Furka Pass
Route 19 · Realp → Gletsch · Switzerland
- Length
- 13 miles
- Drive time
- 40 min
- Type
- Mountain pass
- Region
- Europe
Before you go: Closed roughly Oct–May (snow)
The Goldfinger road: Bond chased Tilly Masterson up these very hairpins. Bare rock, huge exposure and the Rhône glacier at the Gletsch end — often driven as a loop with Grimsel and Susten.
Realp to Gletsch on Route 19: bare rock, real exposure, 2,429 m at the saddle, and the Rhône glacier hanging over the Gletsch end. The Goldfinger hairpins — Bond chasing Tilly Masterson — sit on this road. Surface is good summer alpine tarmac. Closed roughly October to May. Hotel Tiefenbach on the Uri climb does food in season; Hotel Belvédère is closed as a hotel (stop for the glacier view, not for coffee); Hotel Glacier du Rhône at Gletsch has been shut for a long renovation. Infopoint Gletsch has loos.
The Furka–Grimsel–Susten loop is the day, not Furka alone. Do them clockwise or anticlockwise according to weather and coach direction; start early. Fuel before Realp or after Wassen; treat the high passes as dry.
Pair with Stelvio and Gavia only if you are already in that week; from Andermatt this triangle is the local classic.
A closed hotel is still a viewpoint. Do not expect a kitchen at Belvédère, and do not stand in the road for the Aston Martin angle. Realp is the quieter, uglier approach; Gletsch is the postcard end with the glacier and the closed hotels. Drive it as part of the triangle or you will feel short-changed by thirteen miles. Motorcyclists use the Goldfinger hairpins as a photo set — wait for a gap rather than joining them on the tarmac. Grimsel is next door; Susten is the one to save for best weather. There is no fuel on the pass; fill in Andermatt, Realp if anything is open, or Meiringen before you string the three together. Wind at the saddle can shove a high-sided van; if you are in one, pick another day.
Highlights of the Furka Pass
- James Bond hairpins
- Rhône glacier & Belvédère
- Grimsel–Furka–Susten loop
Where to stop on the Furka Pass
- Hotel Tiefenbach food — Uri-side inn on the climb, open for summer 2026 from late May; shuts when the pass closes.
- Furka Pass summit viewpoint — Bare-rock saddle at 2,429 m — the Goldfinger hairpins sit just below; closed roughly Oct–May.
- Hotel Belvédère viewpoint viewpoint — Closed as a hotel for years; stop for the Rhône glacier view, not for coffee.
- Infopoint Gletsch toilets — Public loos at the Gletsch infopoint; Hotel Glacier du Rhône stays shut until 2029.
Drive the Furka Pass
Open Furka Pass on the map → ⬇ Download GPX
GPX works with Garmin, TomTom, Beeline and most bike sat-navs. Free, no sign-up — these are indicative waypoints, so follow the road signs, not the arrow.
Plot it, add it to a club run with a meeting point and pit stops, then share the whole trip as one link. Free, no account, works offline.
Route research: Club road index · More roads in Switzerland
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