The best driving roads in Switzerland

Switzerland is the spiritual home of the alpine drive. Inside a country roughly the size of the Netherlands sit more world-class driving roads than most continents can muster — the Furka, Grimsel and Susten "Big Three" within an hour of each other, the Klausen, the Bernina, the Albula, and the long, scenic transits over the Gotthard and Simplon. The road surfaces are excellent, the engineering is uncompromising, and the geography stacks pass on top of pass with almost theatrical precision.

What sets Swiss driving apart is the combination of quality and access. Roads are kept in good condition, signage is clear, and the Swiss approach to alpine maintenance means most major passes open reliably from late May or June through October. The country's vignette system is straightforward (CHF 40, valid for the calendar year), and police presence is constant but predictable — drive within the limits and the Alps reward you with some of the most concentrated good driving on Earth.

Base out of Andermatt, Interlaken or St. Moritz and you can stitch together a four-day loop that touches a dozen iconic passes without a single dull transit. The roads listed here are the ones we'd put on any first-time visitor's itinerary, and the ones that still hold up after a hundred drives.