There is a unique romance to a mountain pass. It is a challenge laid down by nature, a line on a map that promises more than passage — it promises a journey. High in the heart of the Swiss Alps, one road transcends all others to become a true icon of automotive folklore: the Furka Pass. To the uninitiated it is a spectacular route; to those who understand, it is a pilgrimage.
The Cinematic Immortality
For many, the legend of the Furka was solidified in 1964. In the cinematic masterpiece Goldfinger, a spirited chase unfolds on its dramatic hairpins. The sight of Sean Connery's Aston Martin DB5, resplendent in Silver Birch, cresting a corner with a sheer drop on one side and the imposing Hotel Belvédère on the other, became an indelible moment in film history. This wasn't just a car chase; it was a ballet of machine and landscape. The Furka Pass was no longer just a location; it was a co-star, its stoic beauty forever linked to the world’s most famous secret agent and the golden age of motoring.
The Driver's Temple: The Heart of Car Culture
This is where the story connects directly to us, to the very essence of car culture. Why do we seek out roads like this? It is about testing the bond between ourselves and our machines.
The challenge is written in its statistics. The classic western ascent from Gletsch is a tight, dramatic climb: a staircase of 8 demanding hairpin bends in just 7 kilometers, with a steep, challenging gradient that carries you to the summit at 2,429 meters. The iconic Hotel Belvédère itself marks the climax of this climb at 2,271 meters. The eastern side offers a different character: a faster, more flowing 16-kilometer descent into Andermatt with broader, sweeping corners.
A note of advice for the modern pilgrim is essential. The Furka Pass is a seasonal experience, typically open only from June to October. It is crucial to consult official Swiss road authority websites before any journey, as these dates shift with the year's snowfall. Even at the height of summer, be prepared for unpredictable mountain weather, as a sudden storm can cause temporary closures for a day. For the purest driving experience, we recommend an early weekday morning or a trip in September, when the summer crowds have thinned, and the alpine light is at its most spectacular.
"The drive is the ritual, and the summit is the revelation.”
The Sentinel of the Summit – Hotel Belvédère
At the very peak of this experience stands the Hotel Belvédère. More than just a backdrop, it is an icon with a rich, poignant history. Opened in 1882 during the golden age of alpinism, its purpose was to offer guests a front-row seat to the magnificent Rhône Glacier. In those days, the river of ice was a powerful presence, reaching right up to the road and allowing visitors to walk from the hotel directly into a hand-carved ice grotto.
But as the 20th century progressed, the very attraction that gave the Belvédère its purpose began a slow, inevitable retreat. The glacier melted, receding hundreds of meters up the valley and leaving the hotel behind. With its primary allure now a distant view, the grand hotel eventually closed its doors in 2015, becoming a perfectly preserved monument to a bygone era.
Today, while its rooms are silent, the Hotel Belvédère is more alive than ever in the consciousness of the driver. Its large parking area has become a de facto stage for automotive beauty, a globally recognized spot for photoshoots. A small kiosk offers refreshments to weary travelers, and a path still invites you to walk towards the glacier, a tangible reminder of the power of time. The hotel remains a sentinel, watching not only the cars that pass but the very landscape as it changes around it.
A Final Note
Collecting roads and passes has become my ritual. It’s an instinct many of us share — that urge to follow a road that climbs into the sky.
When I travel for the business, I always search for a rooftop: a way to see the city from above. A mountain pass offers the same perspective — a road as sculpture, a line drawn into the land. It reminds me why we drive, and why we keep seeking these climbs.
This is me speaking to you as a fellow driver. The Apex Collection is only the beginning — more climbs, more perspectives, will follow.
Own a Piece of the Legend
The feeling of a perfect drive on the Furka Pass is fleeting, but the power of its iconography is eternal. The story of the road, the hotel, and its cinematic legacy is one that every enthusiast deserves to have in their collection. It is this belief that led us to create "The Belvédère: The Sentinel," an archival aluminum print that captures the soul of this legendary place under a canopy of stars.
It is more than a picture; it is a piece of automotive history, a tribute to the spirit of the drive. We invite you to bring this story home.
The Author : Emanuela Petrelli
Emanuela Petrelli is an automotive curator and experience designer exploring mechanical memory through images and narrative. She is the founder of Still Motion, a curated archive of limited-edition prints and editorials that connect aesthetics, engineering, and culture. Her work interprets and preserves the soul of machines and the visual codes that made them icons.
