Gotthard Pass
One of the defining crossings of the Swiss Alps, linking German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland and centuries of movement through the mountains.
Climb facts
- Approach
- Andermatt → Gotthard
- Climb length
- 12.7 km
- Elevation gain
- 658 m
- Average gradient
- 5.1%
- Summit elevation
- 2106 m
Riding the Gotthard Pass
The Gotthard has an atmosphere all of its own. Even when riding the modern approach, I feel the sense that this route has been an important way through the Alps for generations.
The pleasure is in the contrast: working uphill in a grand mountain valley, then arriving at a place loaded with history. The Tremola nearby deserves its own ride and its own story.
Sample journal text — insert my route, photographs and on-the-road details.
History and local context
The Gotthard has been an important north–south route for centuries. The historic Tremola cobbles make a different ascent from the modern pass road.
Before you ride
This profile covers the northern approach from Andermatt. For the southern cobbled option, see the separate Tremola feature.
Sources
By James Gilbert · About the author