The mountainous Canton Uri occupies the land between the lake and the barrier of the high Alps. Although Uri shares borders with Bern, Valais, Ticino, Graubünden and Glarus, it is cut off from them all by 2000m-plus mountain passes, and the only cantons with which it has easy exchange of influence are its old partners from the 1291 Rütli oath, Schwyz and Nidwalden. It’s no coincidence that Uri is the setting for the medieval legend of William Tell, absorbed into Swiss consciousness as near fact and serving to define the essence of Swissness to the rest of the world. The small cantonal capital Altdorf was where Tell did his apple shooting.

Uri also holds the keys to the great trans-Alpine Gotthard route, one of the main Alpine passes. For centuries, people and traffic have followed the ancient road up and over the mountains, although these days massively long tunnels draw trains and most of the cars swiftly to and from Ticino and Italy. Andermatt, on the south side of the Gotthard, is uniquely located at an Alpine crossroads, with six high-level routes passing through or near the town.

Other pages of interest:

Flüelen and around Gotthard Andermatt and around The Furka Pass The Oberalp Pass