San Bernardino | 2065 METER | Thusis Roveredo

The San Bernardino Pass is a well-known alpine pass in the Swiss canton of Graubünden with a summit height of 2065 metres. It connects the valleys of Rheinwald on the northern side and Misox on the southern side, leading down towards Italy.

The San Bernardino is an alpine pass with two faces. On the one hand, it is a transit route to the south, and thus an alternative to the busy Brenner Pass and, of course, the St. Gotthard Tunnel. A road declared as a motorway leads up to the approximately 6-kilometre-long San Bernardino Tunnel and back down again. However, the road is only single-lane and often has very limited speed. The tunnel is located at an altitude of 1613 metres in the north and 1631 metres in the south. The route is open all year round and is very busy during the holiday season. 
There are no further tolls for the tunnel. These are covered by the all-year vignette for Swiss motorways.
Especially in a southerly direction, there are always magnificent views far down into the valley.
On the other hand, there is the original and old pass road up to the alpine pass. This route is not passable throughout. It leads in more than 30, partly narrow curves over the crest of the alpine pass. If you have the time and the right vehicle, this route is highly recommended in the summer months. The journey over the San Bernardino Alpine Pass is also completely toll-free if you take the B13 federal highway.

Tip: a little way below the northern side, near Splügen, the road branches off to the incredibly interesting Splügen Pass, which also leads to Italy and ends in the small, picturesque town of Chiavenna above Lake Como.

The San Bernardino Pass is an alternative route to the heavily travelled Brenner Pass to the south. But the Fern Pass and, further afield, the Reschen Pass can also be good alternatives.