Albulapass, CH

The Albulapass links Bergün in the Albula valley with La Punt in the Upper Engadine, at 2,315 metres, deep in the Albula Alps of Graubünden. A high, quiet pass that most people only know from the train. The Albula tunnel of the Rhaetian Railway runs beneath the pass road, and the railway line above it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The road itself is narrow, closed in winter, and climbs over a good 21 kilometres and more than 1,300 metres of ascent. Category HC.

The Albulapass at a glance

You ride it from Filisur, up through Bergün and on to the pass. Around 21.7 kilometres, roughly 1,344 metres of climbing, 6.2 percent on average, up to twelve percent at its steepest. The sign at the top reads 2,315 metres, Wikipedia says 2,312. The reference point for altitude measurement in Switzerland has changed, and under the current method the lower figure is the correct one. Your legs will not notice the difference. To the south the pass drops into the Upper Engadine towards La Punt.

The climb from Filisur

The start out of Filisur stays gentle for a long time. The first kilometres run through the valley at two to four percent, before a ramp rears up to around twelve percent just before Bergün, the steepest point of the whole climb. In Bergün, at just under 1,400 metres, it flattens out again, almost a kilometre to catch your breath.

Then the real pass begins. From around kilometre nine the road settles into a steady eight to nine percent and holds it through the long switchbacks of the upper section. Forest gives way to open high-mountain landscape, the air thins out. Only in the last two kilometres does the gradient ease and open up the view to the pass.

History and railway

The Albula is an old mule track. In 1695 the citizens of Bergün blasted the most difficult stretch at the Bergünerstein out of the rock. Back then the Albula was the alternative route whenever the Julier and Septimer passes were impassable. The pass lost its traffic significance with the railway. In 1903 the Albula line of the Rhaetian Railway opened, threading beneath the pass through bold spiral tunnels and over viaducts. That line is a UNESCO World Heritage Site today.

In racing the Albula plays a minor role. The Tour de Suisse sends the peloton up here now and then, a good dozen times in its history. The pass is more famous in winter. Between Preda and Bergün the closed Albula road becomes Europe’s longest natural toboggan run, six kilometres on a sledge instead of on tyres.

Practical tips

The season is short. Because of avalanche danger the pass is closed from November to June, so it is rideable roughly from July into October. If you want to be sure, plan for high summer.

The road is narrow but, since the railway tunnel was built, lightly trafficked, and that is exactly what makes the Albula so pleasantly quiet. There is food in Bergün halfway up and down in Filisur and La Punt. If you travel by Rhaetian Railway, you can combine the climb neatly with the train logistics, bikes carried on board.

How does the Albula stack up?

Among the high passes of Graubünden the Albula is the understated one. It is longer and steadier than the steeper Flüelapass one valley over, and it climbs higher than most of its neighbours. If you like the big, open Swiss passes, the Sustenpass plays in the same league: long, high, scenically grand. The Albula adds the silence that the tunnel beneath it has handed back to the road.

The Albula is one of those passes you ride for the landscape, not for the gradient. If you want it on your wall, you will find it on our 100 Climbs posters, with the Top 50 edition also available in a more compact format.

How high is the Albulapass?

The pass tops out at 2,315 metres according to the sign, or 2,312 metres under the current Swiss measurement method. Either way the Albula is one of the high Alpine passes of Graubünden and carries the HC category.

When is the Albulapass open for road cyclists?

Usually from July into October, depending on snow. From November to June the pass is closed because of avalanche danger. In winter the closed section between Preda and Bergün turns into a toboggan run.

How hard is the climb from Filisur?

At 21.7 kilometres and 1,344 metres of climbing the Albula is a long ascent, but at a moderate 6.2 percent on average. The steepest ramp, around twelve percent, sits just before Bergün, and the rest climbs steadily. Long, but easy to pace.