The Gotthard Pass in Switzerland

The 2100m Gotthard Pass runs north/south over the Alps and connects the Italian speaking south of Switzerland to the German speaking north.

Along with the new and old roads over the top, the mountains are also crossed by three tunnels. There are two rail tunnels, one over a hundred years old, a new one opened in 2016 (currently the longest in the World) and a motorway tunnel. It's this latter one you'll probably want to avoid otherwise you'll miss the pass completely.

This is a major route across the Alps and traffic can be heavy although the majority of road users will be using the tunnel and when we drove it, that's the direction most of the traffic went.

The Gotthard approach. Avoiding the motorway

It may be worth avoiding the motorway if approaching the Pass from the south, opt to use the smaller road into Airolo instead. The motorway can be heavily congested and the alternative (still wide and quick) tracks its larger sibling through the valley, as well as leading directly onto the Pass (ensuring navigation mistakes wont lead you into the tunnel). This smaller road makes for a nice drive, delivering a scenic outlook whilst allowing you to race the trains that appear now and again as it follows the railway, the motorway often popping in and out of the hillsides way above.

Airolo and the tunnel entry

The road itself is wide and sweeping, ever climbing and very well surfaced. The majority of the tighter corners are on the southern side although these are pretty tame with good views of the road ahead. It's the kind of road where silly speeds could easily be reached but we found it best to take it relatively easy and enjoy the scenery. There are places to stop (including the top) and there are superb views into the valley below.

From the summit, the northbound run down towards Andermatt follows the valley and is of a shallower gradient. The first town you'll reach is Hospental and I mention it here as that's where you'll find the left turn for the Furka Pass, a whole different prospect. With long straight(ish) sections, we treated it as more of a well-paced cruise than a race. If you're flying, it'll be very obvious to any cop with a speed camera! I thought this applied more to the Gotthard Pass than the others we drove and coming from the UK, I'm used to that kind of revenue generation.

This was possibly the least eventful of the passes we drove, although very enjoyable. I wonder about the old road - you can see it on the map. Have a Google, it looks awesome. Just perhaps not in the Ferrari!