rgucla

Originally, I planned to take trains but it seems to be a bit of a hassle and it would take quite of bit of time. I am thinking of renting a car in Switzerland and will return it there after about 7 days in Italy. I would start driving in mid April. Is there an easy route through the Alps where I can avoid the snow? I am a Southern California driver with little snow experience. Any help with the exact routes (or alternates) would be appreciated. I have driven in Europe but not through the Alps during this time of year. On mappy it's 3 1/2 hours from Interlaken to Lugano/Como which is very doable without snow. But I can't tell if I would be going through passes which will be closed. At the end, I believe I would return from the Turin area back toward Zurich. Help.

Thanks!

simpsonc510

My husband and I tried to get from Zermatt to Lugano last April. It looks like a simple drive if you see it on a map. BUT there were passes that were NOT open and we ended up taking a couple of car/trains through tunnels, and finally made it to Lugano in the evening. It was really quite an adventure. I would NOT count on driving on anything but the major routes. You must go to Lucerne (to the north of Interlaken) in order to go south to Lugano! The mountains are in the way, beautiful as they are. Sometimes they can be a pain...

The road from Interlaken to Lucerne is not all 4-lane autostrade but it is a year-round road. You should be OK. And the major routes will be clean and easy to navigate. And the view is really nice!!

rgucla

Thank you for the information. I appreciate the assistance and we will look forward to the drive.