Albula Pass

The Albula Pass (Pass da l'Alvra) crosses from the Albula valley to La Punt Chamues-ch in the Upper Engadine, in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The summit is at 2,312 m and has a hospice. The road from Filisur over the top to La Punt Chamues-ch is 30.4 km, with a maximum gradient of 12%.

The north side is the long one, 21.4 km from Filisur through Bergün and Preda at an average of 5.6%. The south side is 9 km down to La Punt at an average of 6.9%. The road still has some very narrow passages from its coach road days.

The route was a mule trail before the Romans, and the Bishops of Chur took tolls on it in the Middle Ages. In 1695 gunpowder was used for the first time to blast a tunnel in the Albula Gorge, and from 1864 to 1866 the road was widened to 4.20 m for horse drawn post coaches. The Albula railway opened on 1 July 1903, and the Rhaetian Railway's Albula and Bernina line is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• From Filisur the road climbs through Bergün and Preda, with some passages still very narrow.
• The pass country holds Lai da Palpuogna, the Crap Alv natural forest reserve with its green blue lakes and three raised bogs, limestone and dolomite cliffs, and rock humps smoothed by glaciers.
• The ETH Zurich research station at Alp Weissenstein sits on the pass.
• The 2,312 m summit has a hospice with a restaurant.
• The south side drops 9 km to La Punt Chamues-ch in the Engadine.
• Best way to experience it: drive or ride it yourself in your own car or a hire car or on a motorbike, or join one of the guided tours that run on it.

• The Albula closes for winter, usually from November or December until May or June. In winter the road from Preda to Bergün becomes a sledging run. The pass was open with no restrictions on 2 November 2026.
• Vehicle limits: 11 t maximum weight (18 t allowed between Bergün and Preda), 2.30 m maximum width and 3.30 m maximum height. Heavy vehicles may not tow trailers.
• The slowUp Mountain Albula cycling day closes the pass to motor traffic on one Sunday in early September. Graubünden Ferien publishes the date each year.
• In summer the Bus alpin crosses the pass.

• Last verified: 3 November 2026
• Official link: https://www.graubuenden.ch/de/ausflugsziele/albulapass