Driving the Furka Pass
Glacier views, a hairpin straight out of a Bond film, and no vignette required. The Furka, and the loop of Swiss passes it anchors.
The Furka Pass climbs to 2,429 m between Uri and Valais in central Switzerland. It is best known as the road from the Goldfinger car chase, for its views of the Rhône Glacier, and for sitting at the heart of the classic Furka-Grimsel-Susten loop. The pass itself needs no motorway vignette. In 2026 it was open from 28 May to 27 October.
Some passes are about the climb; the Furka is about the view. The road sweeps rather than switchbacks, and it is arranged, almost theatrically, so that the great set-pieces reveal themselves one after another: the glacier, the void, the hairpin with the hotel hung over it.
The road
The Furka's most famous feature is the sweeping bend below the old Hotel Belvédère, perched on a hairpin with the Rhône Glacier filling the valley beyond. It is the exact spot where the Aston Martin DB5 is chased in Goldfinger, and it looks, if anything, more dramatic in person than on film. Lower down at Gletsch, the heritage Furka Cogwheel steam railway still climbs the valley in summer.
Unlike the tolled Austrian roads or the tunnelled motorway passes, the Furka is simply an open Swiss cantonal road. You need the CHF 40 Swiss motorway vignette for the autobahns you use to get there, but not for the pass itself. Our UK driver's checklist explains exactly where the vignette applies.
The Swiss loop
The Furka, Grimsel and Susten passes sit within an hour of one another and link into a single circular day's drive. It is the densest concentration of great driving road in the Alps.
From a base around Andermatt or Gletsch you can drive all three in a day, though you should not: drive two, stop for lunch above the treeline, and save the third for the morning. The Grimsel drops through bare granite past turquoise reservoirs; the Susten is the smoothest and most modern of the three. Together they make the case for the central Swiss Alps as the finest driving region in Europe.
Driving it from the UK
Central Switzerland sits about 900 km from Calais, a comfortable two days south with an overnight stop in Burgundy or Alsace. See driving to the Alps from the UK for the route, and pass opening dates to check the Furka is clear before you go.
Common questions
Is the Furka Pass in a James Bond film?
Yes. The Furka Pass is where the Aston Martin DB5 is chased by a Ford Mustang in Goldfinger (1964). The road and the view are instantly recognisable to anyone who knows the film.
Do I need a Swiss vignette to drive the Furka Pass?
No. The Swiss motorway vignette (CHF 40) is only required on motorways and expressways. The Furka is an ordinary open cantonal road, so the pass itself needs no vignette. You will still want a vignette for the Swiss motorways you use to reach it.
When does the Furka Pass open?
The Furka is closed by snow each winter and reopens once it is cleared, usually late May or early June. In 2026 it was open from 28 May to 27 October.
What is the Furka-Grimsel-Susten loop?
The three passes sit close together in central Switzerland and can be linked into a single circular day's drive from a base around Andermatt or Gletsch. It is one of the densest concentrations of great driving road anywhere in the Alps.
Drive the Furka with us
Our Swiss trips link the Furka, Grimsel and Nufenen into a week from a single base, planned and run from the UK. You bring the car.
See the trips