11 ESSENTIAL Driving tips for Tourists in Switzerland

Today we’re going to run through 11 tips for tourists who plan on driving their way around Switzerland.

It is not a big country, but has plenty of big mountains, with some of the most stunning scenery you can see anywhere on earth. There are also plenty of hidden gems that will only discover if you have your own car… Or an avid cyclist, but we’ll get to them later.

If you are renting a car to explore Switzerland you can compare prices and search for the best deal here (affiliate link): https://rentalcars.tp.st/mjAOSOsC

You can check out our full list of apps to download when exploring Switzerland:
– Video: https://youtu.be/YG_GaXGq5lQ
– Blog post: https://theslowtraveler.net/switzerland-best-travel-apps/

Check out the full road trip video here: https://youtu.be/yKKYsbdIOTg

Here are our 11 tips for tourists planning to drive around Switzerland:

00:00 Intro
00:27 1. Get off the Freeways
01:13 2. Not all towns have roads
02:08 3. Bike lanes between lanes
02:48 4. The Best roads are full of cyclists
03:26 5. Keep a loose itinerary
04:01 6. You may have to drive onto a train
04:54 7. Legal blood alcohol limit is 0.05
05:33 8. Narrow Building Gaps
06:23 9. Road Closures
07:00 10. Check Out Any road that says “Pass”
08:21 11. Driving is incredibly easy in Switzerland!

today we’re going to run through 11 tips for tourists who plan on driving their way around Switzerland it’s not a big country but it has plenty of big mountains with some of the most stunning scenery that you can see anywhere on Earth there are also plenty of hidden gems that you will only discover if you have your own car or you’re an avid cyclist but we’ll talk about them a little later on tip number one is you have have to get off the freeways Switzerland has modern freeways like any other developed country but you’ll miss out on all of the Glorious Countryside if you stay on them for too long your navigation apps will default to the fastest route possible so you’ll have to add stops along your route so you don’t miss out on anything that you really want to see that’s not along those main roads some examples include the furka pass also known as the James Bond Road this is an incredible drive through the mountains with so many amazing stops but Google Maps could take you right past it if you allow it so a little extra planning every day when you set out will go a long way the second tip is not all towns have roads a number of ski Villages that are high up in the Alps are not accessible to the public by Road some popular examples include Zat venen and muren but there are plenty more you’ll need to leave your car at a parking station and catch a train cable car or Aerial Tram up to these Villages the whole process is generally very convenient but you’ll also have to factor in extra time to make it to the village and a little extra cost both for the parking and your trip up the mountain on the various Transportation on arrival you’ll have to travel by foot and in some cases there’ll be electric buses I’ve even seen horse and carriages making their ways around these Alpine Villages all making sure that you are surrounded by crisp clean Swiss Air tip number three is that in some cities there will be bike Lanes between the car Lanes like most European cities bicycle use is encouraged and a major part of the road design but I was left a little puzzled by the placement of these bike Lanes in some of the Cities instead of being on the side of the road like most places that I’d encountered before some of the bike lanes were in between the vehicle Lanes so that if you’re changing lanes you also have to be mindful of any two- wheel traffic before you make the transition this struck me as an unnecessary Hazard but it’s there and you’ll have to remain Vigilant we’re going to stick with the cyclist theme for number four and that is some of the best roads are going to be full of cyclist when you’re high up in the Swiss Alps there are no bike Lanes and some of the Steep and winding roads will have cyclists everywhere these mountains are a mecca for serious cyclists and you’re going to have to drive accordingly and be extra patient in some areas with steep terrain and glorious scenery you can understand why they come here but if you are one of these cyclists then for the love of God can you please stay in single file it’s just safer for everyone tip number five is to keep a loose itinerary do yourself a favor and be generous with the time that you give yourself when planning out all of your stops around Switzerland expect to want to pull over regularly when you spot something amazing on the side of the road even though Switzerland is a small country your progress may be slower than you expect for that reason and you want the freedom to remain curious as you explore so build in as much flexibility into your schedule as you possibly can tip number six is that at some point you may have to drive directly onto a train while the road network is exceptional there are some Mountain crossings that can only be done underground and by rail the process is fairly easy with cars funneled directly onto the train you then sit in your vehicle until you reach your destination this will slow you down of course especially if you have to wait a long time time for the next train to come along but it’s usually unavoidable so if you’re driving through the Alps make sure you pay attention to the detail in your navigation app when it’s giving you the directions ahead of your planned route that way if there is a section where you’re required to get on a train you can plan your arrival time to minimize how much time you are waiting before that train comes along tip number seven is that the legal blood alcohol limit is0 05 while this is the same as Australia and not as Extreme as Norway which is 02 the limit in Switzerland is still lower than the US and the UK which is 8 I don’t think that anyone should be testing these limits regardless just for safety reasons but I wanted to include this so that no one watching is caught unawares especially if you want to have a beer at lunchtime an arrest for driving Under the Influence is sure to spoil your vacation tip number eight is sometimes there’s going to be very narrow gaps between the road and the buildings one of the coolest aspects of driving around the small Swiss Villages is that the roads are so close to some of the old houses and Community buildings the downside of this is that you have almost no margin of error if you were to Veer off the road you could hit the side of a building very easily it’s not a major Hazard though as long as your capable of staying on a normalized road just make sure you’re paying attention at all times and not tempted to look at your phone or the stunning mountains that surround you everywhere a small glance in the wrong direction could see your car plow right down the aisle of a church that’s hundreds of years old tip number nine is that there will be road closures in wintertime most of these tips so far have been very summer Centric but if you plan on road tripping around Switzerland during winter you’ll need to be aware of the weather conditions at all times Alpine road closures are common if they become too hazardous in poor conditions the meteor wise app is very useful for accessing live data on the conditions I’ll leave a link in the description to our list of the best Swiss apps to download before you travel and the medio Swiss app is on that list tip number 10 is to check out any road that says pass in its name I mentioned earlier at the top of this video that there are plenty of hidden gems to be found all throughout Switzerland away from the best known destinations an example of this is the clausson pass which is in the east of the country on a road to lonstein we stumbled across this while trying to find a hotel somewhere between lucern and andat with limited options available we ended up taking a big big detour to the small town of unan when arriving at the hotel I was captivated by where this road would take me if I kept going along it it climbed along a wall of a deep valley with Incredible mountains on either side first thing the next morning I had to find out where it would take me the footage you’ve seen is the result we barely saw another car along the way lots of bikes though and while we went away from our intent Ed course it was a very memorable and unexpected morning the overall point being that if something is called whatever pass then if you check it out you may just discover a Hidden Gem that is an absolute thrill to drive that not many other people have seen and tip number 11 is that Switzerland is one of the easiest foreign countries that I’ve ever driven in it’s a small country so the driving part of your day is never very long compared to most other places and the scenery is almost cartoon like it is so beautiful you will have the advantage of flexibility in your itinerary when you have your own vehicle as opposed to being on a tour bus and you can visit all of the most popular destinations outside of peak times or plan your route depending on the weather it really makes a huge difference if you can head up the mountains when the sun is out and Shining if you’d like to learn more about our Swiss road trip adventure then click the video on screen now