In a country packed with Alpine delights, four languages, and the world’s topmost producers of watches, sights are of an epic scale, but distances between them are short. Thus, against a backdrop of immense forested mountains, lush meadows, azure lakes, and cobalt-blue skies, I travelled across just a small part of the immaculate alpine passes and ravines and saw Switzerland as it’s meant to be seen – from the road driving a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS.
As time was short, I needed to focus on the sights I most wanted to experience and planned my Grand Tour road trip accordingly – creating a driving nirvana through Switzerland’s south-east corner, travelling just 650km in four days. Within an hour of leaving Zurich, I found myself getting up close and personal with some of the most spectacular eye-candy on the planet. All my petrol-head expectations were surpassed and replaced by the stuff of motoring dreams – driving on twisting asphalt, cobbled streets, and snow-covered mountain tracks.
My first Grand Tour night I spent in Bad Ragaz, where I checked into the multi-award-winning Hotel Quellenhof (acclaimed as one of the world’s leading spas), whose privately owned 124 acres of landscaped gardens have been transformed by art.
Making a slow start to Davos, the highest town in Europe, I took a short diversion to savour the views from the elegant architectural masterpiece of the Salginatobel Bridge, en route driving through villages of timber-clad homes covered in larch tiles – all with their grain stores on stilts. A further detour led me to the Walserhuus Sertig, a traditional chalet restaurant with a panoramic mountain view, and a local speciality of smoked bacon and pearl barley soup, served by traditionally dressed waitresses in time-honoured costumes.
Before heading to my designer Grischa Hotel in Davos, once an isolated mountain-farming village turned winter tourist resort, I stopped at BierVision in Monstein, the highest altitude microbrewery in Europe. Following a guided tour, I took to their basement bar, Gambrinus, where I sampled their terrific whisky, eggnog, and cured meats.
Leaving Davos, I set the GPS for St. Moritz. Reaching an elevation of 2383m, the Flüela Pass goes almost unnoticed in the pantheon of Europe’s great driving roads, and ironically, I drove it en route to the most lauded, the Stelvio Pass. From Davos, the Flüela runs for the best part of 28kms, mixing tempting straights, gorgeous curves, and 37 proper bends. The road starts to climb almost immediately, at first gently and then more precipitously towards the peak. The 911 ate the first few kilometres with disdain, yet the engine note barely rose above a snarl. At this point, and in the absence of any real testing corners, it occurred to me that I had neglected to engage ‘Sports Mode’ – which changed everything.
I pointed the 911’s nose to northern Italy and the Stelvio Pass, the ascent of which offers 75 vigorous full lock hairpin bends and demanding serious driving know-how. Shortly before reaching the summit, the scenery changed from picture-postcard to a breathtaking snowline vista. Towards the top, it was near impossible to get the speed up as the bends were so close together. A few final, dramatic hairpins had me at the summit and into a small parking area where I stopped to fully appreciate the view and vertical drop-offs.
Descending was just as challenging, but the rear-biased weight distribution of the 911 pushed me out of the corners and launched me into bends at great velocity, and a gorgeous throttle blip was thrown in prior to each downshift under braking.
I’ve never thought of the 911 as a handsome car, but this variant is by far the easiest to look at. It’s 10mm lower than the normal Carrera S – in fact 20mm lower with optional sports suspension (PASM) fitted to my review car – the GTS also has wider hips, track, and huge tyres front and back to keep the whole thing dirty side down. It has a slightly longer wheelbase too, which adds to its looks, and the increased track further adds to the feeling of stability in the corners.
It was my distinct feeling that I’d already learnt all I needed to know about the GTS. Thus, with reluctance, I rolled off the pass and into the pretty village of Guarda, where I lunched at the splendid Meisser Hotel.
Later, I took myself off to my final destination – the champagne climate and seductive shops of St Moritz. I stopped for a cheese-making demonstration at the Alpine Cheese Dairy Morteratsch, then did a guided tour of St Moritz, where I discovered the Engadin nutcake, Hatecke’s triangular cured venison sausage (displayed like jewellery in bottom-lit cabinets), and found a mini chocolate factory in the basement of the Confiserie Hauser. Fractionally fatter, I put my feet up at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof’s fabulous bar, taking in an expertly blended Black Russian.
Heading back to Zurich, I passed several picture-book villages and more than once stopped to marvel at this diminutive country’s unparalleled beauty. Switzerland is truly the land of superlatives, with the tastiest of roads. Another mountain pass came into view, and I immediately engaged ‘Sport Mode’, all fluffy thoughts evaporating.