push the crossing to your phone or head unit with the Realp to Gletsch directions.
The eastern ramp, Realp to the summit
From Realp in the Urseren valley the climb is the more workmanlike of the two sides. The road rises steadily through open, treeless terrain with the Furka Base Tunnel portal and the steam railway line below you, and there is very little to interrupt the view. It is fast by alpine standards — sweeping rather than hairpin-heavy for most of its length — and the surface is generally good.
What to watch for is wind. The upper section is exposed on both sides of the summit and there is nothing to break a crosswind. On a tall bike with luggage, a gusty day here is more tiring than the gradient.
At the top there is parking, a hotel and the usual summit signs. It is worth walking a hundred metres from the car park for the view back down the Urseren, which the road does not give you while you are riding it.
The western ramp, the Belvédère and the ice grotto
The descent toward Gletsch is the famous side. Near the western summit stands the Hotel Belvédère, sitting on the outside of a hairpin in what is probably the single most photographed position on the pass. A short walk from it leads to the Rhône Glacier ice grotto — a 100 m tunnel and ice chamber cut into the glacier. Because the ice moves 30 to 40 metres a year, the whole thing has to be recarved every season, which tells you more about glacier dynamics than any information board.
Somewhere on this stretch is the curve marked as the James Bond Strasse, with a lookout point and a small parking area, commemorating the Goldfinger sequence filmed here. It is a tourist stop rather than a driving highlight, but it is a good excuse to pull in and let a queue of traffic past.
The hairpins on this side are tighter and more numerous than on the Realp ramp, and the drop-offs are real. Descend at a pace that leaves you room, and be aware that a lot of the traffic here is stopping unexpectedly for photographs.
Building a route around Furka
Furka is rarely ridden on its own, because of where it ends. At Gletsch, the western foot of the pass, the road meets the Grimsel Pass climbing away to the north. Descend Furka, turn right, climb Grimsel, drop into the Haslital, then come back over the Susten Pass to Wassen and up the Urseren to Realp — that is the classic three-pass day, and it closes a loop.
Eastwards from Realp, Andermatt puts you within reach of the Oberalp, Gotthard and Nufenen passes as well. The full detail of the Grimsel and Susten legs is in the Grimsel and Susten guide. If you are heading south-east afterwards, Splügen and San Bernardino are the natural continuation toward Italy.
Practical information
Season. Andermatt's tourist board states that the alpine passes in this region usually open from mid-May to the beginning of June and close at the end of October, with the exact dates set by weather, and it specifically advises checking current road conditions before crossing a pass in spring and autumn. As of August 2026 that remains the published guidance. Live pass status for Swiss passes is published by the operators of the roads and by pass-status services such as alpen-paesse.ch, which the Grimselwelt visitor operation itself points visitors to.
Tolls and vignette. There is no toll on the Furka Pass road itself. Switzerland does require a motorway vignette for its motorways and expressways, which will apply to the approach if your route uses them; buy it before entering the country or at the border. The charge changes from time to time, so check the official Swiss customs information for the current arrangements rather than an out-of-date figure.
Fuel. Realp, Andermatt and Oberwald are the practical stops. There is no fuel at the summit and none at Gletsch worth relying on.
Weather. At 2,429 m the summit can be in cloud while both valleys are clear, and snow showers in June and September are not unusual. The road is exposed for most of its length, so there is little shelter if the weather turns.
Timing your crossing. Furka is short enough that most riders treat it as one leg of a longer day, which means it tends to get ridden in the middle of the afternoon along with everyone else. Early is better. The western ramp faces into the morning sun, the Belvédère hairpin is empty before about nine, and the light on the Rhône Glacier is at its best then. By late morning in July and August the summit car park is full, the photograph stops on the Gletsch side are queued, and the road has as many cars stopping unpredictably as it has moving.
Traffic. Postbuses use these roads and they have priority on mountain postal routes. Give way to them without argument, especially on the narrower sections of the western descent.
Gear notes
Furka's demands are cold, wind and a lack of anywhere to stop and sort yourself out.
The climb from Gletsch at 1,759 m to the summit at 2,429 m is enough to shift tyre pressures noticeably on a cold morning, and the western descent is exactly where you want confidence in the front end. Setting a sensible baseline with the tyre pressure guide and watching it live with a TPMS sensor removes one variable from a road with plenty of others.
Navigation is the second thing. Three-pass loops involve a lot of junctions at valley floors, mobile coverage in the Urseren and Haslital is inconsistent, and a route that only exists in a phone app is a route you may lose. A bar-mounted unit with offline maps such as the JADO S6 riding system avoids that, and the GPS navigation setup guide covers how to get a multi-pass route onto the bike properly in the first place.
Third, power. A day of three passes with photograph stops at every summit drains a phone quickly, and there are no sockets between Realp and Meiringen. A 100 W bi-directional fast charger covers the gap.
FAQ
How high is the Furka Pass?
2,429 m / 7,969 ft. That puts it above Grimsel at 2,164 m / 7,100 ft and Susten at 2,260 m / 7,410 ft, making it the highest of the three passes in the classic Swiss loop.
When is Furka open?
Typically from mid-May or early June until the end of October, according to the Andermatt regional tourist board, with the exact dates depending on weather. It is closed through the winter. Check live road conditions before travelling in spring or autumn.
Where is the James Bond road?
On the Furka Pass, where a curve is marked James Bond Strasse with a lookout point and small parking area, commemorating the Goldfinger sequence filmed here.
Is there a toll?
No toll on the pass road. Switzerland's motorway vignette applies to motorways and expressways elsewhere on your route, not to the pass itself.
What is the best loop from Furka?
Furka to Gletsch, over Grimsel to Meiringen, then back over Susten to Wassen and up to Realp. Roughly a full day with stops, and it takes in the Rhône Glacier, the Grimsel reservoirs and the Stein Glacier viewpoint. Details are in the Grimsel and Susten guide.
Sources
- Furka Pass, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furka_Pass
- Fascination Alpine passes, Andermatt Tourism — andermatt-sedrun-disentis.ch
