We (2 friends ) will be arriving in Geneva on Aug27(Saturday) at the station. We plan to first sight see in Geneva for 3 to 4 hours and then hire a car for 3 days , Drive to Lucerne and stay for a night, then to Interlaken, Berner Oberland stay for one or two nights, finally proceed to Zurich in time to catch our night train to Venice on Aug 30.
Can anybody help us with driving experience in Switzerland (August end)???
Is it easy to navigate and find our way around? Are tourist attractions easily accessible?
How expensive is driving compared to Swiss rail pass?
Are there any other hidden costs involved??
Autoeurope has quoted 115 US dollars for 3 days?? Shall I book the car online or is it better to rent one at the station ?
Any sites with car travel maps of Switzerland??
Lotsa questions but I have recd so may mixed replies …..i just cant decide. Trust fodorites for help.

I have been a passenger with friends who live in Switzerland, never rented a car myself. They drive VERY fast on the freeways (but don't go over the posted speed limit as there is an automatic cameras system which then mails out speeding tickets after the fact!). And gas is VERY expensive. I'm not sure how much but said friend leaves car parked and uses train or bus for most short jaunts.

Don't get me wrong- none of this is to say it wouldn't be great fun to have a driving vacation in Switzerland. Just a couple odds & ends I happen to know on the subject.

thanks suze but my friend's really keen.
he's stuck with with view that the drive experience is better than the rail. guess it will need more convincing!!

Hi zeenat10,

I love the trains in Switzerland -- love to buy food & drink, then sit and watch the scenery roll by. Check out www.rail.ch for train prices & schedules, and check out www.mappy.com for driving routes.

Don't forget that if you drive on the highways, you'll need the vignette, but I don't know how much it costs (40 chf? 20 chf?). You can do a text search here to find it.

I think you should re-order your trip and hit Interlaken first. Whether you go by train or car, go via Gstaad & Zweisimmen, a beautifully scenic routing between Montreux and Interlaken. Then after Interlaken, continue on to Luzern. This, by the way, is the route of the Golden Pass scenic train (www.goldenpass.ch/GPL/societes/carte.asp).

Have fun!

s

thanks Swandov2000
is it the Swiss rail pass that you are talking about??
Is is better to buy the Swiss rail saver pass or point to point tickets considering that we would be staying on overnight at different locations?
(Swiss pass are available for a minimum of 3 days)

I live in Geneva. A few answers to some of your questions. To use the freeway you must buy a sticker for CHF 30 (vignette autoroute. Available in post offices or customs. Still much less expensive that the train. Trains work superbly in this country but are damm expensive. Gas is not as cheap as in the States but still cheaper than in France or Italy.

It is easy to navigate and roads are well posted. Because it will be August time, normal commuting traffic tends to disappear. Careful with any roads leading to vacations destination (tunnels going to the South (France or Italy). Good luck and enjoy your Swiss experience. By the way you should stay longer in Geneva. It is a nice city to see (but I am biased)

I love Swiss trains but have only purchased point-to-point tickets at the rail stations there. The 1/2 price pass seems to be a popular one.

Again... don't get me wrong, I think a driving vacation would be great fun, especially since your friend is so keen on it, I just can't be of much help since either: the driving was planned and done for me or I was on a train -LOL.

Tveyez!!!!
that sounds great especially comming from someoneone who is based in Geneva.
Can i get your email id ?
Vignette is necessary for the freeway , but would i be using the freeways on my journey(mentioned at the top)???
We would love to do the sceinic country scapes. Any tips..??
Also is parking an expensive problem??
And hey Geneva's a great place - no doubt about that.

I find it strange that someone who lives in Geneva and uses to drive doesn't know how much a vignette is - it is 40 Sfr. I don't think you need to drive on freeways, but it is much quicker than the other roads.

You should take swandav's advice to go first to Interlaken, then Lucerne and finally Zurich, it is the logical route.

I use to drive from home (Germany) to Switzerland but do not use the car in the country - public tansportation is way too sufficient. And I really do not believe it is cheaper to drive - purchase a Swiss Half Fare Card for 99 Sfr. per person (valid for a month) and you'll get 50% off on all fares, also mountain railways, cable cars, ferries - and a visit of Switzerland w/o using these is not a "true" Switzerland experience!

Parking in cities is expensive (Zurich!) and the traffic is a hassle. Navigation by car is difficult for non-locals IMO.

Ingo

zeenat10:

I live in Switzerland too. I'm astonished that tveyez doesn't know that the price for the highway sticker has risen to CHF 40 a few years ago.

Used to driving in Switzerland, I recommend you heed swandav's advice:

Parking in the cities near the attractions and in the tourist resorts is a pain in the neck and rather expensive.

Second half of August is at the end of summer recess for most cantons, so commuter traffic is already resuming.

Typical cost of gas is around CHF 1.58 per litre (roughly $5.50 per gallon); cheaper as in Germany or France, but pricey all the same.

And lastly: the stretches along highways are rather dull, especially along the Geneva-Zurich axis and to Lucerne (rather like driving through an large suburb). Interesting and scenic stretches will take far more time by car than by train.

Enjoy your trip

Phil.

zeenat10:

To counter the legend of "expensive public transport", I've done the math for you:

First, as swandav has recommended, switch Interlaken and Lucerne.

By car this means a minimum of 345 km driving distance, At 10 litres per 100 kilometers (which is rather optimistic) this amounts to gas costs of CHF 54.50. Add to this the rental costs of $115 (CHF 149.50) and the highway sticker at CH 40.00, this would give you minimum costs of CHF 244.00 by car.

Not included are parking costs and nerves.

By train the fares are:

Geneva-Interlaken CHF 67.00
Interlaken-Lucerne CHF 29.00
Lucerne-Zurich CHF 22.00

Totalling CHF 118.00 per person, CHF 236.00 for two people. Not included are taxi costs you may incur.

If you plan to use mountain tramways and do a few excursions, a half-fare card at CHF 99.00 may be feasible, which isn't for the basic route.

Enjoy your trip, whatever mode of transit you may choose.

Phil.

Bonjour zeenat,

I live near Geneva and work there. I'm also biased and think you should spend a little bit more time there ;-)

Aug27 is just the day before schools start again, so expect lots of traffic around cities, people will be coming back from vacation and doing last minute back-to-school shopping.

As others have already said, gas is expensive, traffic heavy and fast and nervous, and highways rather dull. There are however lots of slower but scenic roads that will reward you will great views (for exemple, from Geneva, take the highway, get out at Gland, turn left and follow "Route du Vignoble", then head to Cossonay and go to Yverdon, then Neuchâtel, and from there go to the Berner Oberland). Use www.mappy.com for maps and itineraries.

On the highway, resist the urge to visit the ubiquitous cities of Sortie and Ausfahrt ;-)

Rental agencies in Geneva will most likely take care of the "vignette" sticker for highways so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Parking in most big cities (and lots of smaller ones) is no picnic, although there are more and more "park + ride" parkings, where you can leave your car outside of the city for a reasonable fee that includes public transportation.

Finally, train system in Switzerland is great but does not allow for good flexibility if you want to visit scenic places.

Thanks all u guys!!!!!!
The route’s decided –from Geneva first to Interlaken, then Lucerne and finally Zurich (thanks to Swandov , Ingo).
Phil !!!!!!!!! Thanks a ton for your precise and valuable inputs. It has made my choice easier.
I feel that a rail cum drive option would be ideal.
The Swiss Travel System includes rail, lake steamers and city transportation lines and with our Swiss Pass, you can use all of these to travel through Switzerland.
The Swiss Flexi rail saver pass for 3 days of unlimited travel within Switzerland costs $146 per person ie., $292 for two.
Add $64 (for two persons) to travel to Venice on the last day compared to a point to point train ticket from Zurich to Venice costing $244 for two.
Of the 3 days of the Swiss Flexi rail saver pass 1 day would be to travel to Zurich and the other for the night train to Venice.
That leaves us with one day of spare rail pass travel (probably in the city) to use at our discretion.
And probably a scenic drive for a day in maybe Interlaken (without toll express ways to avoid the chf 40 ) whatever u guys suggest.
Florence, thanks a ton for your scenic route guide . Considering that you live there im sure that route’s worth it. And also thanks for your school beginning tip , we won’t be in for surprises...
Could we do any scenic route given changes in plans. My friends keen on driving ……………..
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