At Ulrichen, 21km on the Valais side of the Furka Pass, a clearly marked road turns southeast and twists its way south out of the Valais and into the mountains that separate the canton from Ticino. Impressively barren country leads you to the Nufenen Pass (Passo di Novena) at 2478m, probably the most remote gateway into Switzerland’s Italian canton. Dropping down the other side, the first major town is Airolo, 24km east of the pass along the quiet Val Bedretto.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
19.9 MILES
This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply…
15.21 MILES
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of…
19.01 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…
6.43 MILES
Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…
24.16 MILES
Especially in the early morning light, you can see how the vaporous, 297m-high Staubbach Falls captivated prominent writers with its threads of spray…
7.36 MILES
Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which…
23.54 MILES
These glacier falls are a bang-crash spectacle. Inside the mountain, up to 20,000L of water per second corkscrews through ravines and potholes shaped by…
Santuario della Madonna del Sasso
28.51 MILES
Overlooking the town, this sanctuary was built after the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in a vision to a monk, Bartolomeo d’Ivrea, in 1480. There’s a…
Nearby Valais attractions
4.26 MILES
This 15km-long tunnel, opened in 1982, plays an important part in the history of the Furka Pass. It runs from Oberwald in Valais to Realp, 8km short of…
6.29 MILES
From the tiny Valais village of Gletsch (1762m; 10km to the Furka Pass), a steep 6km hairpinned road climbs north to the mighty Grimsel Pass (2164m),…
6.43 MILES
Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…
6.48 MILES
At the end of the Val Bavona, just after San Carlo, a cable car rides up to Robiei dam and its startlingly turquoise reservoir, tailor-made for a day’s…
7.36 MILES
Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which…
6. Museo Nazionale San Gottardo
10.19 MILES
Once at the top of the St Gotthard Pass, visit the Museo Nazionale San Gottardo, which covers the commercial, political and cultural significance of the…
11.61 MILES
A smooth road follows a mountain stream through this valley, where narrow meadows are cradled between steep rocky walls. Its tightly huddled stone and…
12.1 MILES
The heritage of Valais immigrants is explored in the artefacts on display at the stone-and-wood Walserhaus, which provides snapshots of a more rural way…