The 10 Highest Paved Mountain Passes in Europe

The Alps contain spectacular high paved mountain passes that connect valleys once separated by impassable terrain. These routes attract road-trippers, cyclists, motorcyclists, and major racing groups. The passes were carved through rock and ice over centuries of engineering ambition. The list ranks ten of the continent’s highest paved mountain passes from lower to higher elevations. The Furka Pass in Switzerland links Uri and Valais, is typically open from late June to mid-October, and is known for a James Bond scene on sweeping hairpin bends above the Rhône Glacier. The Umbrail Pass is the highest paved road in Switzerland and connects Val Müstair with the Italian side near Bormio.

"The spectacular mountain passes in the European Alps attract visitors each summer; some come to travel from A to B while others are just there for the experience. Carved through rock and ice over centuries of engineering ambition, they connect valleys that were once separated by impassable terrain. Today, they draw cyclists, motorcyclists, road-trippers, and the occasional Tour de France peloton."

"The Furka Pass connects the cantons of Uri and Valais across the central Swiss Alps - connecting Gletsch and Andermatt via Realp - and is considered one of the Swiss Alps "Big Three." The road was opened to motorized traffic in 1925 and is typically accessible from late June to mid-October before heavy snow forces its closure."

"The Furka is best known internationally for a single scene: the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, in which an Aston Martin and a Rolls-Royce play cat and mouse on the road's sweeping hairpin bends above the Rhne Glacier. The glacier itself, visible from the pass, has retreated dramatically since filming - a sobering reminder of how much the Alps have changed in six decades."

"The Umbrail Pass is the highest paved road in Switzerland and one of the lesser-known gems of the Alpine pass network. It connects Val Mstair in the Swiss canton of Graubnden with the Italian side near Bormio, joining the S"

Read at SnowBrains