With a summit at 2,429 meters (summit sign: 2,436), the Furka Pass ranks as 4th highest pass in Switzerland.
It connects the cantons of Valais and Uri.
It’s part of the most famous routes – or round trips – of the Alps and is combined with the Grimsel pass, which it ‘meets’ in Gletsch in most of those.
There’s a loop with the Susten pass (north), or with the Nufenen and Gotthard passes (south).
Depending on where you start, Andermatt, Airolo or Wassen, and which direction you go, clock- or anticlockwise, you can combine them in several ways, in different order of appearance for each.
More info on the various loops is to be found on for instance the pages of the Alpenbrevet.
I did the Silver version, or north loop, of that in 2019, albeit that I started in Wassen, finished in Andermatt and forfeited the descend back from there to Wassen.
(These routes do change to start in either Andermatt or Wassen, so the Silver Tour may well be with the (reversed) south loop some other year…)
Realp
The ‘Furkastrasse’ officially starts there and the flat section of about 5 kilometers when coming from Hospenthal, offers some stunning views of the surrounding mountains and can be used as a warming up before the climb starts.
The official part of it, is 12.3 kilometers long, with an elevation of 893 meters, or 7.3%.
As soon as you leave Realp, you’ll be passing the 2,000 meter mark within 6 kilometers, averaging 8.4%, but with several stretches well over 10%.
Some 2 kilometers in, you’ll pass the ‘Bond Street’ sign: it’s the spot where Bond was shot at in the movie Goldfinger and it offers a nice view over Realp and the valley behind it.
After the first demanding half, you’ll have some 3 relatively easy kilometers at 6%, a short steep section, followed by the last third of the climb.
As this is a near ‘straight’ up until about 500 meters from the summit, you’ll quickly curse at the wind if it’s not in your favor.
I know I did…
There’s a nice restaurant called Furkablick just before the summit; the restaurant at the summit was deserted when I was there and it looked ‘out of business’.
The one that is open does honor it’s name, because if you can sit outside, the view is fabulous.
The Col Collective have produced a video with a loop over the Furka, Nufenen and then the Gotthard – you can view that here.
I cycled the Furka from Realp as part of the ‘Swiss Stage’ at the end of my Giro d’Italia 2015 – report of that “Gotthard-Furka-Grimsel” here.
Oberwald
From the west, the ascend of the Furka is 16.5 kilometers long, with 1,063 meters of elevation gain (6.4%).
Just because it’s 4 kilometers longer, it’s ranked as slightly more difficult than the ascend from Realp.
I beg to differ, but to be honest: I didn’t cycle the whole thing in one go.
I cycled the part up to Gletsch and continued with the Grimsel in 2015’s final Giro d’Italia stage.
In 2019’s Tour de Suisse I descended the Grimsel and continued with the Furka from Gletsch.
In 2015, the headwind was spoiling most of the second half of that 6.2 kilometer stretch it has in common with the Grimsel, so I didn’t particularly enjoy it anyway.
Still, the views along the river/stream Rhône and the train track – I even saw a train going up – are breathtaking, as you can see the Grimsel switching right to left above you.
However, the views get even more breathtaking when you get higher up…
From Gletsch, you’ll climb in a near straight line – at just over 6% average – to the other side of the valley, where the steeper (8.3%) hairpin section takes you past the hotel Belvedere.
This might well be a place you’d want to take a picture of the jaw dropping view on both the Furka and the Grimsel.
After the hairpin section, another more or less easier straight at a 3% average takes you to the summit.
The restaurant located there is probably out of business, but just a little further, the Furkablick restaurant is serving refreshments with a view 😎
As mentioned, I cycled this end – from Gletsch anyway – during my ‘Tour de Suisse 2019’ – report of that here.
