Susten Pass
Route 11 · Innertkirchen → Wassen · Switzerland
- Length
- 28 miles
- Drive time
- 1 h
- Type
- Mountain pass
- Region
- Europe
Before you go: Closed roughly Oct–Jun (snow)
Widely rated the best driver's pass in Switzerland: flowing, beautifully engineered curves with glacier views, linking the Bernese Oberland with the Reuss valley at 2,224 m.
Innertkirchen to Wassen on Route 11: 2,224 m, glacier views, and the pass often rated the best-engineered driver's road in Switzerland — flowing, cambered, sighted, with a summit tunnel. Stein Glacier is the amphitheatre on the Bernese climb. Berghotel Steingletscher does food in season; the summit lay-by beside the tunnel is the stop; Berggasthaus Sustenpass Hospiz sits above. Fuel at oeltrans Innertkirchen before you climb, and Mattli in Wassen at the Uri end. Nothing in between. Closed roughly October to June.
With Grimsel and Furka it is a three-pass day. Alone it is still the nicest alignment of the three. Cyclists in summer; coaches on the views. Early.
This is the pass to drive if you only have time for one Swiss high road from the Grimsel knot. Let the camber do the work and keep the glacier side for signed pull-offs.
Check the opening, not a memory of June. Susten can lag Furka by weeks. The summit tunnel is short and dark after glare; lights on before you enter. Stein Glacier pull-offs come in a cluster — pick one, do not drift between them. Wassen dumps you on the Gotthard corridor; Innertkirchen back toward Meiringen. If only one of Furka, Grimsel and Susten is open, and it is this one, you got the best alignment of the three. Cyclists use the Bernese climb in numbers in July; give them the hairpin and the whole of a sweeper. A Swiss motorway vignette is irrelevant up here but you will need it the moment you drop to the A2.
Highlights of the Susten Pass
- Stein Glacier views
- Perfectly cambered sweepers
- Combine with Grimsel & Furka
Where to stop on the Susten Pass
- oeltrans Innertkirchen fuel — Last fuel before the pass — nothing until Wassen, and the road is closed roughly Oct–Jun.
- Berghotel Steingletscher food — Glacier-view kitchen on the Bernese climb; seasonal, shuts when the pass closes.
- Susten Pass summit viewpoint — Lay-by at 2,224 m beside the summit tunnel — Stein Glacier amphitheatre, closed Oct–Jun.
- Berggasthaus Sustenpass Hospiz café — Summit inn above the tunnel for coffee and rösti; open roughly Jun–Oct with the pass.
- Mattli Tankstelle Wassen fuel — Independent 24-hour pumps at the Uri end — first fuel after a dry crossing from Innertkirchen.
Drive the Susten Pass
Open Susten 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: HunterMoss · More roads in Switzerland
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