Tessiner Anschlussweg

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Madonna del Sasso above Locarno (about 350 m) → Emmetten (774 m, Nidwalden) — the trail starts at the pilgrimage church, not at the train station
• Length: 172.8 km
• Elevation gain: ↗ 5,213 m / ↘ 4,790 m — extremely uneven distribution: The first 57 kilometers to Biasca are almost flat, followed by an ascent of about 1,700 meters to the pass over the course of four days
• Duration: 9 stages, 9–11 days — if you spend the night at the top of the pass, nine stages become ten
• Highest / lowest point: Passo del San Gottardo, 2,106 m — the only Gotthard Pass in the network; lowest point 195 m in the Magadino Plain
• Best time: Mid-June through late September — this mountain pass route is strictly a summer affair; even then, winter weather can strike at any time
• Waymarking: No separate trail markers — the trail follows the center of the ViaGottardo (Wanderland Route 7) along Lake Uri, following the "Path of Switzerland"; download the track to your phone
• Connection: near Seelisberg/Emmetten, it joins the Via Jacobi—the last three towns on both routes are the same; the route then continues over the Brünig Pass toward Geneva
• Character: A modern route, not the historic Way of St. James—two flat valley floors with a mountain range in the middle, three cantons, three stopover destinations with a total of four beds: Reservations are required

Overview

The Tessiner Anschlussweg doesn't start at the train station, but about 350 meters above the city: at the pilgrimage church Madonna del Sasso, where, according to tradition, on the night of August 14–15, 1480, “the starry sky above the mountains” cleared for the Franciscan friar Bartolomeo d’Ivrea. The fact that the trail really does start at the top is confirmed by the data: 172.8 Kilometers, ↗ 5,213 and ↘ 4,790 meters of elevation gain — a net gain of +423, and this calculation only works if you start at the church, not at the lake. From there, the trail first leads down to Lake Maggiore and then covers 57 nearly flat kilometers through the Magadino Plain and the Riviera via Bellinzona to Biasca — then, over four days, 1,700 meters up through the Leventina to the Passo del San Gottardo, 2.106 Meter, and on the other side, down through the Schöllenen Gorge to Lake Uri until Emmetten. It is the only route in our network that crosses the main Alpine ridge via the Gotthard—two valley floors with a mountain range in between.

And now, the honesty that this path deserves: It has No specific label — in the middle, it follows the ViaGottardo No. 7; along Lake Uri, it follows the “Path of Switzerland” —, with no patronage by St. James and no pilgrims to Santiago whose names are recorded. What it does have, however, is more thoroughly documented than many a pilgrimage route: the chain of historical records pertaining to the mountain pass road itself. Around 1220 the Twärren Bridge at the Schöllenen Cliffs, to 1230 the first wooden Devil's Bridge, 1293 the name “Gotthard” is first attested, 1331 the Passkapelle, mentioned in a peace treaty dated August 12—and a paved mule track “up to three meters wide, along which some 12'000 people traveled each year.” You're not walking along a rediscovered pilgrimage route. You're walking along the oldest long-distance route in the Alps. And she built everything a pilgrim could need for her travelers: a hospice on the hill, run by Capuchins starting in 1685—and even its own mortuary chapel as early as 1577.

A convent sends its nuns to the other end of the path

At kilometer 42, there is a Claro the Benedictine convent of Santa Maria Assunta, founded 1490 On the initiative of Scolastica de Vincemalis; by 1516, there were already 16 nuns living there. At kilometer 154, in Seedorf at the Reuss Delta, has stood since 1197 A Lazarite house—a double monastery with a hospice, serving as a shelter since the 12th century. And 1559 A papal decree brought the two ends together: Paul IV commissioned the Sisters of Claro to revive Seedorf Abbey—“a Benedictine abbey with nuns from the Claro monastery in the canton of Ticino,” as the source states verbatim. The two monasteries are 112 kilometers apart, separated by the Gotthard Pass, and there is no other way to get from here to there. This trail doesn't have a St. James certificate—it has a route, and that route is its path. St. Lazarus Abbey is still standing; eleven sisters live there today. You'll pass right by it at the end of Stage 8.

The second axis of this path is dominion—and you walk it backward. At the 28. Dezember 1478 stopped at Giornico 575 Defense Attorneys a Milanese army of 10,000 men; the narrow valley and the frozen Ticino River helped them, with casualties standing at 1,400 to 50, and “the Leventina fell permanently to Uri.” On April 14, 1500, Bellinzona surrendered to the Swiss Confederates, and the Treaty of Arona, 1503 confirmed Uri, Schwyz, and Nidwalden as the new rulers. So for centuries, your first milestone was the territory ruled by the very places you are heading toward— The destination of this trail is in Nidwalden: You'll hike the Eroberung trail in the opposite direction. In religious terms, the South remained part of the South for even much longer: Until 1884 The Leventina belonged to the Archdiocese of Milan; the Diocese of Lugano was not established until 1888. In Biasca in 1620, Alessandro Gorla painted a portrait of the Milanese Archbishop Charles Borromeo on the church wall—the same painter who created the frescoes at the Madonna del Sasso. Two churches, one painter, 57 kilometers.

And anyone who heads north here is following in the footsteps of those who came before—only this time, it’s by choice. 1554 The Swiss Confederation gave the “Christiana Locarnensis Ecclesiae” a choice: return to the old faith or leave. 120 remained true to their faith, and on 3. März 1555 sent about half the population of Locarno into exile—across the Alps to Zurich in the winter. You’re heading in the same direction, but because you choose to. The pass itself has provided for everyone—whether they stayed on the road or not—for centuries: 1577 the “Cappella dei Morti dove si seppellivano i viandanti”—the chapel of the dead, where deceased travelers were buried—from 1685 Capuchins at the hospice, and 1707/08 Pietro Morettini blasted the Urnerloch through the rock of the Schöllenen Gorge: 64 meters, using black powder, and “only eleven months” of construction. A path that borrows its markings doesn't have to invent its own story.

Other Names

The route is listed in full on the trail operator's website“Tessiner Anschlussweg zur Via Jakobi: Madonna del Sasso – Emmetten” — The name says it all and serves as the starting point: It begins at the pilgrimage church above Locarno and ends where the Via Jacobi continues. In Italian, you'll find it as Via di collegamento ticinese, or simply as Tessiner Weg. There are two things you should avoid getting mixed up: The ViaGottardo is the national "Wanderland" Route 7 from Basel to Chiasso—a cultural trail running from north to south, which borrows its trail markings from this path between Bellinzona and the Reuss Valley, but runs in the opposite direction and has a different destination. And the Weg der Schweiz The 35-kilometer anniversary trail from 1991 circles Lake Uri, with each of the 26 cantons designing one section—calculated at “5 millimeters per resident”—and along its route, you’ll run the final stages along the western shore. There is no separate “Ticino Connection Trail” shell-shaped signage; if you look for it, you’ll be searching in vain—and we’d rather let you know that up front.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not So Ideal For

This route is for you if you want a real Alpine crossing without having to book a two-week high-mountain trip: two peaceful valley floors to ease into the ride, followed by a tough climb from Giornico to Dalpe (1,052 meters of elevation gain in a single day), a mountain pass stage with the option to spend the night at the Ospizio at 2,100 meters—followed by a 60-kilometer descent to one of Europe’s most beautiful lakes. It’s also ideal if you’re coming from Italy and want to join the Swiss Way of St. James network; that’s exactly what this route was designed for. And ideal if you prefer history carved in stone rather than printed in brochures: the construction inscription from 1168 in Giornico, the night of the apparition over Locarno in 1480, the battlefield from 1478, and the Lazarite house from 1197 in Seedorf.

To be honest, though, this isn’t the route for you if you’re looking for solitude: Between Bellinzona and Airolo, the highway, railroad, power plants, and you share the same three kilometers of valley width—the Biasca–Giornico stage is about 60 percent road, and the climb to Dalpe is just under 80 percent. It’s also not for you if you’re hoping for pilgrim hostels and budget meals: Switzerland has neither; you’ll be staying in hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and mountain inns at Swiss prices—and The three stopovers have a total of four beds (Giornico 2, Dalpe 1, Passhöhe 1). You plan for gaps like these in advance, not along the way. And anyone planning to hike before mid-June or after the end of September needs a Plan B for the pass—there’s still snow up there even in June.

Route & Landscape

The trail begins at the Madonna del Sasso At an elevation of about 350 meters, it climbs past the Stations of the Cross chapels toward Locarno from there and then runs almost due east: Muralto, Minusio, Tenero, Gordola, out into the Magadinoebene to 195 meters—the lowest point on the entire route, palm trees and all. At Sant'Antonino, it turns north and, after about 32 kilometers, reaches Bellinzona with its three castles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. From there, the route continues through the Riviera on a gentle slope upstream, along Claro and past his monastery on to Biasca (approx. 57 km), where the Leventina begins. So far, you've climbed barely 300 meters in elevation—the trail is saving that for later.

Then things get serious. From Giornico (384 m) The trail climbs through chestnut forests, passing through Chironico and the hamlet of Gribbio, to 1,431 meters at Dalpe, drops back down to the valley floor and continues through Prato, Rodi, and Quinto to Airolo — from there, the queen stage via Motto Bartola and the Val Tremola to the San Gottardo Pass at 2,106 meters. The descent leads through Hospental to Andermatt and then through the Schöllenenschlucht: Devil's Bridge, Urnerloch, Suvorov Monument. From Göschenen, the route descends about 900 meters through the Urner Reuss Valley — Wassen, Amsteg, Erstfeld, Altdorf with the Tell monument — after Seedorf to the Reuss Delta. The final leg takes place on West Shore of Lake Urna about Isleten and Bauen, goes up to the terrace of Seelisberg — the Rütli is located directly below it — and ends at Emmetten at 774 meters, where the Via Jacobi awaits.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

The trail operator categorizes them into nine stages, and this route breakdown is more than just a recommendation: it’s tied to the accommodations, and those are the real bottleneck on this route—not the kilometers. Two stages are classified as difficult: Giornico–Dalpe due to the 1,052 meters of elevation gain in one stretch, and Airolo–Andermatt due to its length, elevation, and weather risks. The rest is technically straightforward, though some sections are long. The terrain is quite varied: in the Ticino valley floor, there’s plenty of asphalt and farm roads; in the Uri region, there are significantly more natural trails (Amsteg–Seedorf: about 69 percent). The kilometer figures below are derived from the route database and are marked “approx.”; the official total length is 172.8 km.

1. Locarno (Madonna del Sasso) → Bellinzona — approx. 31.5 km — Descent from the sanctuary past the Stations of the Cross chapels, then on flat ground through the Magadinoebene; the longest and easiest stage, with train stations along the way almost everywhere.
2. Bellinzona → Biasca — about 25.5 km — flat Riviera up; a detour to the Benedictine convent Claro from 1490—the convent whose nuns moved to Seedorf in 1559.
3. Biasca → Giornico — about 11 km — a short, flat route, but with about 60 percent on roads; on the other hand, you'll see two Romanesque churches in one day. Accommodations in Giornico are limited — be sure to make a reservation.
4. Giornico → Dalpe — approx. 14 km — the ramp: ↗ 1.052 m Through chestnut forests, via Chironico and the hamlet of Gribbio, up to 1,431 m. Be sure to book your lodging in Dalpe in advance.
5. Dalpe → Airolo — approx. 17 km — descent back to the Leventina, then upstream through Prato, Rodi, and Quinto; mostly a natural trail. Note: Last reported as closed (as of August 2026) — check beforehand.
6. Airolo → Gotthard Pass → Andermatt — approx. 17 km — The Queen Stage: via Motto Bartola and the Val Tremola to Ospizio and the pass summit (2,106 m), Descent via Hospental. Only during the summer months; be sure to check the weather.
7. Andermatt → Amsteg — approx. 22.5 km — through the Schöllenen Past Teufelsbrücke, Urnerloch, the Suvorov Monument, and Teufelsstein, then a descent of about 900 meters through the Reuss Valley.
8. Amsteg → Seedorf — approx. 16 km — the easiest stage, about 69% on natural trails: castle ruins Zwing Uri, Altdorf with the Tell Monument, destination at the St. Lazarus Abbey in Seedorf.
9. Seedorf → Emmetten — approx. 18.3 km — Reuss Delta, West Shore of Lake Uri about Isleten and Bauen along the route of the Swiss Trail, ascent to the Seelisberg-Terrace (the Rütli is located directly below it), handover to the Via Jacobi from Emmet.

Three adjustments are worth making: Staying overnight at the top of the pass — then the highlight of the route becomes the stretch from Airolo to the pass (about 6 km, but the entire climb) and from the pass to Andermatt (about 11 km); nine stages become ten, and a pass you’d just pass through turns into a town with a museum and the glow of evening light. Share Stage 1 (Stop in Gordola/Tenero or Cadenazzo, both of which have train stations) — 31.5 kilometers is a lot for Day 1 with a full backpack. And instead of the paved road between Biasca and Giornico, there’s a A route through the chestnut forests at varying elevations (about 600 additional meters of elevation gain). Important, as of August 2026: outdooractive reported the stage Dalpe–Airolo is closed (Road Closures) — Check the latest road closure notices before you set out. And the best part about this route: Between Locarno and Biasca, as well as between Airolo and Altdorf, almost every town is accessible by train. No one has to struggle along this route.

Highlights Along the Way

• Madonna del Sasso, Locarno — Pilgrimage church overlooking the town; according to tradition, the apparition took place on the night of August 14–15, 1480 (“the starry sky brightens over the mountains”), the chapel was consecrated in 1487, and the church was consecrated in 1502, Bramantino painting from 1520. This is where the path begins—the first kilometer is the Way of the Cross leading down into the town.
• Fortress of Bellinzona — UNESCO World Heritage Site since December 2, 2000: Castelgrande, Montebello (first mentioned in 1313), Sasso Corbaro (1479–1482), and the Murata dam wall dating from 1422—built to block the very axis along which you’re walking.
• Santa Maria Assunta Monastery, Claro — Benedictine nuns since 1490; in 1559, the sisters moved from here to Seedorf, the eighth stop on this route. The highlight of this journey.
• Santi Pietro e Paolo, Biasca — the Romanesque mother church of the three Ambrosian valleys, built in the late 11th/early 12th century, featuring the fresco of St. Charles Borromeo by Alessandro Gorla (1620)—the same painter who worked on the Madonna del Sasso.
• San Nicola, Giornico — Construction inscription from 1168 above the portal, “the most striking example of Lombard Romanesque architecture in Switzerland,” hall crypt, frescoes by Nicolao da Seregno (1478, signed “nicola seregnio de lug. pinsit.”). Patron saint: St. Nicholas, patron saint of travelers—no coincidence on a mountain pass.
• Battlefield of Giornico — December 28, 1478: 575 defenders against 10,000 Milanese; casualties 1,400 to 50; “the Leventina fell permanently to Uri.” That same year, Seregno painted the frescoes in San Nicola—in December, the army was camped in front of the church.
• “Le vittime del lavoro“, Airolo — A bronze relief by Vincenzo Vela (designed in 1882, erected in 1932 near the train station) commemorating the at least 177 people who died during the construction of the Gotthard Tunnel. You’re walking over the mountain under which they died—and the monument stands at the start of your queen stage.
• Passo del San Gottardo, 2.106 m — Highest point along the route: Ospizio (Capuchin monastery since 1685), the mortuary chapel from 1577, the St. Gotthard National Museum (since 1986), and the cobblestone Tremola Road—a descent in a class of its own.
• Schöllenenschlucht — The legend even provided the builder: The Devil built the bridge in exchange for “the first soul to cross it”—the people of Uri sent a billy goat. The boulder that the goat threw in a fit of rage is still there: The Teufelsstein It weighs over 200 metric tons and was moved 127 meters in 1973 to make way for highway construction. It wasn't the devil who moved the rock—it was the national highway planning authority.
• Urnerloch — the 64-meter tunnel built by Pietro Morettini in 1707–08, driven through the rock using black powder in “just eleven months”; it replaced the wooden Twärren Bridge, which had been suspended from the rock face since around 1220.
• Suworow-Denkmal — 12 meters high, dedicated in September 1898, commemorating Suvorov’s crossing of the Gotthard Pass on September 24, 1799; the property belongs to the Russian state but is subject entirely to Swiss law.
• Church in Wassen — St. Gallus, completed in 1734, consecrated in 1742; thanks to two spiral tunnels, the Gotthard Railway offers three different views of it from three different heights. You walk the route that the train circles three times.
• St. Lazarus Abbey, Seedorf — A Lazarite house with a hospice since 1197; Benedictine nuns from Claro since 1559; the abbey church was consecrated in 1700; today, eleven sisters live there.
• Bauen und das Rütli — Bauen on Lake Uri, a Mediterranean-style village with palm trees, birthplace of Alberik Zwyssig (1808), who composed the “Swiss Psalm” in 1841—today’s national anthem. And at the end of your final leg lies the Rütli: saved from being turned into a hotel in 1859 through a public fundraising campaign, and transferred to the Confederation in 1860 as inalienable national property.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way on This Path

This route was built as a feeder line, so most people take the train. Locarno is located above Bellinzona on the Gotthard network—about two and a half to three hours from Zurich or Lucerne, and about two hours from Milan. The most scenic way to get there, however, is the Centovalli-Bahn From Domodossola: narrow-gauge tracks, viaducts, chestnut forests, and the final stop in Locarno. So if you’re coming from Italy, you’re not passing by the route—you’re heading right toward it. From the train station, the funicular takes you to Orselina up to the Madonna del Sasso—because officially, the route starts at the church at the top, not down by the tracks.

In terms of its purpose, the trail is designed for people who have been traveling in the south and want to walk back north. Anyone who Via Francigena (Italien) Anyone who has traveled as far as Rome and doesn’t want their journey to end at Termini Station can take the train to Milan or Domodossola and get back on their feet in Locarno—172.8 kilometers later, they’ll find themselves in Emmetten on the Via Jacobi. There is no marked Way of St. James feeder route that reaches Locarno on foot from the south; Lombardy is a region dominated by rail travel. To be honest, this isn’t a shortcoming but a tradition: for six centuries, the Gotthard was exactly that—the main route for traveling north from Italy. Only back then, the reason was trade, not lodging.

Continue the pilgrimage?

This trail doesn't end in Emmetten—it transitions seamlessly: Even the last three towns, Bauen, Oberdorf (Seelisberg) and Emmetten, are located along the route of the Via Jacobi, the main Swiss route from Konstanz to Geneva, which is 447 kilometers long. From Emmetten, it leads through Beckenried, Buochs, and Stans to Flüeli-Ranft, the hometown of Niklaus von Flüe, about whom Brünig to Brienz and Interlaken, and on via Fribourg and Lausanne to Geneva — that's the main route; there are no detours. And anyone walking the last two kilometers of your route in the opposite direction will find themselves on the Rütli.

From Geneva on, anything goes: That's where the Via Gebennensis to Le Puy-en-Velay, and from there the Via Podiensis to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where the Camino Francés begins and leads to Santiago in just over four weeks. From the Gotthard Pass to the Apostle’s Tomb, the distance is well over 2,000 kilometers—this section is the first part of the journey, and at 2,106 meters, it remains the highest point until Santiago.

Preparation & Practical Information

The time frame is tight and non-negotiable: mid-June through the end of September. According to the official stage description, the Airolo–Andermatt mountain pass stage is “accessible only during the summer months. Winter weather can still occur at any time”—in June, there are still patches of old snow in Val Tremola, and starting in October, it can snow up in the mountains while it’s still 20 degrees down in Locarno. Before tackling the queen stage, check the weather forecast and pass opening status; if the pass is closed, take the train from Airolo to Göschenen and continue on foot from there—it’s no big deal, but it’s a decision you should make in the morning, not at noon at 1,900 meters. And check for road closure notices before you start: The Dalpe–Airolo stage was last reported as closed (as of August 2026).

In this context, booking is not a matter of convenience, but of rigidity. The database lists two lodgings in Giornico, one in Dalpe, and one at the pass summit—and these three are the stage destinations; anyone arriving there without a reservation will find themselves 400 meters above the nearest bed that evening. There are no traditional pilgrim hostels that accept guests without a reservation: You’ll stay in hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and mountain inns. Book Stages 4, 5, and 6 before you start; you can arrange the rest along the way—and if you want to sleep at the pass summit, you’ll need to book especially early: one inn, one season, and plenty of interested guests.

Gear suitable for crossing the Alps, not for a lakeside trail: Rain and wind protection, a warm layer for 2,100 meters, sturdy shoes with tread for the climb to Dalpe and the descent through the Schöllenen Gorge, and hiking poles for the 900-meter descent into the Reuss Valley. You’ll find plenty of water in Ticino at the village fountains; plan ahead for the pass stage yourself. You won’t find any “Ticino Connection Trail” signs along the way—there aren’t any: just follow the ViaGottardo, Route 7, and on Lake Uri, the Weg der Schweiz; download the track to your phone beforehand and don't rely on signs with a seashell. Plan your daily stages in advance, because accommodations are extremely unevenly distributed—the easiest way to do this is directly in the Camino Ninja app, where you can put together your stages and plan suitable accommodations at the same time.

What the journey will cost you

Switzerland is expensive, and this route is no exception — Calculate in francs, not in euros. Realistic options are CHF 100–170 per day (As of August 2026, summer rates): Shared rooms and basic bed-and-breakfast accommodations range from CHF 60–95; a double room in a mountain inn or hotel costs CHF 130–190; plus meals—groceries at the supermarket cost CHF 20–30 per day, a meal at a restaurant costs CHF 25–40, and a cup of coffee costs CHF 4–5. In Andermatt and Locarno, you’ll pay resort prices; in the Leventina and Reuss Valley, prices are noticeably lower. There are three ways to save money: cook for yourself (The village stores in the Leventina are cheaper than any outdoor dining spot), Check for rail discounts — If you add up the cost of the trip there, emergency exits, and the trip back, a Half-Fare Card or a day pass quickly pays for itself — and Sleeping at the top of the pass instead of eating: The bed upstairs is the experience; you bring your own food. For the entire nine-day route, you'll end up paying CHF 900–1,500 plus travel to and from the destination (all prices are based on past experience, as of August 2026).

Getting Here

To get started: Locarno has its own train station on the Gotthard network. From Zurich, Basel, or Lucerne, you can travel via Bellinzona; from Milan, you can also travel via Bellinzona or—the more scenic route—via Domodossola via the Centovalli Railway, which travels on a narrow-gauge track through the Hundred Valleys into Locarno. From the train station, the funicular takes you to Orselina to Madonna del Sasso; if you'd like, you can walk up to the Stations of the Cross chapels instead—officially, the route begins at the top, by the church.

From the finish line: Emmetten is located 774 meters above Lake Lucerne and has bus service to Beckenried and Stans. From Beckenried, you can get to Lucerne by boat or bus; from Stans, by train—both trips take less than an hour. If you have time, get off at Seelisberg and head to Treib Walk down to the lake and take the boat to Brunnen or Lucerne: The trip across Lake Urner is a summary of your last three stages from the water’s perspective.

• Getting to the starting point: Train to Locarno (via Bellinzona from Zurich/Basel/Lucerne or Milan); from Domodossola, take the Centovalli Railway. To the starting point: Take the Locarno–Orselina funicular to Madonna del Sasso.
• Intermediate stop (train): Bellinzona, Biasca, Airolo, Andermatt, Erstfeld, and Altdorf are located along the railroad line—the route can be clearly divided into sections; between Locarno and Biasca, as well as between Airolo and Altdorf, nearly every town is connected.
• When the pass is closed: Take the train from Airolo to Göschenen and continue on foot from there—the road tunnel is closed to pedestrians.
• Return trip from the destination: Bus from Emmetten to Beckenried, then continue by boat or bus to Lucerne; alternatively, take the bus from Emmetten to Stans and then the train. Schedule and discount tickets: SBB.