The Gotthard Knot

5 days · 6 driving roads · 102 miles of them · best July–September

Andermatt as a hub, five days on the roads that leave it. The Tremola cobbles down to Airolo, Nufenen across to Ulrichen, Oberalp to Disentis, Lukmanier to Olivone, then San Bernardino and Splügen south toward Chiavenna. The Furka–Grimsel–Susten loop is the other Andermatt week — this is the one that is not that.

Getting there

⛴ Eurotunnel Le Shuttle — Eurotunnel, about 36 min, up to 4/hour. Check sailings.

Worth knowing: Every pass here is seasonal except the tunnels that bypass them — drive the old roads, not the A2/A13 tubes. Tremola is cobbled, slippery when wet, and a one-way culture in practice on the tightest hairpins. Nufenen is often the last to open, into June. Splügen is a border. Check alpen-paesse.ch the morning you go. Vignette for the motorways in and out. Fuel in Andermatt, Airolo and Disentis. Five days is not greedy; these are short roads with long weather delays.

The roads, in order

1. Gotthard Pass — Tremola Old Tremola road · Gotthard summit (Andermatt side) → Airolo · 8 mi · 30 min ⚠ Closed in winter; cobbles slippery when wet 🍽️ Restaurant Prosa · 📷 Gotthard Pass summit · ⛽ SOCAR Airolo
2. Nufenen Pass Nufenenstrasse · Ulrichen → Airolo · 23 mi · 55 min ⚠ Closed roughly Oct–Jun (snow) ⛽ Agrola Ulrichen · 🍽️ Restaurant Nufenen-Passhöhe · 📷 Nufenen Pass summit · ⛽ SOCAR Airolo
3. Oberalp Pass Route 19 · Andermatt → Disentis · 20 mi · 45 min ⚠ Closed roughly Nov–May (snow) ⛽ Shell Andermatt · 📷 Oberalp Pass lighthouse · 🍽️ Berggasthaus Piz Calmot · ⛽ Ecostop Disentis
4. Lukmanier Pass Route 416 · Disentis → Olivone · 24 mi · 50 min ⚠ Kept open most of the winter (one of the few Swiss passes that is), with occasional night closures in heavy snow ⛽ Eni Disentis · 📷 Lai da Sontga Maria · 🍽️ Hospezi Santa Maria
5. San Bernardino Pass Old pass road · Hinterrhein → San Bernardino · 8 mi · 40 min ⚠ Closed roughly Nov–May (snow) 📷 Laghetto Moesola · ☕ Ristorante Ospizio San Bernardino
6. Splügen Pass Route 567 / SS36 · Splügen → Chiavenna (Italy) · 19 mi · 1 h ⚠ Closed roughly Nov–May ⛽ Nicca AG Splügen · 🍽️ Berghaus Splügenpass · 📷 Lago di Montespluga · ⛽ Esso Chiavenna

Drive it

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