GillsinEurope

Could someone let me know how the drive is from Zurich to Lugano? Is it all fairly easy highways? My hubs and I are flying into Zurich and are trying to decide whether or not to rent a car or take the train. We'll be in the Lugano/Ticino area for a week and plan to rent a car once we get there, but figured it may save us some money if we just rent the car from the Zurich airport and drop off in Lugano instead of paying train fare. The price was the same as picking up/dropping off in Lugano! Also, about how long is the drive? I know the train is 3 hrs.

Thanks!

GillsinEurope

Oh and is there a car rental office in the main Lugano railway station? If so, which car companies are offered?

bobthenavigator

The day saved on car rental and gas will pay for train tickets--get the car in Lugano the next day. You can catch the train in the airport terminal---just too easy. Enjoy the ride.

Dukey1

The only "difficulty" with taking the train is that you end up having to change trains in Zurich itself which is pretty easy to do.

The whole train trip is going to take 3 hours or so.

The distance, by road, is approximately 140 miles. Assuming you are going to use the fast route that means gasoline costs (obviously) as well as a possible vignette cost for using the higher-speed route plus the extra day of car rental.

If you are using an agency such as AutoEurope to rent the car you will probably get a better price but Europcar used to have a location at the Lugano rail station

dugi_otok

An easy 2-1/2 hr drive. If you stop for coffee in Altdorf with Wilhelm Tell add a half hour. Then thru the Gotthard tunnel to
Lugano.Your rental car will have the Vignette for Switzerland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Monument

asps

The first section is on good ordinary road, then highway. Driving is easy (many years ago I did Lugano-Zürich-Lugano in a single day). But after an accident some years ago, the number of vehicles crossing the Gotthard tunnel is severely limited for safety reasons, so any traffic buildup can cause queues at both accesses, that in the busiest summer days can be one or two hours long. In extreme cases traffic may be routed through the St. Bernardino itinerary - longer, two lanes for long stretches and somewhat more difficult to drive.
I assume you are driving in summer. In winter the itinerary may be much more difficult due to snow and bad weather in mountain areas.
The train route is one of the great Alpin train routes, with hairpin curves, spiral tunnels, nice landscapes. etc.

neckervd

Queues before the Gotthard tunnel in the North-South direction (up to 3 hrs between 9am and noon, much less early morning and early afternoon, none in late afternoon and during the night):
Palm Sunday and Saturday before
Good Friday
Ascension day
Whtsunday and Saturday before
all Saturdays and Sundays in July and August

In July and August, it's highly recommended to use the very good Pass road (no hairpins): no queues at all: much more scenic than the tunnel crossing.

BTW: For a visit of Lugano/Ticino by rental car, it might be easier to fly to Milano Malpensa (MXP), less than 50 km/30 miles from Lake Lugano.

neckervd

BTW: The first section from Zurich airport to Limmattaler Kreuz - Affoltern - Rotkreuz - Brunnen is all motorway, followed by a 10 km section of good ordinary road up to Fluelen Nord; then it's motorway again up to Lugano.

bobthenavigator

Rent the car in CH and not Italy--much lower rates.

neckervd

OK. But be aware that the train ride from Milan Malpensa airport to Como/Swiss border lasts 1 1/4 hrs and costs 8.75 EUR/pax.

GillsinEurope

Thanks for all the input! We fly into Zurich May 7 in the afternoon (it was a lot cheaper to fly into Zurich than to Milan). So we'd pick up the car around 4:30 and drive straight to Lugano. The price difference between picking up in Zurich over picking up in Lugano is only an additional $16. But I guess then I'd have to figure in gas costs, toll costs (how much would these total?!), and just the potential frustration of driving on roads we've never driven before....after a long flight. The train ride would be about $150 for the two of us.

Hmmm...I'm leaning toward train ride. Does anyone know when supersaver tickets for SBB come out? Four weeks in advance? Three? We'll be arriving in about 4 weeks.

asps

@neckerdv, the Gotthard pass road is marvellous, especially if done from north to south, but sometimes the queues at the tunnel accesses block the exits to the ordinary road.

asps

@gills, the toll on Swiss highways is paid with a sticker on the windscreen. Cost is 40 chf and it is worth one year - it does not matter if you drive only once or every day for 12 months. A rental car is likely to already have the sticker, if it does not have it can be bought at post offices and gas station. You do not want to drive on an highway without a sticker, police checks are frequent and fines stinging.

http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en

neckervd

All cars of serious rental car companies have the sticker. There are no (other) road tolls in Switzerland
On Thursday May 7th you will have no problems with queues on the Gotthard motorway. There will be heavy traffic on the motorways around Zurich at 5pm, but I don't think that this will cost you more than 15 minutes.
It will get dark after 9pm, so you can do the whole ride by daylight.

Super Saver tickets are usually available from Zurich main station only (CHF 37.50/pax). So, you will have to add CHF 6.60 for a local ticket between airport and main station. That makes totally 44 CHF. You can't book more than 2 weeks in advance.
The standard ticket from the airport to Lugano costs 67 CHF. The difference is only 23 CHF/25 USD/pax.

The supersaveer ticket is not rerfundable. That means that you will have to book a train leaving ZRH at 6pm or so for the case your flight woud be delayed. You would then arrive hours later than necessary if your plane arrives in time (or earlier). I think that's not worth the small economy of 2x25 USD.

neckervd

It should be: On TUESDAY May 7th, sorry!
BTW: Wednesday before Ascension day, it would be another story!

Dukey1

Use THIS site to price and buy train tickets:

www.sbb.ch/en

GillsinEurope

Good to know about the Super Saver tickets not being refundable or transferable to a different time. I agree that it may not be worth the risk of a late plane getting into Zurich.

I forgot about the toll roads and the sticker. Yes, I would assume that most rental cars have this sticker as well. Hmm...decisions decisions.