Around the Swiss Alps in a Porsche: following in the footsteps of 007
Alf parked up at Fluela Pass. Pic: Simon Henwood
“James Bond drove this,” I think as I approach the bottom of Switzerland’s Furkapass, a 2,429m-high col down which 007 was pursued by a glamorous blonde in a convertible Ford Mustang in the 1964 movie classic .
Bond was in his famous Aston Martin DB5, of course, but I’m actually able to feel a vague sense of superiority over 007 in the knowledge that his stratospherically expensive wheels would never have kept up with my far more modest but much racier modern classic, a 2008 Porsche Boxster RS60.
The Furkapass is the kind of road this sporty little convertible was designed for — sinuous as a python and with mountain vistas to die for — and it makes up part of the magnificent Grand Tour of Switzerland, a 1,600km loop of this spectacular country which I’m undertaking over eight days.
The journey had begun almost a week before in Nyon on the shores of Lake Geneva, after crossing from England to Calais on Le Shuttle and blasting across France at the start of a heat wave — perfect conditions for driving a soft top sports car along some of the most scenic roads in Europe.
After a relaxing night in Nyon’s spacious, Scandi-style Yotel Lake Geneva I make an early morning beeline for the lake to enjoy a dip before I set off on my first leg of the Grand Tour.
By the time I leave for my destination of Neuchâtel via the Swiss National Museum in the historic Château de Prangins, temperatures are hitting 30˚C, so I’m pleased that my route takes me into the foothills of the wooded Jura Mountains where I can escape the heat.
Neuchâtel lies at the heart of the Swiss watch-making industry, and at the Centre Horloger in the middle of town I have the opportunity to ‘make’ a watch myself — well, to attempt the very basics of the craft; for anyone who grew up making Airfix and Meccano kits it’s an appealing challenge, but I think I’ll stick to my day job.
From here it’s on to the Hôtel Palafitte, where individual ‘pavilions’ set on ‘stilts’ perch above the jade green waters of Lac de Neuchâtel; a ladder from each pavilion allows access to the lake, where I can swim while gazing across the water to the Swiss Alps thrusting skywards in the distance.
My first taste of the mountains comes the following day after an undulating drive to Lauterbrunnen, where the Schilthorn Cableway, the world’s steepest cable car, takes me to the spectacularly located Piz Gloria Restaurant, and another James Bond connection.
The revolving restaurant features in — I remember watching it as a kid, but never did I think I’d be driving an open-top sports car through the achingly beautiful mountain landscapes that feature in the movie.
After a late lunch I follow the glittering north shore of Lake Thun to Bern and the hip Harry’s Home Hotel.
The Swiss capital exudes the kind of calm and efficiency you expect of Switzerland, from the shady, relaxing Rosengarten overlooking the Aare River to the bustling Unesco old town and its famous 13th-century Zytglogge clock tower — the workings of its astronomical clock date back to 1530 and I’m able to clamber up inside the tower to see them operating, marvelling at the fact they’ve been doing their thing for almost 500 years without a break (unless someone forgets to wind the clock…).
With no let up in temperatures I’m glad to arrive in Lucerne on the third day of the trip and dive into its lake before checking in at the elegant Waldstätterhof Hotel in the city centre, after which I beetle along on a combination of bus, cable car, and funicular railway to the summit of 2,120m Mount Pilatus above the city.
From here there are splendiferous views across what seems like most of Switzerland — the massive chain of the Swiss Alps to the south and east, the more modest Jura Mountains to the west, and the rolling plains and lakes of the north — I take a deep breath (the air is pretty thin up here) and drink it all in.
A long drive and lack of time on day four means that planned excursions in the less visited north-east corner of the country have to be ditched as I head for Appenzell in idyllic ‘Heidi country’ — for some reason, the area seems to be especially popular with Korean and Japanese tourists, some of whom even dress as Heidi. Each to their own, I suppose.
The luxurious Appenzeller Huus just outside the eponymous town proves an oasis of tranquillity after the day’s long, hot drive, although someone really should ask the local church to ease up on the hourly bell ringing after midnight.
Somewhat bleary eyed I set off on day five, excited by the fact that today, and for the rest of the trip, the Boxster will really get a chance to go through its paces, for I’m now heading into the Swiss Alps proper and the mountain passes start to come thick and fast.
I blast beneath the sun-kissed summit of 2,502m Säntis before skirting around Liechtenstein, then on to Davos where I enjoy a coffee while watching various supercars growling their way through town, then it’s over the 2,383m Flüelapass, passing between the sparkling waters of Lai de la Scotta and Lai Nair, before turning south for glitzy St Moritz, 200km from the day’s start point.
I feel like James Bond himself as I check in at the five-star Grace La Margna Hotel, handing the Porsche’s keys to the valet to park, then briefly crashing out on a bed the size of a small aircraft carrier before renting an e-mountain bike to go off and explore the local forests and mountains.
Day six and yet more mountain passes — today’s 159km drive takes me over the rocky 2,284m Julierpass, which the Boxster eats up for breakfast before lunching on the intricately twisting turns of 2,066m Passo del San Bernardino, huge crags and peaks bearing down from above, then, man and machine in (almost) perfect harmony, we make the long descent to the lovely medieval city of Bellinzona with its three Unesco World Heritage Site castles.
Here, with temperatures hitting 40˚C, the weather finally breaks in a massive thunderstorm, which gives me the perfect excuse to chill out in the friendly and relaxing La Tureta Hotel Bellinzona and do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.
The following morning brings the most spectacular day of the Grand Tour as I drive up the St Gotthard Pass — cobbled in places, it’s long been the most strategically important mountain pass in Switzerland due to its central location, after which the exposed and open Furkapass brings me back into James Bond territory — the road even has a section called ‘James Bond Strasse’.
From here I speed down into the flat Rhône Valley before yet another meandering mountain climb to the ski resort of Nendaz, where the spa of the Hotel Mad Mount beckons — the cold plunge pool is more than welcome as the temperature has risen into the thirties yet again.
I round the day off with a walk into the mountains to enjoy an al fresco raclette and a glass or three of the local Fendant white wine among pastures ringing to the sound of cowbells — about as Swiss as it gets.
Next day I join local mountain bike guide Loïc Strebelle for a morning ride up to the turquoise waters of the Cleuson Dam, after which I hop into the Boxster for the final leg of my Grand Tour, a short drive to Les Diablerets on the opposite side of the Rhône Valley, and the Glacier Hotel, located beneath a range of enormous crags rising up to 3,000m.
It’s upon these peaks that my Grand Tour finishes, when early next morning I take the 10-minute drive to the 1,589m Col du Pillon, park the car, and take the cable car to 2,971m Scex Rouge for the Tissot Peak Walk.
Little more than a stroll from the cable car station, the walk essentially consists of making your way across a 109m-long suspension bridge between two alpine peaks while enjoying a scintillating panorama of 24 4,000m peaks, including the Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Grand
Combin, and Mont Blanc, not to mention much else of Switzerland as well.
It seems fitting to finish my journey with a view that takes in so much of the country I’ve enjoyed travelling through for the last week; the fact I’ve been able to do it in a fancy sports car is an added bonus, for whatever you’re driving, the Grand Tour of Switzerland is exactly that —grand in every sense of the word.
- Find out more about the Grand Tour here
- Download the Grand Tour app here
- Switzerland Tourism
- Le Shuttle
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