ViaGottardo, Stage 9/20

Closely watched by the devil, the route leads from Wassen to Göschenen and through the bottleneck of the Schöllenenschlucht gorge to Andermatt. The sequence of historic routes, bridges, customs posts and hostels bring pre-modern transport to life.

From the Wassen, Dorf bus stop, the mountain trail leads out of the village, initially losing some elevation as far as Wattingen. The long ascent towards Göschenen then begins. Woodland and open slopes alternate, with the white-red-white waymarks accompanying the entire route. Göschenen is reached after around five kilometres and is a good place for a short break.

Beyond the village, the ascent continues. The route remains a mountain hiking trail, climbing steadily across open meadows and through sections of woodland. Most of the tour’s approximately 680 metres of ascent are covered along this section. Shortly before Andermatt, the hike reaches its highest point at around 1,440 m.

From there, it is not much farther. A short descent leads to Andermatt, where the route ends near the Andermatt, Tourist Info bus stop. Just over three hours should be allowed for the approximately ten kilometres.