photo by Warren Rohner

St. Gotthard Pass in Switzerland is the most famous of all Alpine passes, at an altitude of 2,108 meters (6,917 feet) above sea level. It was named after a chapel constructed in honor of Saint Gotthard, bishop of Hildesheim.

The pass links the German speaking part of the country with the Italian one. The road climbing to the pass is made up of a series of sharp bends, ending with a flat depression.

In 1881, a 15 kilometers long tunnel was opened at 900 meters (3,000 feet) under the pass and a highway tunnel opened in 1980. With a length of 16.3 kilometers it is the third longest road tunnel in the world.

St. Gotthard Pass has also an old cobbled stone road that has been perfectly preserved and it's a favourite among cyclists.

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The photos displayed on this page are the property of one of the following authors:

Warren Rohner, Roger Wollstadt

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This travel guide also includes text from Wikitravel articles, all available at WikitravelView full credits

This travel guide also includes text from Wikipedia articles, all available at WikipediaView full credits

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