The Simplon Pass carries a well-built road from Brig in the Upper Valais to Domodossola in Italy, and unlike most high Swiss passes it is normally kept open throughout the winter. From Geneva Airport the journey follows the motorway along Lake Geneva and up the Rhône valley before the climb, making it a natural route towards Lake Maggiore and Milan, which lies about 329 km and 3 h 50 from GVA. AirportsTransfers.ch drivers use it year-round for transfers into northern Italy.
- Route: Brig, the Simplon summit, Gondo and Domodossola
- Season: normally open in winter, with short closures in severe weather
- Altitude: the summit lies at about 2,000 m
- Landmarks: the hospice, the stone eagle and the Gondo gorge
- Border crossing: the route crosses the border into Italy at Gondo
The road from Brig to the summit
Brig sits at the eastern end of the main Valais valley, reached from Geneva on the A9 past Montreux, Martigny, Sion and Visp. From the town the pass road climbs in broad curves above the Saltina gorge, with views back over the Rhône valley and towards the Bernese Alps. The modern road is wide and engineered for year-round use, with galleries and bridges guarding the most exposed sections. Near the top, the landscape opens into a high, rolling basin with scattered hamlets and, in winter, a deep covering of snow. The summit itself is broad rather than dramatic, which is part of why the road can be kept clear when narrower passes are shut.
Napoleon's road and the hospice
The first carriage road over the Simplon was built in the early nineteenth century on Napoleon's orders, to move troops and goods between France and his Italian territories. Napoleon also ordered a hospice at the pass, completed after his time and still run by the canons of the Great St Bernard, who offer accommodation and a quiet place to stop. Close by, a large stone eagle commemorates the soldiers who guarded the border during the Second World War, and it has become the pass's most photographed sight. The older mule track used for centuries before the road can still be traced in places; in Brig, the Stockalper Palace recalls the merchant who grew rich on trade across the Simplon in the seventeenth century.
Down to Gondo and Domodossola
On the southern side, the road descends past the village of Simplon Dorf and into the Gondo gorge, a narrow, steep-sided cleft where road and river squeeze between rock walls. Gondo is the last Swiss village before the border, and almost immediately you are in Italy, following the Val Divedro down to Domodossola. From there, the valley widens and the road continues towards Lake Maggiore, with Stresa and the Borromean Islands within easy reach, and on to the motorway network around Milan. In winter, the southern side often has less snow than the north, though ice can linger in the gorge.
The Simplon in winter
Because the Simplon is a major international route, the Swiss authorities give it high priority for snow clearing. It is usually open even in the depths of winter, though it can close briefly during heavy snowfall or avalanche danger, and chains may be required when signs say so. Conditions can change quickly at altitude, so a winter crossing calls for a well-equipped vehicle and a driver used to mountain roads. For travellers, the reward is a crossing to Italy that stays available while the Furka, Grimsel, Nufenen and Great St Bernard pass roads lie under snow.
Road pass or rail tunnel?
Deep below the pass runs the Simplon rail tunnel, opened in the early twentieth century and for decades one of the longest in the world. It carries passenger and freight trains between Brig and Iselle, so if you are travelling by train you go under the mountain rather than over it. For a road journey, the pass is the way across. The two serve different needs: the train suits travellers with light luggage heading for a city station, while the road suits those going to a specific hotel, a lakeside villa or a resort, especially with skis, children or a lot of bags, because it takes you to the door.
Crossing the Simplon with a private transfer
AirportsTransfers.ch offers transfers from Geneva Airport over the Simplon to Domodossola, Lake Maggiore and Milan. The price is fixed per vehicle and shown before you pay securely online by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with tolls included. On arrival, your chauffeur waits with a name sign, having tracked your flight, and waiting time is included if you land late. Pick a Mercedes E-Class or S-Class for small parties, a V-Class for up to seven passengers with skis, or a Sprinter for groups; child seats are added on request. Questions can go to +41 78 346 56 77, by phone or WhatsApp, at any time.
