Driving in Switzerland

Most visitors do not need a car — see getting around — but if you are driving, three things need to be understood before you set off, and two of them are expensive to learn the hard way.

The vignette

To use any Swiss motorway you must have a vignette, which costs 40 francs and is valid for fourteen months, from December of the previous year to January of the next. There is no shorter option: a single day of motorway costs the same 40 francs as a whole year.

It is sold at border crossings, petrol stations, post offices and online. Since 2023 there is an e-vignette tied to the number plate, which is easier if you are hiring a car or crossing a border with nobody in the passenger seat.

Driving on a motorway without one is a fine plus the price of the vignette on the spot. Hire cars from within Switzerland normally come with one; cars hired elsewhere normally do not — check before you reach the border.

Speed limits and the fines

Standard limits: 50 km/h in towns, 80 on main roads, 100 on dual carriageways and 120 on motorways. Signs override, and lower limits are common through villages and roadworks.

Swiss speeding penalties are unlike anywhere else in Europe, and this is the part to take seriously:

• Small excesses draw an on-the-spot fine, which is high by European standards but survivable.
• Larger excesses go to court, and the fine is a day-fine calculated from your income — which is why Swiss newspapers periodically report six-figure speeding tickets.
• Extreme speeding — roughly 40 km/h over in town, 60 over on a motorway — falls under the “Raser” law introduced in 2013. That means a criminal conviction, a minimum prison sentence, licence withdrawal for at least two years, and the car can be confiscated and sold.

Foreign drivers are not exempt. Fines are enforced across borders, cameras are numerous and unadvertised, and there is no tolerance culture to rely on.

Alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.1 for new drivers and professionals. Headlights are compulsory in daylight. Phones must be hands-free.

Parking

Colour tells you the rules:

• White lines — paid parking, meter or ticket machine. Many meters still take coins only.
• Blue zones — free for one hour with a parking disc on the dashboard, showing your arrival time. Discs are given away at petrol stations, police stations and tourist offices, and you cannot use the zone without one.
• Yellow — private. Do not.

Fines are issued briskly and the wheel clamp is not a myth.

Mountain roads

Some things worth knowing before a pass road:

• Uphill traffic has priority on narrow mountain roads, and post buses have priority over everything — that three-note horn on a blind corner means yield.
• Many passes close in winter, typically October to May, and the road signs at the valley entrance say so. Some are replaced by car-carrying trains through a tunnel: Furka, Lötschberg, Vereina and the Simplon all take cars on flat wagons, which is quicker and considerably less alarming than the pass in bad weather.
• Winter tyres are not legally compulsory but you are liable if you cause an accident on unsuitable ones, and hire cars in winter come fitted with them.
• Snow chains are mandatory where signed.

Where you cannot drive

A number of villages are entirely car-free and the road simply ends: Zermatt at Täsch, Wengen and Mürren above Lauterbrunnen, Saas-Fee, Rigi, Braunwald and others. Each has a large car park at the road head and a train or cable car onwards.

City centres are heavily pedestrianised and parking in them is priced to discourage you. In Zurich, Bern and Geneva the car is a liability rather than a convenience.

Fuel and tunnels

Fuel is sold in litres and is cheaper than in Italy, dearer than in Austria. Many stations are automated at night and take cards.

The Gotthard road tunnel is 17 km long and jams badly at the start and end of Swiss and Italian holidays — queues of two or three hours are normal on those weekends. The rail shuttle or a pass road is often faster; check before joining the queue.

Documents

A national driving licence is enough for visitors from most countries. Carry the licence, the vehicle registration document and proof of insurance. A warning triangle is compulsory and must be within reach of the driver’s seat, not in the boot under the luggage.