We are taking the car ferry across Lake Constance from Meersburg to Konstanz. Can anyone suggest some itineries going down to Italy. We thought maybe one night in Zurich and a night in lucerne then a day or two in the ascona/bellinzona region. Can anyone give me some kind of a timetable driving thru the Alps in May. What is a reasonable amount of time to do the drive. I would appreciate any suggestions.

Konstanz-Zürich appr. 1 hour, same for Zürich-Luzern.

I would not know if you have to move for one night between Zürich and Luzern, or rather stay 2 nights in Luzern with a possible day trip by train to Zürich, or by car to the all time favorite destinations in the Berner Oberland.

Going straight from Konstanz to Luzern will take you through Zürich on regular city roads, so that can be a bit time-consuming at usual peak times.

Staying in the Berner Oberland will probably mean backtracking almost all way to Luzern anyway at that of year because Sustenpass (which would get you to the motorway to Ticino) is labeled to be closed until May for winter season.

Check viamichelin.com for your routes, and potential mountain pass winter closures.

You will need a "vignette" (sticker) for motorways in Switzerland which you will be able to get already in Germany (or, when you are lucky, your rental car already has one from prior rentals).

When driving from Germany to Switzerland you may want to keep in mind that background colors for destination signs differ. A destination on blue background (yellow in Germany) will take you there via regular highways, while green signs (blue in Germany) indicate a route via motorways.

Thanks Cowboy for the information. Does anyone have information on driving thru the Alps to Ascona and Bellinzona?

Does anyone have Alps driving experience?

Of course, many do, but what you need is www.viamichelin.com as was said. Forget Zurich and stay in Luzern. The drive to Ascona from there is easy--about 4 hours via the Gottard Pass. Have fun !

Hmmm ! viamichelin says only 2 hours---must be faster than me.

Enjoy Meersburg! A lovely town.

Drive from Konstanz to Stein am Rhein, Schaffhausen and then down to Lucerne. With a car, you might want to stay in Weggis, Vitznau, Brunnen or Fluelen.

Drive towards Gotthard and either go over the Gotthard or over the Oberalp Pass and Lukmanier to reach Tessin. Going over the Gotthard is faster than going over Lukmanier (although very interesting). Going over Lukmanier is quainter.


Use http://map.search.ch/ to help you plan your route. (Great way to see where you're driving but doesn't give you times.)

Cowboy1968: Have you ever looked at map.search.ch? It's a great interactive map of Switzerland. Highly recommended!

map.search.ch looks great - especially the topography becomes more visible than with viamichelin.com

I was just not sure if Gotthard and Oberalp/Lukmanier (is that Lucomagno?) will already be open in May because viamichelin says they would still be closed through May.
Are the road closures mentioned in maps (e.g. Gotthard November through May) reliable, or will they open earlier when weather permits?
Right now, the only road open now and in May to Tessin seems to be the A2.

Don't know if going from Luzern area via Interlaken, Kandersteg/Lötschberg, and Simplon, to Domodossola, and finally to Ascona is not too much hassle, and if it's worth the costs for the rail tunnel. But Simplon is labeled to open in May, and the Centovalli section could be nice.

May! Missed that.

Lukmanier = Lucomagno

Current Pass situation:
http://www.tcs.ch/main/de/home/verke...e_tunnels.html
key:
gesperrt = closed
frei = open

General info for pass closure:
http://www.motosport.ch/artikel_5725.html

There's usually no set date when the pass opens. The weather dictates opening times. Last year many passes opened early because of the gorgeous April. This year, because of the almost daily new snow situation in the alps, I don't see them opening early.

The route you listed last is a long one. If you don't mind long, partly curvy drives, then why not?