Grimsel Pass, Mountain pass between Bern and Valais, Switzerland

Grimsel Pass is a mountain pass at 2,163 metres on the cantonal boundary between Bern and Valais, crossing the Bernese Alps on the continental divide between the North Sea and the Mediterranean. The 38-kilometre paved road from Meiringen to Gletsch climbs past the villages of Innertkirchen and Guttannen, then through hairpin bends and an 850-metre tunnel to the Räterichsbodensee and Grimselsee reservoirs. At the summit the road runs beside the Totesee, a natural lake enlarged into a reservoir, with hotels and a large parking area nearby.

The first documented use of the Grimsel Pass dates from the 14th century; Roman use and a crossing by troops of the Duke of Zähringen in 1211 are unproven. In 1397 Pomat, Goms and Hasli and the cities of Unterseen, Thun and Bern signed an agreement to keep the mule track open for free and secure trade. Cheese and cattle went south, wine, rice, corn, salt and oil came north until the Gotthard railway opened in 1882. The hospice is first mentioned in 1400, and the road was paved in 1894.

The hospice on the pass is first mentioned in 1400, and the Hotel Grimselhospiz now stands on a peninsula in the Grimselsee below the pass summit. The pass name appears in four languages: Grimselpass, Col du Grimsel, Passo del Grimsel and Grimsel Pass. The old mule track left traces along the Aare and from the summit down into the Goms.

The road closes from October to May due to heavy snow, with bus services running regularly during open months. Plan your crossing for summer when weather is more stable and driving conditions are predictable.

The Gelmerbahn from Handegg, the lower station below the pass road, is described as the steepest funicular in Switzerland; it climbs to the Gelmersee reservoir. The pass road itself is national cycle route 8, the Aare Route, and has featured several times in the Tour de Suisse.