Driving an RV in Switzerland

Old Dec 20th, 2014, 01:32 PM
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Driving an RV in Switzerland

We are renting a small 2 person RV in Munich and will dr driving through Switzerland and Northern Italy back to Munich for 5weeks in September 2015.
Most people seem to think we are mad and should be using the trains. We hate staying in hotels and love the freedom of the RV.
We would love to hear from others who have done this so that we know we really aren't mad and that it is possible.
I won't be driving but my husband was a professional driver before he retired. Drove petrol tankers in Australia. He also drove from London to Australia 40 years ago, not all the way obviously, but did go through Afganistan and Himalayas in an old London ambulance. Point being, he is not a novice.
We would love any tips on campsites, parking in around towns, passes in the Alps, especially Furka and St. Gothard.
What not to miss that is not on the usual tourist list.
Hope there are some other RVers out there who can help us.
Cheers
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 02:02 PM
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Google RVing in Europe and you will find a lot of information.
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 02:29 PM
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A good campground to put on your list is in Tasch. As far as a car can go in the valley leading to Zermatt.

http://www.campingtaesch.ch/location.html

My Switzerland is one of the best national tourism sites I've ever seen.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/a...sites-new.html
Use it to research areas of interest to you.

Like the Auto club sites (AAA), TCS is the swiss equivalent.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/camping-tcs.html

An RV is Switzerland is a fine way to travel. Whoever said your nuts knows nothing about it I'd guess.
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 03:20 PM
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I would not plan on going through any mountain passes - but rather the tunnels under the mountains. Even the entrances to those tunnels tend to be a long line of switchbacks (not easy in an RV) - not sure how the roads through the passes would be.

Even some of the local roads through the lower mountains have narrow lanes and at times very limited shoulders before the drop off. We had no problems with a car but I wouldn't want to take a larger vehicle through there.
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 03:54 PM
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Priddo says her husband is a PROFESSIONAL driver. Go for it!!!!
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 04:10 PM
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>>We had no problems with a car but I wouldn't want to take a larger vehicle through there.Afghanistan in an Ambulance. Not your typical nervous nellie.

priddo: There are several Swiss who post on here - hopefully some of them will see your thread and have useful info for you.
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 04:32 PM
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Some high-level passes can be occasionally closed even in September through sudden snowfall. So be flexible in your planning.
A lot of campervans or motorhomes (European-size RVs) are seen on Swiss roads, often by Dutch travellers and you should have few problems. Just be careful where you park and overnight, as rules vary among localities and fine can be stiff.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 12:26 AM
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Thank you to everyone who has posted so far. I'm not sure what I enjoy the most.. Taking the trip or planning for it.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 12:28 AM
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All I can say is have fun. We are contemplating buying a camper, and exploring Europe, joining all those other Dutch registered campers out there. The Italians are also keen on them - we get hordes of them arriving in the Netherlands every year.
There are lots of websites out there offering advice and tips on where to stay. Do a search for campers or motorhomes.

For the US readers - a two person campervan in Europe is the size of a van in the US. I saw massive bus sized campers, complete with boat, bikes and car on tow, negotiating mountain roads in California. We are not talking about anything near that size, or even the size of many smaller RVs in the US.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 02:44 AM
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SWITZERLAND BY CAAR

It's perfectly possible to visit tons of gems in Switzerland by car, without boarding any train (between June and October, when all mountain roads are open).

But if you want to visit Switzerland by car, don’t choose just the places that can NOT be reached by car (like Muerren, Schynige Platte, Schilthorn, First, Kleine Scheidegg, Maennlichen, Rigi, etc). Otherwise you will have to pay for both: car rental, fuel (about 8 USD per US gallon/3,85 litres) AND mountain railways.

There are tons of beautiful places in the Swiss Alps which can be reached by car. Some suggestions:

Drive from Martigny to Col de la Gueulaz on Lake Emosson (2000m/6600ft). You are then just in front of the Northern side of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain chain of Western Europe. The glaciers of Trient, Tour, Argentiere as well as the peaks of Aiguille d'Argentiere (3900m/13000fr), Aiguille Verte (4120m/13500ft), Grandes Jorasse (4210m/13800ft), Mont Blanc (4810m/15800ft) ar jus a few miles away.

Drive from Martigny to Grand St Bernard Pass (2470m/8100ft) and hike in 1/2 hr to La Chenalette (2800m/9200ft). From there, you have a stupendous view to the Southern side of Mont Blanc (A Neuve Glacier, Dolent Glacier, Pre de Bar Glacier, Triolet Glacier as well as a lot of 3800 to 4800m / 13000 to 15800ft high peaks). In the South, but farther away, you see the glaciers and peaks of the Gran Paradiso chain.
A easy, but very scenic 6hrs circular hike goes from Col du Gd St-Bernard via Col des Chevaux - Lake Petit Le - Col de Bastillon to the 3 blue mountain lakes of Fenetre and then over the Col de Fenetre de Ferret back to Col du Gd St-Bernard.

Drive from Sion to Col du Sanetsch (2250m/7400ft) and hike in about 2 hrs to Refuge/Restaurant La Quille du Diable on Tsanfleuron Glacier (2900m/9500ft). You are there on the top of a perpendicular cliff and can look down to Lake Derborence, just 1500m/5000ft below your feet. Stupendous view to Mont Blanc chain, Grand Combin, Mont Collon and tons of other peaks.

Drive from Sierre to Grimentz and then up to the end of the road on Lake Moiry (2250m/7400ft) and hike then in aobut 1 hr to Moiry hut (Swiss Alpine club) and Moiry Glacier.

Drive from Brig to Ried-Moerel, go by gondola to Riederalp (5 CHF/one way), hike in 1/2 hr to Riederfurka (2070m/6800ft), visit the visitor's centre/museum of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Nature reserve, walk through the Aletsch Forest and have a look at the Aletsch Glacier (longest glacier of Europe) just below and in front of you.

Drive to Breuil-Cervinia (Italian neighbourhood, 2000m/6500ft) and go by cableway to Plateau Rosa (28 EUR/35 USD roundtrip). Plateau Rosa (3500m/11500ft) is close to Matterhorn Paradise/Kleinmatterhorn (1 mile away, same panorama). The roundtrip ticket from Taesch Parking to Matterhorn Paradise costs 107 CHF/112 USD

Drive to Grimsel Pass (2200m/7200ft) and hike in about 1 1/2 hr to Sidelhorn (2800m/9200ft). Panoramic views to Unteraar Glacier, Oberaar Glacier, 6 mountain lakes around Grimsel Pass, Finsteraarhorn (4300m/14100ft) and dozens of other peaks. You may also hike from Grimsel Pass to Lake Oberaar (1 hr) and along this lake to Oberaar Glacier (another hr).
Drive then from Grimsel Pass to Furka Belvedere and visit the Ice cave in the Rhone Glacier.
Another road in the same area goes to Nufenenpass/Griessee. The hike from the end of the road to Lake Griessee - Gries Pass - Gries Glacier takes about 1 1/2 hrs.

Drive from Davos or St. Moritz to Stelvio Pass (2800m/9200ft). Hike to the glaciers (1 hr or so) or enjoy the view to them from Piz da las Trais Linguas (3 languages peak; 2850m/9400ft).

etc. etc.

But if you prefer to ride with Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Golden Pass Panoramic, etc. and if you want to visit Gornergrat and Jungfraujoch, you better look after rail passes.

You may have a look at
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

BTW: snowfall in the Swiss Alps in September is rather seldom and he snow usually smelts within a few days.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 03:35 AM
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Wow. Most of those weren't on my list so I will have to get the map put and revise the itinerary.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 03:40 AM
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The advice cannot get any better than neckarvd - who I assume is a local Vaudois.
As hetismij said, a 2p RV is a van in Europe. Maybe a van with an alcove on top to sleep in.
But nothing to be scared of to drive. As neckar wrote, it would just be a waste of money to trek to the handful of typically overrun touristy car-free towns and villages. While you could be using your wheels to explore the areas that are as gorgeous (or even more) but do not make the usual headlines here.

Just one remark:
As you plan to rent from Munich, you can be sure that the vehicle will NOT have the fee sticker ("Vignette") necessary to drive on motorways in Switzerland.
While you probably do not plan to drive a lot on motorways, it may become feasible or sensible to use them - either to get to your starting point in CH from Munich. Or to get around larger conurbations or drives to get from one mountain pass to another.
As RVs should be tolled different from cars if weight exceeds certain thresholds, you may want to inquire which vignette will be the right one for your vehicle.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 04:03 AM
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Neckervd, you keep referring to driving a car in your post. Is it all still possible in a 6metre motorhome? It always adds a few challenges, not just for driving but for parking when you want to leave the vehicle to sightsee etc. Are your suggestions good for a motorhome?
We were tossing up whether to drive to Zermatt (Taesch) or go by train, but with these side trips fron Martigny and Sion it would be worth driving.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 04:07 AM
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Thanks cowboy. When we hired out of Munich last time it came with a vignette for Switzerland but we didn't go there. Hopefully the people hiring the van before us this season will head off to Switzerland, but if they don't we will get one for sure.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 05:04 AM
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All roads I refered to are Swiss Post bus (30 to 40 seats) or other public bus routes, namely:

Finhaut - Col de la Gueulaz
Martigny - Gd St-Bernard - Aosta
Aosta - Chatillon - Breuil/Cervinia
Sion - Col du Sanetsch
Sierre - Grimentz - Moiry
Sierre - St-Luc - Chandolin
Interlaken - Meiringen - Grimsel Pass - Gletsch - Furka Pass - Andermatt
Oberwald - Nufenen Pass - Airolo
Davos - Fluela Pass - Zernez - Fuorn Pass - Sta Maria - Umbrail Pass - Stelvio Pass - Bormio - Foscagno Pass - Livigno - Livigno Pass - Bernina Pass - St. Moritz - Julier Pass - Casti - Davos.
Brig - Ried/Moerel is a small road, but feasible. Easier: go to Moerel Parking (fees!) and board the gondola there (a bit more expensive).

You may have seen that I included some hikes which require a hiking equipment. But all mentioned places are rewarding even if you don't hike.
....and there are of course tons of similar itineraries that I cannot list all. Don't hesitate to come with more specific questions.

Zermatt: the road to Taesch is easy for all kinds of big vehicles, but don't forget the parking fees at Taesch.
For a Glacier experience in this area, you may also check Saas Fee - Mitelallalin: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/m...ain-world.html

Official Swiss Map (any scale, any detail): http://map.geo.admin.ch/?lang=en
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 07:36 AM
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I guess you are emphasizing the gondola fees and parking fees in reference to costs vs. using trains neckervd. That's fine if someone is actually comparing one vs. the other but as I read the OP's comments, they don't want to compare, they want the convenience of the RV vs. hotels and packing/unpacking, etc.

Anyone who has ever travelled in an RV knows that it is not about saving money, it is about the convenience of the RV. Sometimes campground fees, fuel, RV rental cost, etc. can add up to more than hotels and trains or hotels and cars, that's not the point.

Nor is there any reason to avoid popular places such as Jungfraujoch or Rigi just because the car can't get there. You get there just like anyone else, using the gondolas, cogging railways, etc. That you will pay for that separately is not the issue. No one who has travelled by RV (as the OP has) is looking for the cheapest way to do things.

Priddo, you will not have a problem driving anywhere in Switzerland that there is a road. As noted, the Postal Buses which are much bigger than your RV drive all the roads so why shouldn't you be able to. Any negative comments re driving are most likely made by those who have never done so. Perhaps you can find a photo or link to a page showing the type of RV you plan on renting. I'm expecting you plan to rent something like this: http://www.rvcampingeurope.com/image...e_AvelinFR.jpg or this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...77/Clubman.jpg not this:
http://www.equicruiser.co.uk/images/GreyScan.gif

Neckervd, if you camp in Taesch there is no need to pay the parking lot fee. The campground is as close or closer than the parking lot is to the train station.

That does raise the point however of just where you can camp or not in Switzerland priddo. 'Free camping' at the side of the road or in a parking lot is not really allowed in Switzerland. You may need to be in an actual campground every night. But then you may plan to do that anyway for electricity hook-ups etc. You may be able to do the odd overnight discreetly somewhere but I would plan on paying to camp in your budget.

Here are two other great campgrounds.
http://www.camping-glaciers.ch/148

http://www.camping-arolla.com/

Glaciers is I believe the highest altitude campground in Switzerland.
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 12:01 PM
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Sojourn traveller, the campervan should be the same as your first link. Unfortunately the hire company can give you a bigger vehicle if they don't have what you ordered but we have asked our agent to emphasise that we don't want an upgrade.
We did a month in Germany in 2013 and stayed only in Stellplatz with electricity or campgrounds, never free camped. I am a little surprised at the cost of the campgrounds in Switzerland, but I guess if I did the comparison with hotels they would be higher than other countries as well.
What I have found is that the nightly camping fees are not reflective of the quality. Peoples reviews are really helpful. Because we are travellers who usually only stay one night all we want is clean facilities, not pools and other bells and whistles that holiday makers need.
We will be including the usual sights such as around Lauterbrunnen and will definitely still be taking some of the chairlifts etc. Costs certainly do add up, so we want to be selective about which lifts we take. We do love to get away from the crowds though and usually make an early start so we are leaving when most people are arriving.
We love finding the little gems that driving in the RV allows you to do. We much prefer the quaint villages to the cities, Parking can be a challenge in either case.
Thanks again to everyone, I can't believe how comprehensive some of the posts are.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2014, 09:06 AM
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Taesch camping: good idea, Sejourntraveller, I didn't think about.

The main message of my first post was:
"There are tons of beautiful places in the Swiss Alps which can be reached by car".
Everybody is free to visit other places which can only be reached by train or cableway, like Jungfraujoch (190 USD round trip from Lauterbrunnen), Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (115 USD RT from Taesch) and others....
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Old Dec 23rd, 2014, 04:30 PM
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As a fellow Aussie, I am absolutely green with envy! Have a wonderful trip and give us all a trip report when you return home. So many beautiful places to visit in Switzerland.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 08:34 AM
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I've taken the train and driven around Switzerland and driving is fine, even with an RV - just slow going on non-autobahn regular roads.

A great campground for you is in Grindelwald - eyeball to eyeball with the glacier-girdled soaring peaks - I stayed there in a camping car - one day there was a thunder storm and man what a sight - rain cascading off the sheer cliffs just a short distance away.

Camping is great everywhere - Lucerne's camp is right on beautiful Lake Lucerne - right next to the Swiss Transport Museum - a boat dock right in front to take a boat tour around this to me the loveliest of all Swiss lakes.
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