The Great St Bernard is the historic crossing between the Swiss canton of Valais and Italy's Aosta Valley, with a road tunnel open all year and a high pass road open only in the summer months. From Geneva Airport you reach it by motorway along Lake Geneva to Martigny, then climb through the Val d'Entremont; the tunnel is the quick, reliable option, the pass the memorable one. AirportsTransfers.ch can drive you either way, depending on the season and how much time you have.
- Route: Martigny, Orsières and Bourg-Saint-Pierre to Aosta
- Tunnel: open year-round, reached through long covered galleries
- Pass: high road open roughly from early summer to autumn
- Highlight: the hospice at the summit and its famous dogs
- Border crossing: the route crosses the border into Italy
From Geneva to Martigny
The first part of the trip is pure Swiss motorway: past Lausanne, along the vineyards of Lavaux, beyond Montreux and into the Rhône valley, where the river bends sharply at Martigny. Verbier lies about 160 km and 2 h from the airport, and Martigny is a little closer, so most of the drive is spent on fast roads before the climb begins. At Martigny the road to the Great St Bernard turns south into the Val d'Entremont, passing Sembrancher and Orsières, where the valley leading to Champex and the Val Ferret splits away. Beyond Orsières the road climbs steadily, with wide views back over the valley, and the villages grow smaller and more alpine as you approach Bourg-Saint-Pierre.
The tunnel: the all-season option
Opened in the 1960s, the Great St Bernard Tunnel was the first road tunnel through the main chain of the Alps. It is approached from the Swiss side by a long series of covered galleries that protect the road from avalanches, so the final part of the climb feels sheltered even in deep winter. The tunnel itself is shorter than the Mont Blanc Tunnel and is subject to a toll. On the Italian side the road descends through Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses and down the Valle del Gran San Bernardo to Aosta. In winter this is the route to use, and it is also the quicker choice in summer when time matters, for instance when connecting with a flight. It is also the natural fallback when the Mont Blanc Tunnel is closed for maintenance.
The pass: a summer road to the hospice
When the snow has gone, usually from around June until the first heavy falls of autumn, the old road over the pass is open. It leaves the main route above Bourg-Saint-Pierre and climbs through open pasture and rock to the summit lake, at an altitude of a little under 2,500 m. Here stands the hospice founded in the Middle Ages by Bernard of Menthon to shelter travellers, still run by the canons of the Great St Bernard and still offering hospitality today. The pass itself marks the border, and a short walk takes you to the Italian side of the lake. Expect a narrower, twisting road on both flanks; it rewards an unhurried drive with stops for photographs rather than a fast transit.
The St Bernard dogs
The large, gentle dogs that carry the pass's name were bred at the hospice for centuries and helped the monks find travellers lost in snow and fog; the most famous, Barry, is credited with many rescues. Today the dogs no longer work in mountain rescue, but a foundation looks after the breeding line, and in summer dogs are brought up to the pass so visitors can see them. Down in Martigny, a dedicated dog museum and park tells their story and is open year-round, which makes it an easy stop on the way to or from the tunnel when the pass is snowbound. For families, combining the hospice in summer with a stop in Martigny turns the transfer into a day out.
Tunnel or pass: how to choose
Choose the tunnel if you are travelling between October and late spring, if you have a flight or meeting to make, or if you simply want the most predictable crossing. Choose the pass in summer if you have a couple of extra hours, want to see the hospice and the dogs, and enjoy mountain scenery more than motorway driving. A practical compromise is to take the pass in one direction and the tunnel in the other. Either way, the route links Martigny with Aosta, from where Courmayeur, Cervinia and the rest of the Aosta Valley are easily reached.
Planning a transfer over the Great St Bernard
When you book a transfer to the Aosta Valley with AirportsTransfers.ch, mention whether you would like to cross by the pass in summer; the fixed price is confirmed online before you pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with tolls included. Your chauffeur waits in arrivals with a name sign, follows your flight in real time and adjusts to any delay. Vehicles range from a Mercedes E-Class or S-Class sedan to a V-Class van with room for skis and a Sprinter minibus for groups, and child seats are fitted on request. Declare skis when booking, and reach the team 24/7 on +41 78 346 56 77 by phone or WhatsApp.
