Principal passes of the Alps

This article lists the principal mountain passes and tunnels in the Alps, and gives a history of transport across the Alps.

Main passes The following are the main paved road passes across the Alps. Main indicates on the main chain of the Alps, from south west to east. Passes on subsidiary ranges are listed where the ridge leaves the main chain – N/W indicates north or west of the main chain, S/E on the south or east side. Heights in brackets indicate true pass height, not the high point of the road. area name location countries elevation (m) Colle di CadibonaSavona to CevaItaly436 Colle del MelognoFinale Ligure to CevaItaly1028 Giogo di ToiranoToirano to BardinetoItaly801 Colle ScravaionAlbenga to CalizzanoItaly814 Colle San BernardoAlbenga to GaressioItaly957 Passo di PraleCisano sul Neva to OrmeaItaly1258 Colle di NavaImperia to OrmeaItaly934 Colle San Bernardo di MendaticaTriora and Mendatica to Ormea (through Colle di Nava)Italy1262 Main Col de TendeTende to CuneoFrance, Italy1870 Main Col de la LombardeIsola to VinadioFrance, Italy2350 N/W Col de la Bonette Jausiers to Saint-Étienne-de-TinéeFrance2715 Main Maddalena Pass/Col de LarcheBarcelonnette to CuneoFrance, Italy1996 Main Col AgnelQueyras to SampeyreFrance, Italy2744 Main Col de MontgenèvreBriançon to SusaFrance, Italy1854 Main Col de l'ÉchelleBriançon to BardonecchiaFrance, Italy1762 N/W Col du Galibier Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to Col du LautaretFrance2642 N/W Col du Lautaret Le Bourg-d'Oisans to BriançonFrance2058 Main Col du Mont CenisModane to SusaFrance2084 N/W Col de l'Iseran Val d'Isère to Bonneval-sur-ArcFrance2764 S/E Col du Nivolet Noasca to Courmayeur (no through road) Italy 2641 Main Little St Bernard PassBourg-Saint-Maurice to Pré-Saint-DidierFrance, Italy2188 N/W Col des Montets Martigny to ChamonixFrance1461 Main Great St Bernard PassMartigny to AostaSwitzerland, Italy2469 Main Simplon PassBrig to DomodossolaSwitzerland2009 (1996) Main Nufenen PassUlrichen to AiroloSwitzerland2478 N/W Furka PassRealp to OberwaldSwitzerland2429 N/W Grimsel PassInnertkirchen to GletschSwitzerland2164 N/W Susten PassInnertkirchen to WassenSwitzerland2224 Main St Gotthard PassAndermatt to AiroloSwitzerland2106 N/W Oberalp PassAndermatt to DisentisSwitzerland2044 N/W Klausen PassAltdorf to LinthalSwitzerland1948 Main Lukmanier PassDisentis to BiascaSwitzerland1915 Main San Bernardino PassSplügen to BellinzonaSwitzerland2065 Main Splügen PassSplügen to ChiavennaSwitzerland, Italy2115 N/W Julier Pass Tiefencastel to SilvaplanaSwitzerland2284 N/W Albula Pass Filisur to La PuntSwitzerland2311 N/W Flüela Pass Davos to SuschSwitzerland2383 N/W BielerhöheSankt Gallenkirch to GaltürAustria2036 N/W Arlberg PassBludenz to LandeckAustria1793 N/W Flexen PassWarth to KlostertalAustria1773 N/W HochtannbergpassDornbirn to WarthAustria1679 Main Maloja PassSilvaplana to ChiavennaSwitzerland1815 Main Bernina PassPontresina to TiranoSwitzerland2328 Main Livigno PassPoschiavo to LivignoSwitzerland, Italy2315 Main Foscagno PassBormio to LivignoItaly2291 S/E Umbrail PassVal Müstair to BormioSwitzerland, Italy2501 S/E Giogo dello StelvioBormio to VinschgauItaly2757 S/E Gavia PassBormio to Ponte di LegnoItaly2621 S/E Tonale PassPonte di Legno to Val di SoleItaly1883 S/E Campo Carlo MagnoMadonna di Campiglio to Val di SoleItaly1655 S/E Passo d'ApricaValtellina to Val Camonica Italy1172 Main Fuorn PassZernez to Val MüstairSwitzerland2149 Main Reschen PassNauders to MeranAustria, Italy1507 Main TimmelsjochÖtztal valley to MeranAustria, Italy2491 Main Brenner PassInnsbruck to SterzingAustria, Italy1370 Main HochtorZell am See to LienzAustria2505 (2576) Main Radstädter Tauern PassRadstadt to MauterndorfAustria1739 Main Sölk PassSchöder to GröbmingAustria1788 Main Triebener Tauern PassJudenburg to TriebenAustria1274 Main Schober PassLiezen to LeobenAustria849 PräbichlEisenerz to LeobenAustria1204 Aflenzer SeebergMariazell to Bruck an der MurAustria1254 Niederalpl PassMürzsteg to GußwerkAustria1221 LahnsattelMürzsteg to MariazellAustria1006 OchsattelSchwarzau im Gebirge to HohenbergAustria820 Kalte KuchlSchwarzau im Gebirge to Rohrbach an der GölsenAustria728 Gerichtsberg PassAltenmarkt an der Triesting to HainfeldAustria581

Other passes Detailed lists of passes are given by Alpine subdivision, see the following articles: Western Alps Ligurian Alps Maritime Alps Cottian Alps Dauphiné Alps Graian Alps Pennine Alps Bernese Alps Lepontine Alps Tödi Range North-Eastern Swiss Alps Eastern Alps Northern Limestone Alps The Alps of Bavaria, the Vorarlberg, and Salzburg Central Eastern Alps Bergamo Alps Rhaetian Alps, including Bernina Range, Livigno Range, Sesvenna Range, Albula Range, Silvretta and Rätikon Verwall Alps and Samnaun Alps Tyrolean Alps, including Ötztal Alps, Stubai Alps, Kitzbühel Alps, Hohe Tauern and Zillertal Alps Niedere Tauern Southern Limestone Alps Adamello-Presanella and Brenta Group Ortler Alps Dolomites Carnic Alps Julian Alps Karawanks Kamnik Alps

Road tunnels Main chain, from west to east: name location countries length (km)Col de Tende Road TunnelTende to CuneoFrance, Italy3.2Fréjus Road TunnelModane to SusaFrance, Italy12.9Mont Blanc TunnelChamonix to CourmayeurFrance, Italy11.6Great St Bernard TunnelMartigny to AostaSwitzerland, Italy5.9St. Gotthard TunnelGöschenen to AiroloSwitzerland17San Bernardino TunnelSplügen to BellinzonaSwitzerland7.7Felbertauern TunnelMittersill to LienzAustria5.3Tauern Road TunnelEben im Pongau to Sankt Michael im LungauAustria6.4

Notable other tunnels: name location countries length (km)Arlberg TunnelLangen am Arlberg to St Anton am ArlbergAustria13.976Karawanks TunnelVillach to JeseniceAustria, Slovenia7.864

Railway passes and tunnels Main chain, from west to east: name type location countries length (km) elevation (m)Colle di CadibonapassSavona to CevaItaly436Tunnel de TendetunnelTende to CuneoFrance, Italy8.1Fréjus Rail TunneltunnelModane to SusaFrance, Italy13.71123Simplon TunneltunnelBrig to DomodossolaSwitzerland, Italy19.8705Gotthard Rail TunneltunnelGöschenen to AiroloSwitzerland151151Gotthard Base TunneltunnelErstfeld to BiascaSwitzerland57.1549Bernina PasspassPontresina to TiranoSwitzerland2323Brenner PasspassInnsbruck to SterzingAustria, Italy1370Tauern TunneltunnelBad Gastein to ObervellachAustria8.6Schober PasspassLiezen to LeobenAustria849PräbichlpassEisenerz to LeobenAustria1204

Notable other railway passes and tunnels: name type location countries length (km) elevation (m)Arlberg Railway TunneltunnelLangen am Arlberg to St Anton am ArlbergAustria10.61303Karawanks TunneltunnelVillach to JeseniceAustria, Slovenia8.0Lötschberg TunneltunnelSpiez to BrigSwitzerland14.61240Lötschberg Base TunneltunnelSpiez to BrigSwitzerland34.6828Oberalp PasspassAndermatt to DisentisSwitzerland2044SemmeringtunnelGloggnitz to MürzzuschlagAustria1.5965

History Places where the Alps were crossed are called passes, and are points at which the alpine chain sinks to form depressions, up to which deep-cut valleys lead from the plains and hilly pre-mountainous zones. The oldest names for such passes are Mont (still retained in cases of Mont Cenis and Monte Moro), for it was many ages before this term was applied to mountains themselves, which with a few very rare exceptions (e.g. Monte Viso was known to the Romans as Vesulus) were for a long time disregarded.

Native inhabitants of the Alps were naturally the first to use the passes. The passes first became known to the outside world when the Romans crossed them to raid or conquer the region beyond. Romans, once having found an "easy" way across the chain, did not trouble to seek for harder and more devious routes. Hence, passes that can be shown as certainly known to them are relatively few in number: they are, in topographical order from west to east, the Maddalena Pass, the Col de Montgenèvre, the Col du Mont Cenis, the two St Bernard passes (Little St Bernard Pass and Great St Bernard Pass), the Splügen Pass, the Septimer Pass, the Reschen Pass, the Brenner Pass, the Plöcken Pass, the Pontebba Pass (or Saifnitz Pass), the Radstädter Tauern Pass and the Solkscharte Pass or Sölk Pass.

Of these the Montgenèvre and the Brenner were the most frequented. In the Central Alps only two passes (the Splügen and the Septimer) were certainly known to the Romans. In fact the central portion of the Alps was by far the least Romanised region until the early Middle Ages. Thus the Simplon is first definitely mentioned in 1235, the St Gotthard in 1236, the Lukmanier in 965, the San Bernardino in 941; of course they may have been known before, but authentic history is silent as regards them till the dates specified. Even the Mont Cenis (from the 15th to the 19th century the favourite pass for travellers going from France to Italy) is first heard of only in 756.

In the 13th century many hitherto unknown passes came into prominence, even some of the easy glacier passes. In the Western and Central Alps there is only one ridge to cross, to which access is gained by a deep-cut valley, though often it would be shorter to cross a second pass in order to reach the plains, e.g. the Montgenèvre, that is most directly reached by the Col du Lautaret; and the Simplon, which is best reached by one of the lower passes over the western portion of the Bernese Oberland chain. On the other hand, in the Eastern Alps, it is generally necessary to cross three distinct ridges between the northern and southern plains, the Central ridge being the highest and most difficult to cross. Thus the passes which crossed a single ridge, and did not involve too great a detour through a long valley of approach, became the most important and the most popular, e.g. the Mont Cenis, the Great St Bernard, the St Gotthard, the Septimer and the Brenner.

As time went on the Alpine passes were improved to make travel easier. A few passes (e.g. the Semmering, the Brenner, the Col de Tende and the Arlberg) had carriage roads constructed before 1800, while those over the Umbrail and the Great St Bernard were not completed till the early years of the 20th century. Most of the carriage roads across the great alpine passes were thus constructed in the first half of the 19th century, largely due to the Napoleon's need for such roads as modes of military transport. As late as 1905, the highest pass over the main chain that had a carriage road was the Great St Bernard (), but three still higher passes over side ridges have roads—the col de l'Iseran, the Stelvio Pass (), the Col du Galibier (), in the Dauphiné Alps, and the Umbrail Pass ().

Railway lines, like the Brenner and the Pontebba lines, were added to speed travel through the passes and tunnels supplemented passes at the Col de Tenda, the Mont Cenis, the Simplon and the St Gotthard.

See also Alps List of highest paved roads in Europe List of mountain passes List of mountain passes in Switzerland Valleys of the Alps

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References

Further reading