Swiss Alpine Passes Grand Tour Drive Pack | The Stable

Switzerland's mountain passes are the gold standard of European driving. Immaculately maintained, perfectly cambered, and set against scenery that borders on the absurd, they represent the pinnacle of what a driving road can be. This route links five of the greatest in a grand loop through Central Switzerland.

The Furka Pass (2,429 m) is the star — its sweeping hairpins above the Rhône Glacier were immortalised in the James Bond film Goldfinger. The Grimsel Pass (2,165 m) crosses a lunar landscape of granite and reservoirs. The Susten Pass (2,224 m) is considered the most beautiful in Switzerland, with its perfect curves descending past waterfalls. The old Gotthard Pass (2,106 m) — not the tunnel — follows the original cobblestone road over the Alps. And the Klausen Pass (1,948 m) offers a quieter, more pastoral finale.

Between the passes, there are chocolate shops, cheese dairies, lakeside promenades, and mountain railways. Switzerland does not do things by halves, and this route is no exception.