Driving Tours

The Lower Engadine is reached from Davos over the Flüela Pass (2,345m/7,692 ft.) and the Ofen Pass (2,115m/6,937 ft.). Four major passes lead into the Upper Engadine: Maloja (1,786m/5,858 ft.), Julier (2,248m/7,373 ft.), Albula (2,275m/7,462 ft.), and Bernina (2,286m/7,498 ft.). The upper valley contains several lakes, including that of St. Moritz.

If you have time to drive only one of these passes, and weather conditions are right, make it the Bernina Pass, a 2-hour, 55km (34-mile) drive between St. Moritz and Tirano in Italy. This pass is one of the most spectacular in Europe, and is most often blocked by snow from October to May. Since the pass is not cleared at night, it's best to start out in daytime.

Leaving St. Moritz, on the way toward Pontresina, you'll pass Muottas Muragl, from which you can take a funicular to an altitude of 2,414m (7,918 ft.), where you'll be rewarded with the most stunning view of the Upper Engadine Gap. The panorama also takes in a chain of lakes lying between St. Moritz and Maloja. From the top of the station, you can take some of the most dramatic mountain walks in eastern Switzerland, enjoying the alpine flora and fauna.

The road passes by Pontresina, a resort, and continues until the Chünetta Belvedere at 2,050m (6,724 ft.). You cannot drive all the way to the top of the belvedere; you'll have to go 1 hour on foot. At the belvedere, the spectacular peaks of the Bernina Massif, including Piz Bernina and Piz Morteratsch, lie before you.

As you continue along, you'll pass another sign, directing you to the Diavolezza, another spectacular belvedere at 2,723m (8,931 ft.) that includes a 15-minute journey by cable car. Diavolezza is the starting point of one of the most famous glacier runs in the world.

After crossing the Bernina Pass, where there are clear views of the Piz Cambrena and its glacier, you come to Alp Grüm at 2,058m (6,750 ft.), overlooking the Palü Glacier and the Poschiavo Valley. Going through the resort of Poschiavo you arrive finally at Tirano on the downward slope, passing through tobacco fields and vineyards. At Tirano you will have arrived on Italian soil.