Lötschberg

Many mountain passes connect north and south of the Alps, but most are not accessible by car. Loetschberg Tunnel car shuttle train, between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, is the only connection open all year long between Bern and Valais.

In German, ‘Lötschberg’ means ‘Lötsch Mountain’, but no peak bears this name. In the past, the Lötschen Pass – a mountain pass linking Bern and Valais at an altitude of 2,690 metres – was known as the ‘Lötschberg’.

However, like other Alpine passes on the Bern–Valais border, such as the Sanetsch and Gemmi passes, the Lötsch Pass is not open to traffic. The only road pass linking the two cantons is the Grimsel Pass, further to the east, which is, of course, closed in winter.

The Lötschberg is, in fact, a railway tunnel. Or rather a pair of tunnels, since the one opened in 1913, linking Kandersteg (Bernese Oberland) to Goppenstein (Lötschental/VS) has, since 2007, been supplemented by the 34.6 km-long ‘base tunnel’, linking Frutigen (further down the Kander Valley) to Raron, between Gampel and Visp (Viège), on the banks of the Rhône.

It is the 1913 tunnel, nearly 15 km long, which is used for piggyback transport. For a relatively modest fee, you can load your car onto special wagons at Kandersteg and let yourself be taken leisurely to Goppenstein (or vice versa)...

In Kandersteg, however, be careful not to join the wrong queue: there are actually two different shuttle buses! One goes to Goppenstein, whilst the other takes you through the Lötschberg and Simplon tunnels and drops you off at Iselle in Italy.