Passo dello Spluga North — Splügen to Thusis via the Swiss Alpine High Road

The Splügen Pass (Passo dello Spluga) summit sits at 2,117 metres on the Swiss-Italian border in Graubünden, and the northern Swiss descent from Splügen village to Thusis through the Via Mala gorge is the part most drivers remember hardest. The road narrows to single-lane width on switchbacks carved directly into the cliff face, drops through the spectacular Via Mala — a limestone gorge so tight and deep it was once considered the end of the traversable world — and crosses the Hinterrhein river multiple times on stone bridges that predate the automobile. The pass itself has been a trade route since Roman times; the modern road follows Napoleon’s 1822 military route almost exactly. In summer you share it with motorcyclists and the occasional camper van whose driver has clearly underestimated the geometry involved. The views into the Rheinwald valley from the Swiss side switchbacks are genuinely jaw-dropping.

For a modern 4WD it’s a Moderate drive in dry conditions — the surface is paved but narrow, exposed, and unforgiving of inattention. Wide vehicles (over 2.2 metres) will struggle on the tightest bends above Splügen. The pass is closed from roughly November through May depending on snowfall — check the Graubünden road status before committing. No permit required. Fuel in Thusis or Splügen. This is a day run — plan it as part of a larger Alpine traverse between Switzerland and Italy’s Lake Como region. The Via Mala gorge section alone is worth it.