Airolo-Andermatt

The entire route over the Gotthard follows the signage of Via Gottardo No. 7 from Schweiz Mobil. From Airolo, the path leads steadily upwards. After passing through the village, the trail partly follows paths, partly the old mule track (13th century), and includes short sections on the old Tremola pass road (opened 1832) up to the Ospizio San Gottardo and the Gotthard Pass. The first part offers beautiful views back into the Leventina and ahead into the Bedrettotal, which leads to the Nufenen Pass. The ascent is surprisingly little disturbed by traffic noise: the railway (tunnel openings 1882 and 2016) and the motorway (1980) run beneath, the pass road (1977 opened) does not go through the lower part of Val Tremola, where the trail runs, and only a few cars and motorcycles are on the old Tremola pass road. Once on the pass, a visit to the museum and the historic Sasso military fortress, including the Gotthard experience world with crystals, is worthwhile. Those who stay overnight will experience a quiet mountain landscape in the evening. The descent to Hospental is comparatively gentle and follows the Gotthard Reuss. Along the way, you pass an impressive ventilation shaft of the Gotthard road tunnel. Upon arrival in the Urserental at Hospental, you are greeted at the Karlskapelle with the following sentence on the facade: "Here the path divides, oh friend, where are you going? Do you want to descend to eternal Rome, down to holy Cologne, to the German Rhine? Far west into Franconia?" At the station, you then encounter a sign for the "Rhine-Reuss-Rhone pilgrim route," which continues from Disentis/Sedrun as the continuation of the Graubünden pilgrimage route via Oberalp Pass and Furka Pass, then along the Rhone through the Valais to St. Maurice and onwards on the Via Francigena to Lake Geneva. Those who want to continue on the Ticino path will plan the continuation via Andermatt - Schöllenen - Amsteg - Lake Lucerne, where the path joins the Via Jacobi No. 4 shortly before Emmetten. From Hospental to Andermatt, the trail follows along the Reuss and the golf course.