The Furka Pass is the road where Sean Connery's Aston Martin DB5 chased Auric Goldfinger's Rolls-Royce through the Swiss Alps in 1964. Sixty years later, driving enthusiasts are still making the same journey — not because of the film, but because the Furka is one of the finest mountain passes in Switzerland.

At 2,429 metres, the Furka connects the canton of Uri to the canton of Valais over a high alpine ridge, passing the Rhone Glacier and the now-abandoned Hotel Belvedere before dropping into the Goms valley. It's dramatic, technical, and — when combined with the Grimsel and Susten passes — part of one of the greatest one-day driving loops in Europe.

This Furka Pass driving guide covers the road itself, the best way to drive it, and how to plan the legendary Three Passes route.

Quick Facts: Furka Pass at a Glance

The James Bond Connection

The Furka Pass chase scene in Goldfinger is one of the most recognisable driving sequences in cinema history. The DB5 pursues Goldfinger's yellow Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud through hairpins above the Rhone Glacier, eventually arriving at a factory in the valley below.

The actual filming locations are identifiable today. The hairpins above the Belvedere Hotel — where the most dramatic shots were captured — look almost exactly as they did in 1964, minus the retreating glacier. A small plaque near the hotel marks the location for pilgrims.

But here's the thing: the Furka was a great driving road long before James Bond arrived, and it remains one after the film fades from cultural memory. The Bond connection brings visitors; the road itself is what makes them come back.

The Road: East to West

Realp to the Summit

The eastern approach begins near the village of Realp in the Uri canton, just south of the garrison town of Andermatt. The road climbs from roughly 1,540 m to the 2,429 m summit over about 13 km — a vertical gain of nearly 900 metres.

The early section winds through alpine meadows with moderate gradient hairpins. These are well-sighted, well-surfaced turns that let you find your rhythm. The road narrows slightly as it gains altitude, and the vegetation transitions from meadow grass to bare rock.

The upper section is where the driving gets serious. A series of tight, stacked hairpins climbs the final 400 metres to the summit in a pattern that recalls the Stelvio — though with fewer turns and wider radii. The views from these upper hairpins are spectacular: the Uri Alps spread out behind you, and on a clear day you can see back toward the Gotthard massif.

The summit area is relatively modest — a small car park, a pass sign, and views in both directions. No restaurant or visitor centre at the top, which adds to the sense of a road that's about the driving rather than the destination.

The Summit to Gletsch

The western descent is where the Furka really comes alive. The road drops from the summit toward Gletsch through a series of flowing, technical hairpins with the Rhone Glacier as a backdrop. This is the Bond section — the hairpins you recognise from the film, the views you've seen in photographs.

The Hotel Belvedere sits at a prominent hairpin roughly midway down the western descent. Once a famous stopping point where tourists could walk into an ice grotto carved into the Rhone Glacier, the hotel has been closed since 2015 as the glacier retreated too far to maintain the grotto. It remains a striking landmark — a faded pink building perched on a hairpin bend above a diminishing glacier.

The Rhone Glacier itself is visible from several points on the descent. It's retreated dramatically in recent decades and is now significantly smaller than when the Goldfinger crew filmed here. The glacier is covered in white insulating blankets during summer to slow melting — a surreal sight that adds to the pass's atmosphere.

Gletsch, at the bottom of the western descent, is a junction village where the Furka meets the Grimsel Pass road. This is where the Three Passes route connects.

The Three Passes Loop

The Furka is excellent on its own, but it reaches its full potential as part of the Three Passes loop — a roughly 120 km circuit combining the Furka, Grimsel, and Susten passes. This is one of the finest day drives in Europe, and it's entirely free.

The Route

1. Start in Andermatt (or nearby Realp)
2. Furka Pass — Climb east to west, descend to Gletsch
3. Grimsel Pass — From Gletsch, head south over the Grimsel (2,164 m) to Innertkirchen
4. Susten Pass — From Innertkirchen, head east over the Susten (2,224 m) back toward Wassen
5. Return to Andermatt via the Schollenen Gorge

The full loop takes 4–6 hours depending on stops and traffic, covers roughly 120 km, and delivers three distinct driving experiences: the Furka's dramatic alpine hairpins, the Grimsel's dark granite reservoir roads, and the Susten's flowing, sweeping curves.

Clockwise vs Counter-Clockwise

Drive the loop counter-clockwise (Furka first, then Grimsel, then Susten) for the best rhythm. This puts the Furka's dramatic western descent early in the day when you're freshest, takes the Grimsel as a connecting road through its dam landscapes, and finishes with the Susten's flowing curves — a reward after the technical intensity of the first two passes.

Clockwise works too, especially if you want to save the Furka's Bond descent for last.

How to Drive the Furka Pass

Best Direction

For the Furka alone, drive east to west (Realp/Andermatt toward Gletsch). The western descent is the dramatic half of the road, and driving it as a descent means you approach each hairpin looking out over the glacier and the Goms valley. The scenery unfolds ahead of you rather than behind.

As part of the Three Passes loop, the direction is determined by your loop preference — counter-clockwise means east to west on the Furka.

Corner Character

The Furka's hairpins sit in the 2–3 range on the rally severity scale — tight enough to require genuine braking and gear changes, but not the first-gear crawl of the Stelvio's tightest turns. The connecting sections between hairpin clusters have medium-speed 4s and 5s that let you carry momentum.

What makes the Furka satisfying is the transition between tight and flowing. You'll brake hard for a hairpin cluster, then accelerate through a sweeping section with open views, then brake again for the next cluster. That rhythm — stop-start on the Stelvio, but flowing and varied on the Furka — is what keeps it engaging from base to summit.

Rods is particularly useful on the Three Passes loop, where you're driving three different passes with three different corner characters in a single day. Rather than recalibrating your expectations at the start of each pass, the app maintains a steady stream of corner calls that adapt to whatever the road throws at you — tight Furka hairpins, dark Grimsel tunnels, or fast Susten sweepers.

Swiss Road Etiquette

Swiss mountain roads have an informal rule: uphill traffic has priority. If you meet an oncoming vehicle on a narrow section, the car going downhill is expected to reverse to the nearest passing point. This isn't always observed by tourists, but it's worth knowing.

Swiss speed enforcement is strict. Fines are income-proportional and can be extremely expensive. Drive the pass for the corners and the views — it doesn't need speed to be rewarding.

Best Time to Drive the Furka Pass

The pass typically opens in mid-June and closes in mid-October. Snow often lingers on the summit into early July.

Ideal Windows

• Late June: The pass has just opened, snow walls may line the upper sections, and tourist traffic hasn't peaked.
• September: Stable weather, fewer tourists, autumn colours in the valleys. The best overall window.
• Early morning (any day): The Furka sees less traffic than the Gotthard route, but mornings are always quieter.

What to Watch Out For

• Postbuses: Swiss yellow PostBuses use the pass regularly and have legal right of way over all other traffic. If you hear a three-tone horn, pull over and let the bus through.
• Cyclists: The Furka is a popular cycling climb, especially on the eastern approach from Realp.
• Glacier meltwater: The western descent can have water runoff crossing the road, particularly in warm weather when glacier and snowfield melt rates are highest.
• Weather windows: The summit at 2,429 m is exposed. Cloud can descend rapidly, reducing visibility to near zero. If conditions deteriorate, slow down dramatically — the hairpins are still there even when you can't see them.

Nearby Fuel, Food, and Accommodation

Fuel: Fill up in Andermatt (east) or Oberwald/Ulrichen in the Goms valley (west). No fuel on the pass.

Food: Gletsch has a historic hotel-restaurant at the junction of the Furka and Grimsel roads. Andermatt has a full range of restaurants. The Furka summit itself has no facilities.

Accommodation: Andermatt is the natural base — a growing resort town with hotels ranging from budget to luxury. For something more atmospheric, the Hotel Tiefenbach sits at 2,100 m on the eastern approach and puts you on the pass before dawn.

For the full route guide on the Susten — the third pass in the Three Passes loop — see the Susten Pass driving guide. And for more European alpine road picks, the best driving roads in Europe guide covers the top routes across the continent.

FAQ

Is the Furka Pass the road from James Bond? Yes. The chase scene in Goldfinger (1964) was filmed on the Furka Pass, specifically on the western descent above the Rhone Glacier near the Hotel Belvedere. The hairpins are identifiable today and a small plaque marks the location.

Is the Furka Pass free to drive? Yes. Unlike the Grossglockner or some other Swiss toll roads, the Furka Pass is a public road with no toll charge.

What is the Three Passes loop? A roughly 120 km circuit combining the Furka Pass, Grimsel Pass, and Susten Pass in central Switzerland. It takes 4-6 hours and is one of the finest day drives in Europe. All three passes are free.

When is the Furka Pass open? Typically mid-June to mid-October, depending on snowfall. The Furka Pass train tunnel operates year-round as an alternative crossing when the road is closed.