ED Question: Is the Stelvio actually worth it?

[Fifth Echelon]

Hi folks - so I have my M4 delivery date at the Welt confirmed for August 6, and I am doing my best to come up with a 9-day routing from Munich to Nice (drop-off on the 15th). Part of the plan was to do the Stelvio pass from Davos, but after doing some research, it looks to be getting decidedly mixed reviews, with complaints such as....

• Too much traffic since Top Gear made it famous
• It's not actually fun to drive - back-to-back switchbacks with no fun high-speed corners
• The road pavement isn't great which makes it even less fun
• And more

Here's an article from Jalopnik summarizing these complaints: http://jalopnik.com/the-worlds-great...e-fo-944904488

My question is: in your experience, are the above complaints legitimate, or is the Stelvio actually worth doing? If not, what would you substitute it with? (Jalopnik lists a few options, and I'm hearing the Col de Turini is one, which was already on my schedule)

Thanks!

[smitguy]

We spent the night in Davos and drove up through the pass. For me, the road from Davos to the pass was pretty good, but all the blind switchbacks in the pass itself made it harder to get a nice flow going.

Not that it was bad (we went a little later in the day, so there actually wasn't that much traffic), and, for me, at least, it was worth doing just to have done.

In terms of another road, are you going to do the Grossglockner? It has a lot of nice sweeping corners, fewer blind turns, and less traffic.

[Suave]

Stelvio is NOT about speed it's about the incredible scenery and amazing road unlike anywhere else in the world. I completely disagree with Jalopniks view an obviously poor planning led to the result. It is absolutely worth it and deserved of its bucket list reputation. Our entire Bimmerpost ED group made a run up at sunrise on Friday and there was absolutely NO Traffic on the climb. At the top it was just us with plenty if time to explore and capture the epic beauty of a natural wonder. Everyone was in Awe of the experience and so much so that even one of our members got engaged at the peak! Just do it an I promise you will not regret it! The key is to be off the mountain by 9am when all the tour buses, trucks, road bikes, and Motorcycles start arriving. I highly recommend a stay the night before at Francesca's Post hotel at the Base in Trafoi! It's literally right at the start of climb and the most amazing view you will ever have from a hotel room in your life. Request room 404,402, or 406 for the best views! Here a few pics to stir the pot.

[brianhn1]

Stelvio Pass is worth it if you're able to avoid all the traffic. I did the opposite of what Suave and company did and arrived into Stelvio late at 8pm to stay the night there on July 3rd. There was absolutely no traffic on the Italy side and it was a completely clear day. When we woke up at about 8:30am, the pass was littered with "ants" or motorcycles, busses, and bicyclists. Most of the snow had melted compared to Suave's photos.

The next day, we left heading down the Swiss part of the pass, which I thought was much more enjoyable to drive compared to the switchbacks up the Italian side.

In regards to the Jalopnik article you posted, I actually went through all those passes (Furka, St. Gotthard, Grimsel, Susten) and those were amazing with all the tunnels, trees, farm animals, lakes, dams, etc. along the roads. Road conditions were better and there were much more long and sweeping turns instead of just only switchbacks. However, the weather can be temperamental there and expect to get rain which can ruin the driving experience. We were lucky and didn't get any rain the entire time.

I also did Grossglockner and we lucked out on a completely clear day. The views are a sight to see there especially if you can check the weather and pick the right day to make the drive.

[Keto]

I did Stelvio 3 years ago on my last ED. You need to plan around traffic.

This year I did Furka, Klausen and Grimsel. My favorite was Furka of all 4. Klausen would have been up there if it wasn't for the herds of cows that stopped me 3 times. Also the road surface is not the best. Grimsel has a few awesome dams with high winds.

[Kief]

I echo what others noted above, but even with little bit of traffic and a freak June 30th 2014 SNOW storm, it was definitely worth it

[Fifth Echelon]

I looked up the Hotel Post based on the recommendation, but it looks like this is all the way inside Stelvio? Like, you would have to drive the pass to get there, spend the night, and then drive out? Is that accurate? I was thinking of spending the night in Bormio and then driving the pass. Thoughts?

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Fifth Echelon

I looked up the Hotel Post based on the recommendation, but it looks like this is all the way inside Stelvio? Like, you would have to drive the pass to get there, spend the night, and then drive out? Is that accurate? I was thinking of spending the night in Bormio and then driving the pass. Thoughts?

No you do not drive the pass. If you are coming from Munich you would drive up through Austria and arrive at the base of Stelvio where the hotel is. It really is a great hotel with good food and great bar. Tell Francesca when you call you are a member of Bimmerpost and she will hook you up. Dackelone and her are good friends and he was the one that set us up like VIPs. The Pizza there is to did for! We also arrived the night before so we could rest and get up early to beat the crowds. If you leave at 5:30am you can drive through all the passes with little to no traffic at a leisurely pace with time for pics. All about the early rise for a great experience.