Road cycling routes in Valais

With its world-famous passes, the Valais in the south-west of Switzerland is a truly unique destination for racing cyclists. You can enjoy the beauty of nature on numerous cycling routes along the Rhone Valley and through the Valais high mountains. On the Moosalp - Mythische Alpenpässe tour, you cycle a distance of 24.3 km from Turtmann in the Rhone Valley to the pass on the Moosalp at 2,044 m above sea level. The long ascent is a challenge to your physical condition. The first kilometres are four hairpin bends through the forest. After that, a section along the mountain flank awaits you. From here the route leads through the picturesque villages of Eischoll, Unterbauml;ch and Bürchen, before the last part of the road bike tour takes you through untouched nature. The narrow road winds through lush forests and offers a breathtaking view of Visp and the opposite side of the Rhone Valley. A last flat stretch at the Bürchner Alp allows you to take a short breather before you start the final ascent to the pass. From here you have a fantastic view of the Bernese and Valais Alps.

Tip: The cosy Moosalp restaurant on the Passhöhe is one of the best-known mountain restaurants in Switzerland and serves traditional Valais dishes.

Race bike enthusiasts will find some of the best-known and most challenging tours in the Swiss Alps in Valais. The 3-Pässe-Racebike-Tour Sustenpass - Grimselpass - Furkapass leads over steep mountain roads and winding descents and is regularly ridden by the pros of the Tour de Suisse and the Giro d'Italia. The loop begins and ends at the station in Andermatt, which you can reach by train from Geneva in four hours. Over a distance of 118.1 km, a total of 3,549 metres of altitude have to be covered on a road bike, for which you need excellent fitness and experience in road cycling. On the road bike tour, which is classified as difficult, you will climb the Susten Pass from Wassen, then the Grimsel Pass from Innertkirchen and finally you will conquer the Furka Pass from Gletsch. On the way, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of the majestic peaks of the Alps.

Valais is known for its numerous mountain passes, some of the highest in the Alps. These passes are not only important transport links, but also popular destinations for road cycling due to their spectacular landscapes and views. Some of the most beautiful passes in Valais are:

• Furka Pass - 2,436 m - connects the two cantons of Uri and Valais, one of the most impressive passes in the Alps with a unique view of the mountains with Gotthard, Matterhorn and the Rhone Glacier, a scene from the film was shot at the James Bond Goldfinger Curve and at the Hotel Belvedere you can visit an ice grotto in the Rhone Glacier.
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• Grimsel Pass - 2.164 m - connects the Upper Valais with the Bernese Oberland, the pass road is 6 kilometres long and covers 412 metres of altitude with an average gradient of 6.9%, from the Grimsel Pass you have an impressive panoramic view of the Bernese, Uri and Valais High Alps, on a racing bike tour you can visit the power station.
• Nufenenpass - 2,478 m - the highest pass that lies entirely on Swiss soil, connecting the cantons of Valais in the west and Ticino in the east and separating the Gotthard Group in the north from the Leone Group in the south, especially the scenic west ramp offers a magnificent view of the Gries glacier and the Griessee, the highest Swiss reservoir.
• Simplon Pass - 2,006 m - one of the most important and beautiful mountain passes in the Alps, connecting Switzerland from Brig, Valais to Domodossola in Italy, the pass is open all year round and ideal for road cycling 
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• Col de la Forclaz - 1,527 m - connects the Rhone Valley in Valais with the Valaisan in the canton of Vaud and offers the possibility to get from the western Swiss passes to the Savoy Alps while racing cycling.