Valais/Italian border
Great Saint-Bernard Pass
The Great Saint-Bernard pass is one of the most famous alpine routes
History
For centuries the pass was the most important and strategic of transit points. When Augustus was planning the conquest of Britannia, he ordered the track to be widened, making it passable for carts. Bernard of Menthon in the eleventh century came to the rescue of travellers by founding the hostel. In 1800 Napoleon’s army used the pass to enter Italy - compared by writers at the time to Hannibal’s quest. A tunnel built in 1964 bypasses the pass road.
Notes
The pass is the third-highest road in the Alps. On the Italian side is the 305-metre-long Dardanelli Viaduct, built in 1964 and famous for its appearance in the film The Italian Job. The village of Saint Rhemy is the last inhabited place on the Italian side and was home to the Marronniers who held the right to accompany travellers and provide safe passage over the pass. The Tour des Fous rock formation was said to be infested by the Saracens. At the summit is a glacial lake that is frozen 265 days a year. The monastery houses a permanent community of monks and serves as a spiritual centre and retreat for visitors.
Map
Statistics
| Summit coordinates | 45°52’08.0”N, 7°10’14.0”E |
|---|---|
| Summit Altitude | 2469 metres |
| Distance | 82 kilometres |
| Start | Martigny |
| End | Aosta |
| Opens | June to mid-October |
Swiss Passes
- Index
- Albula pass
- Bernina pass
- Col de Champex
- Col de la Croix
- Col de la Forclaz
- Col du Marchairuz
- Col des Mosses
- Col du Pillon
- Flüela pass
- Furka pass
- Great Saint-Bernard pass
- Gotthard pass
- Grimsel pass
- Jaun pass
- Julier pass
- Klausen pass
- Lukmanier pass
- Majola pass
- Nufenen pass
- Oberalp pass
- Ofen pass
- San Bernardino pass
- Simplon pass
- Splügen pass
- Susten pass
- Umbrail pass