San Bernardino – Alpine pass, transit route or adventure road ...

The San Bernardino Pass is a well-known Alpine pass in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland, reaching an altitude of 2,065 metres. It connects the northern valleys of Rheinwald with the southern valleys of Misox and leads towards Italy.

The San Bernardino has two, perhaps even three sides: on the one hand, it is an important transit route to the south and offers an alternative to the busy Brenner Pass and the Sankt Gotthard Tunnel. A well-developed road classified as a motorway leads up to the approximately 6-kilometre-long San Bernardino Tunnel and back down again. This road is single-lane and often has speed limits.

The tunnel is located at 1,613 metres in the north and 1,631 metres in the south. The route is open all year round and is particularly popular during the holiday season. There are no additional tolls for using the tunnel, as these are already covered by the annual vignette for Swiss motorways.

On the southern route, there are impressive views down into the valley towards Lake Lugano. On the other side, there is the old, original pass road, which is not open all year round. It leads over more than 30 sometimes narrow bends across the pass. If you have time and the right vehicle, you should definitely explore this route in the summer months.

The journey over this old San Bernardino Pass road is possible without the Swiss motorway vignette.

And then, of course, there is the combination of the old federal highway and the tunnel. If you allow a little more time than for the single-lane ‘motorway’, you can drive between Thusis and the tunnel via the old federal highway. There is a lot of countryside and nice villages to discover here. The highlight, however, is a section called "Viamala (more info ...). The name says it all: the route winds through and along a gorge that was once dangerous to drive through. At the most spectacular passage, you can walk down into the gorge, visit a museum and stop at a restaurant.

Shortly before or after the tunnel on the northern ramp (depending on which side you are coming from), you can switch between the old road and the motorway.

A tip: just below the north side, near Splügen, a road branches off to the fascinating Splügen Pass, which also leads to Italy and ends in the picturesque town of Chiavenna above Lake Como.

A TV report entitled ‘Alpine Marathon in the Engadin and St. Moritz’ shows the northern ascent to San Bernardino, the Splügen Pass, Lake Como and the Engadin high valley. The programme offers beautiful footage and lots of tips on sights and holiday activities.

A printed poster (100 x 70 cm) with an overview of all Alpine passes is also available for purchase. The interactive Alpine Passes Atlas is ideal for planning a personalised tour through the Alps, including sights and hotel recommendations. It allows you to plan and share tours and download GPS data – perfect for navigation, apps and more.