The Gotthard Pass is the pass that Switzerland is built around. At 2,106 metres, it lies in the middle of the country on the great watershed between the Alps' northern and southern slopes, and four of Europe's major rivers rise within a few kilometres: the Rhine, the Rhône, the Reuss and the Ticino. Armies, merchants, pilgrims and, today, motorcyclists have been crossing it for eight centuries, since the Schöllenen gorge was opened by a daring bridge in the thirteenth century, and the pass became the shortest link between Germany and Italy.
The summit is a bare, windy plateau with small lakes, grey rock and a cluster of buildings. The old hospice, first built in the thirteenth century and rebuilt more than once, now operates as a hotel and restaurant, and a small museum tells the story of the pass in objects, maps and photographs. In 1799 Suvorov's Russian army fought its way over this pass against the French, and the Gotthard saw hard fighting in the Napoleonic wars. The names of the lakes, Lago della Sella, Lago Lucendro, have an Italian ring, and the transition between cultures here is sudden.
The ride from either side is a classic. From the north, from Andermatt, the road climbs in a series of long, open bends through bare country, with the modern road running smoothly on a wide, gentle grade. From the south, you can choose between the modern road and the old Tremola, whose cobbled hairpins make a more dramatic ascent. Both are closed in winter and normally open from about June to October, so check the dates in advance. Even in midsummer, snow can fall, and the pass is often cloudy, with a strong, cold wind.
The Gotthard has also given its name to some of Europe's greatest engineering. The railway tunnel, opened in 1882, was the longest in the world at the time, and the road tunnel, opened in 1980, remains one of the longest. In 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 57 kilometres of twin tubes deep under the mountains, was opened and made the old pass a purely scenic route. It is a delight to ride the pass knowing that most of the traffic is going through the mountain.
Fuel is available at Airolo, about four and a half kilometres below on the southern side, and at Andermatt on the northern side, but nothing at the summit. Altdorf, on the Reuss, is the larger town on the northern side. A coffee on the terrace of the hospice, with a view over the lakes, is the best way to enjoy the top.