Wendy949

My husband and I would like to do a driving tour of the Swiss Alps in the first week of June. We will be in Paris and were thinking of renting a car, driving to Switzerland for a week. We have been to Zurich and Geneva before as well as Lucerne so we are more interested in the smaller villages and beautiful scenery rather than touristy stuff. Itinerary recommendations would be very much appreciated!

kja

I trust that you are aware that public transportation in Switzerland is extremely efficient and convenient?

kja

Sorry -- clicked submit before I meant to.

You might want to consult some good guidebooks -- I found the Michelin Green Guide and Rough Guide particularly useful.

nytraveler

There are a huge number of villages and smaller towns that are charming, some of them on the foothills of the Berner Oberland, others situated on one of the gorgeous lakes.

Towns that we have rally liked, many of which had at least one special site - often a castle:

Gruyere
Thun
Brienz
Neuchatel

Just be sure that you check the status of the towns - some in the foothills don;t allow cars, but are reachable only be train of some sort.

kleeblatt

I absolutely adore driving over the alps here. I did it quite a bit last year but living in Switzerland, I have the luxury of last minute decisions on if and where to go.

Here are some ideas to help you with your trips:

1. Are the passes open? Check this website to see which ones are and aren't. http://alpen-paesse.ch/

2. Four lovely passes that are open the whole year round are:
- Lukmanier: This connects Tessin with Graubünden and it's divine!)
- Flüela: This connects Davos with the lower Engadin and it's sublime.
- Julier: This connects St. Moritz with the rest of the canton.
- Ofenpass: This connects Graubünden with North Italy (Sudtirol)

3. Get a convertible with the weather is good. It's worth it.

4. Avoid the weekends if possible. Too many motorbikes and cyclists on the road to let one enjoy the drive

5. Don't drive in poor weather and check driving times. Some of my suggestions take at least 6 hours to drive.

My favourite drives are:
- Susten, Grimsel, Furka
- Davos - Flüela - St. Moritz - Julier - Savognin
- Gotthard - Nufenen - Furka
- Gotthard - Lukmanier - Oberalp

Wendy949

Thank you so much for your response. I have not looked at a map of Switzerland yet so excuse my ignorance with regards to the distances etc. It is possible to do some of these drives staying in 1 or 2 towns and driving somewhere each day?

kleeblatt

Andermatt would be brilliant for drives 1, 3 and 4.

For other brilliant drives, stay in the Engadin area, get a map and just start finding loop pass drives on the map. I really enjoyed:

Zernez, Ofenpass, Reschenpass, Scuol, Zernez
Zernez, Ofenpass, Umbrail, Stilfserjoch, Ofenpass, Zernez

I'd love to do the Maloja, Splugenpass and Julierpass in one day too but I'd want to stay in Engadin for that.

Of course, the Bernina and Forcola passes (going through Livigno) make a great loop drive as well.

Again, Andermatt and anywhere in the St. Moritz area would make a great base for driving.

kja

IME, viamichelin generally provides estimates of driving times that are reasonably accurate.

I, personally, can't imagine giving up the unfettered option for admiring the scenery that comes with using public transportation, but that's JMO. Enjoy!

kleeblatt

Kja
There's nothing like driving over a pass and stopping anywhere you like for pictures or a picnic. Reaching the top of the pass and enjoying the views at your own pace is quite exhilerating.

However, as you rightly say, there's an added stress driving, especially if you don't know the roads or how to drive the passes with all of its curves and traffic.

Mimar

As nytraveler indicates, there are a number of towns in Switzerland that are not accessible by car. But that can be reached by train or boat or bus. Or gondola or funicular. All these forms of transportation interconnect seamlessly, with well-planned schedules. Allowing you to enjoy fabulous views whereas a driver has to keep his eyes peeled to the twisting road.

Switzerland is the last place I'd recommend driving. Certainly you can do it but I think you're cheating yourselves.