drive from luzern to Milan Italy during winter February
Oct 20th, 2010, 06:56 PM
#1
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drive from luzern to Milan Italy during winter February
i need advice, i rent a car from swiss luzern i need to drive to italy Milan, i don know for winter is that any problem for the road is that heavy snow?? ok to drive because i travel with one young children.
is that any procedure that i need to take care of like any document ? permit ?? to enter Italy while i am driving a swiss car???
swiss and Italy are they same side of driving i mean right-hand or left-hand drive????
is that any procedure that i need to take care of like any document ? permit ?? to enter Italy while i am driving a swiss car???
swiss and Italy are they same side of driving i mean right-hand or left-hand drive????
Oct 20th, 2010, 07:34 PM
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You posted this on the Asia board rather than the Europe board; but as I used to live in Switzerland, I can provide some answers:
1. You do not need any special permit or papers to bring a Swiss rental car into Italy. Immigration is very informal and it is likely that you will not even have to show your passport.
2. The Swiss and Italians drive on the same side of the road, i.e. right-hand drive like the US and the rest of Europe other than the UK.
3. Virtually all this drive will be on major highways. You should not have any problems with snow on the Swiss side, as the Swiss are very efficient about clearing roads.I think the main highways in Italy would be the same. Virtually all Swiss rental cars will be equipped with snow tires, although IMO and experience they are not necessary. You are not going over any high mountain passes on the trip, and will use the Gotthardt Tunnel rather than any mountain roads. It may of course be snowing at the time of your drive. but the main roads should be quite clear. I can’t speak about the city streets in Milan. The only exception would be if there were some sort of blizzard, which is possible of course. In that case, you might want to postpone the trip.
4. If you do not have any experience in driving in winter conditions, it may be preferable to take the train (see below). While roads for the most part should be quite clear, driving in a snowstorm can nonetheless present visibility issues and other risks, such as frozen road surfaces like bridges. You may not want to use this trip as a learning experience for driving in snow or ice.
5. I would avoid the Gotthardt Tunnel on Friday and Sunday afternoons, as traffic can be heavy. Also bear in mind that daylight is short in the winter months, so if you don’t like driving in the dark, esp in possibly snow, get an early start.
6. The drive should take just over 3 hours without any traffic or weather issues. Personally, I would take the train from Lucerne to Milan, as that takes about 4 hours. If you need a car in Italy, you can rent it there, which should be cheaper than Switzerland. This is more so the case if you are leaving the car in Milan at the end of the trip, as drop-off charges between countries can be quite high. However, if you plan to return to Switzerland and the end of the Milan trip, then renting a car in Switzerland makes more sense. For trains, see rail.ch. There are several options. Some will require that you change trains, but there are trains which you can take which will not require any changes from Lucerne to Milan.
1. You do not need any special permit or papers to bring a Swiss rental car into Italy. Immigration is very informal and it is likely that you will not even have to show your passport.
2. The Swiss and Italians drive on the same side of the road, i.e. right-hand drive like the US and the rest of Europe other than the UK.
3. Virtually all this drive will be on major highways. You should not have any problems with snow on the Swiss side, as the Swiss are very efficient about clearing roads.I think the main highways in Italy would be the same. Virtually all Swiss rental cars will be equipped with snow tires, although IMO and experience they are not necessary. You are not going over any high mountain passes on the trip, and will use the Gotthardt Tunnel rather than any mountain roads. It may of course be snowing at the time of your drive. but the main roads should be quite clear. I can’t speak about the city streets in Milan. The only exception would be if there were some sort of blizzard, which is possible of course. In that case, you might want to postpone the trip.
4. If you do not have any experience in driving in winter conditions, it may be preferable to take the train (see below). While roads for the most part should be quite clear, driving in a snowstorm can nonetheless present visibility issues and other risks, such as frozen road surfaces like bridges. You may not want to use this trip as a learning experience for driving in snow or ice.
5. I would avoid the Gotthardt Tunnel on Friday and Sunday afternoons, as traffic can be heavy. Also bear in mind that daylight is short in the winter months, so if you don’t like driving in the dark, esp in possibly snow, get an early start.
6. The drive should take just over 3 hours without any traffic or weather issues. Personally, I would take the train from Lucerne to Milan, as that takes about 4 hours. If you need a car in Italy, you can rent it there, which should be cheaper than Switzerland. This is more so the case if you are leaving the car in Milan at the end of the trip, as drop-off charges between countries can be quite high. However, if you plan to return to Switzerland and the end of the Milan trip, then renting a car in Switzerland makes more sense. For trains, see rail.ch. There are several options. Some will require that you change trains, but there are trains which you can take which will not require any changes from Lucerne to Milan.
Oct 21st, 2010, 05:32 AM
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oh thank you so much for your advice and information, this will be my first trip driving in winter i mean snow, last two year i visit london during winter too but is not snow so everything not that bad.
anyway thank you so much your reply helps a lot...
anyway thank you so much your reply helps a lot...
Oct 21st, 2010, 06:18 AM
#6
If you are just looking to get from A to B, use the train. It's much safer. We can get any conditions during winter time and although our roads are cleared as quickly as possible, driving through a snow storm or on icy roads does not make a good journey.
Jul 28th, 2011, 08:05 AM
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Dear Cirenone or anybody else, I'm also planning a car trip from Milan to Luzern next november about 13 to 15 (2011). How is the wheather on this time considering the roads on the mentioned route ?? How much time will I spend in a normal day from Milan to Luzern wth no stop. I obvious will stop by the way, but want to plan my stops.
Regards,
Carlos
Regards,
Carlos
Aug 2nd, 2011, 12:20 PM
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You may or may not run into snow then -not like Feb when it is amost guaranteed. You will run into a high drop off charge - renting in one country and dropping off in another.
If you want exact weather info you need to wait ntil 4 or 5 days in advance. For driving info hae a look at viamichelin.com.
If you want exact weather info you need to wait ntil 4 or 5 days in advance. For driving info hae a look at viamichelin.com.
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