Drivers AtlasThe world's best roads

Seven days · Switzerland

Seven days driving in Switzerland

Perfect surfaces, immaculate signage and three of the greatest passes in the world within an hour of each other.

A week is enough to link two regions or to loop one properly with two nights in the best base. Keep at least one rest day in the plan.

Days

7 days, 6 nights

Rough distance

1391.9 mi

Daily average

198.8 mi

Best months

Late June to early October

Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk

Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Daily distances are set for enjoyable driving rather than maximum ground covered. How we score roads.

Last reviewed 20 June 2026

Day by day

How the trip breaks up

Day 1

Tremola, the old Gotthard road and Furka Pass

  • Tremola, the old Gotthard road · 8.1 mi · 9.5 / 10. A cobbled historic switchback climb that predates the modern Gotthard highway entirely.
  • Furka Pass · 9.9 mi · 9.4 / 10. Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.

About 198.8 mi and 5 hr 3 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 2

Susten Pass and Bernina Pass

  • Susten Pass · 29.2 mi · 9.4 / 10. A flowing, beautifully engineered road beneath the Steingletscher ice cliffs.
  • Bernina Pass · 20.5 mi · 9.3 / 10. Glaciers hang over the road as it threads past turquoise Lago Bianco to the Poschiavo valley.

About 198.8 mi and 5 hr 44 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 3

Grimsel Pass and Maloja Pass

  • Grimsel Pass · 16.2 mi · 9.2 / 10. Granite reservoirs and stark rock walls line this dramatic climb from the Bernese Oberland.
  • Maloja Pass · 18.6 mi · 9.1 / 10. Tight zigzags drop dramatically off the Engadine plateau toward the Italian border.

About 198.8 mi and 5 hr 20 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 4

Splugen Pass and Julier Pass

  • Splugen Pass · 11.8 mi · 9.1 / 10. Wild, narrow hairpins on the Italian side rank among the Alps' most intense single lane drives.
  • Julier Pass · 22.4 mi · 8.9 / 10. A fast, sweeping Roman era route across a bare, boulder strewn Engadine watershed.

About 198.8 mi and 5 hr 17 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 5

Klausen Pass and Fluela Pass

  • Klausen Pass · 29.8 mi · 8.9 / 10. A historic race road with narrow forested switchbacks opening onto high pastureland.
  • Fluela Pass · 16.2 mi · 8.8 / 10. A remote, boulder strewn crossing linking Davos to the wild Lower Engadine.

About 198.8 mi and 5 hr 22 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 6

Albula Pass and San Bernardino Pass

  • Albula Pass · 22.4 mi · 8.7 / 10. Tight forested hairpins give way to a bare summit above the Albula rail viaducts.
  • San Bernardino Pass · 8.1 mi · 8.6 / 10. A smooth historic alternative to the motorway tunnel with long views into the Misox valley.

About 198.8 mi and 5 hr 6 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 7

Oberalp Pass

  • Oberalp Pass · 13.7 mi · 8.5 / 10. A high, wide open pass paralleling the scenic Glacier Express rail line.

About 198.8 mi and 4 hr 48 min behind the wheel including transit.

Practical

Where to start and what it costs

Base yourself

Andermatt or Lucerne

Nights to book

6 nights. On anything longer than five days, book two nights in the best base rather than moving hotel every evening.

Fuel and tolls

Budget for roughly 1391.9 miles of driving plus any vignettes or tunnel fees for the countries you cross.

Other lengths

More time, or less, in Switzerland