Albula Pass is a Swiss mountain pass in Graubünden canton which high point is at even 2312 meters.
Once you drive through Albula Pass, you are going to cross beautiful Swiss villages and adore the high Alps peaks. Once you reach the top you are going to drive through a beautiful valley which kind of reminds you of Iceland’s landscape as the mountains are rocky and the green grass meadows make you feel dreamy.
Even on the top of the mountain pass you will meet cows grazing in the fields and as well quite many campers enjoying the astonishing and wide views of the valley.
Albula Pass is a fascinating Swiss mountain pass – a hidden gem in the mountains of Switzerland.
Two other quite fascinating mountain passes are as well quite close to Albula Pass: Flüela Pass and Julierpass.
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Where is Albula Pass and how to reach it
Albula Pass is in the biggest and most mountainous canton of Switzerland – Graubünden. The closest big city to Albula Pass is Chur, smaller, but very famous village St. Moritz is as well not far from the pass. On the way to the top of Albula Pass you are as well going to cross a very beautiful small village Bergün, which as well has hotels and a shop.
The distance from the biggest cities by car to Albula Pass are:
From Zürich – 187 kilometers.
From Basel – 274 kilometers.
From Geneva – 463 kilometers.
The drive up to the Albula Pass is a perfect alpine drive which is full of beautiful views and multiple turns.
If you want to reach Albula Pass by public transport, you should head to Chur and Bever and La Punt Chamues direction and the last leg of the trip you will have to cover by bus which goes from La Punt Chamues train station.
Another possibility is to go to Preda village – it is on another side of the mountain pass and then cover again the last leg from Preda by bus to the Albula Hospice.
Albula Pass train
Albula Pass has a very nice old train connection called Rhaetian Railway which goes up to Preda (you can not reach the top of Albula Pass with it). Preda is a small village on the way to the top of the mountain pass at 1789 meters and guess with how many residents? 100? 200? Wrong! Preda has 3 residents. So it is a very small destination, but it has a train station and is a place of a famous Bergün sled tour.
Preda is as well a perfect starting point for a hike or bike ride up to Albula Pass.
Best places to sleep on Albula Pass
If you are going for a two-day adventure to Albula Pass, you can find really nice hotels on the way to the top of Albula Pass.
Bergün is a very cosy old village on the way to the top with some shops and restaurants, so it is a good place to spend a night:
Albula Hotel – it is a 3 star hotel in Bergün and only 5 minutes walk from the Bergün train station.
Kurhaus Bergün – a member of Swiss historic hotels, offers beautiful rooms with astonishing views to the mountains.
Hotel Weisses Kreuz – a beautiful hotel with a restaurant serving local specialties.
On the other side of Albula Pass you will find a small town called La Punt Chamues:
Hotel Chesa Staila – a stylish cosy hotel with a typical Swiss Arvenstube lounge with a winter garden.
Chalet Gulas – a perfect place for families or groups of friends as it has even 3 bedrooms. It is a perfect place for weekend gatherings and just image Christmas in that location.
Albula Pass opening dates
Albula Pass is quite a good exception in Switzerland and is basically open all year long. In winter you may experience worse weather and sometimes it can even be closed or you will be asked to use snow chains.
In the summertime, it is no problem to visit Albula Pass and you can even do it with your bike or motorcycle.
Albula Pass weather
It is always much chillier that high even if it is hot at the sea level before you begin to drive up the pass, you should be aware that it can get pretty cold up there even in the middle of summer. The temperature fluctuations can be drastic: 30 degrees at the sea level, 7-10 degrees on the top of Albula Pass.
In July the temperatures can get up to 15 degrees in the daytime, but around 3 degrees at night (Celsius).
But in the wintertime at night, the temperature can drop below 17 degrees minus by Celsius.
Albula Pass webcam
It is always a good idea to check the webcams before visiting Albula Pass and it is good that Switzerland is full of such camers.
You can check multiple cameras around Albula Pass and see the weather conditions.
I really do not suggest visit the mountain pass when it is foggy, as you are going to miss the amazing views and will be able to see just few meters in front of you.
Always best to visit the mountain pass on a sunny day.
You can check the cameras right here: Albula Webcams.
Albula Pass cycling
If you are a cycler and you are just looking for your next adventure – think no more, Albula Pass is a perfect destination.
It offers you a great alpine drive up the mountains with great paved roads and astonishing views.
Albula pass climb by bike
You can begin your Albula climb by bike from different destinations depending on your physical condition.
If you want to cover the full mountain pass, you can even start in Albula village or Filisur.
If you begin in Filisur (which you can reach by train), it is going to be a 2-3 hour bike ride where you are going to cover 21 kilometers and climb even 1300 meters. Most of the ride will be less steep than 9 percent.
The other possibility for you is to climb the mountain pass from the other side from a village called La Punt-Chamues you are going to cover 9 kilometers, climb 640 meters and afterward can go down 21 kilometers down to Filisur. Just be aware that there’s no train connection between Filisur and the top of Albula – you will have to take a bus from Preda village.
Albula Pass hiking
Even though the highest point of Albula Pass is at 2312 meters, it is surrounded by even higher peaks and it offers great routes to hike around.
Around Albula you can find quite a few peaks which are even higher than 3000 meters: Iglo Compass (3015 meters), Piz Üertsch (3268 meters), Piz Ot (3246 meters), and many other peaks which are very high as well.
The best time to hike these peaks is summertime from late Spring to early Autumn. In wintertime it can get very snowy and cold up there, so the hiking only possible with snowshoes and I must warn you to do so only if you are an experienced mountain winter hiker or you have a local guide.
Albula Pass Sledding, Preda – Bergün sledge
If you are ready for one of the most fun sledge rides in Europe, you are for a treat! You can find one of the longest and very well-maintained sledge ride in the world which starts in Preda and ends in Bergün. It begins in mid-December and ends in mid-March once the weather conditions are perfect.
The whole route is very winding and offers astonishing views to the mountains. The ride on the sledge run goes under the railway line and bridges. The Bergün sledge ride is ver well prepared for a safe descent for any rider. Sledging is also possible in the late evening because of very good lighting along the route.
If you do not have your own sledge – no worries, you can rent one in Bergün right here: Sledge rent. Once you have your sledge, you will jump onto the train which takes you to Preda and here we go – a perfect winter adventure begins.
Be aware that you can not use the route with plastic sledges, skis, can not walk onto it and take your dog. It is only for toboggans and wooden sledges.
Sleeping on Albula Pass in RV
On the top of Albula Pass you are going to find few very big parking lots (which are free) and they are a perfect place to spend a night if you are travelling with your RV. It doesn’t have any water or electricity connection, but it is a great place to relax and enjoy the views of valleys and mountains. I have visited Albula Pass myself 3 times and I always saw a lot of RVs on the top.
