We have just returned from an Italian holiday. We flew into Zurich and drove to Lake Como. The drive was wonderful until we got close to the Gotthard Tunnel. We got stuck in a 2-hour stand-still traffic jam. It was all because of 2 lanes trying to merge into one at the start of the tunnel. It was a Sat. afternoon around 3:00pm. Apparently this is quite a problem. On our way back north, the traffic wasn't as bad our way, but there was the same horrible traffic heading South and this was Sat. morning at about 8:00am. Be warned!

Very worthwhile info to someone who needs to know this. Not likely to happen - - but it would be nice if others who occasion to run into this (or its eventual improvement) could keep this thread updated.

I wonder if this could be posted by Fodor's staff in their new Fodor's "blog" ("Right This Way&quot - - where the turnover is not so fast-paced. (But then, who actually gets a look at anything there?)

Hope it improves soon!

Best wishes,

Rex

Thus my usual advice to train to Lugano and get the car there.

I've driven south through that tunnel a couple of times. It's always a jam to some degree. Plan on it. I drove over the pass before the tunnel opened. It is beautiful up there, but only expect to do this in the summer or early fall.

We drove NORTH through the Gotthard tunnel a couple of years ago. All went well, but it IS LONG....we were in the tunnel for a full 20 minutes AND the gas fumes were pretty strong. Obviously it is OK for many people do it every day,,,but it's not for real claustrophics. I wonder if it is always that smoky, hazy and somewhat gaseous. They surely have venelation!But is IS a good way, and about the best and ONLY to get through the MTs.

This is a habitual problem. If you plan on driving throught he Gotthard on a weekend, you must get there very early to miss the jam. We used to leave Luzern by 5:00 AM and it would still be slow.

It's just a fact of life...during the week, it generally isn't so bad.

Cheers,
Jan

This is, as SloJan mentions, absolutely normal and don't plan on any relief for at least several years. The voters in Kanton Uri, where the north side of the tunnel begins, keep rejecting the building of a second tunnel. Traffic has gotten worse the past few years because the Swiss made concessions to allow more EU trucks through and also because of the accident last year. I live about 40km from the tunnel and they sometimes have trucks pulled over as far north as here waiting to drive through. They are working on a long train tunnel for trucks to be put on through Switzerland but that will be several years yet. We avoid the tunnel on holiday weekends (which I believe the original poster may have hit the Ascension Day weekend May 20-23?), Friday nights and Saturdays southbound and Sunday nights northbound. Travelers are advised to check www.inforoute.ch for traffic/tunnel/pass updates in Switzerland.

We, too, got stuck once in a traffic jam at the San Gottardo, coming from Lake Como. We had no choice and had to go over the pass. Well, that was the very best part of our trip actually. It's so beautiful up there. It's only such a pity that there are almost no places where you can stop to enjoy the scenery. We were home later than expected, but wouldn't have wanted to miss this detour.

I've found for European driving generally, Saturday is a bad day for traffic jams, especially around city perimeters and popular weekend holiday spots.

Also note on the Northbound route, once you exit the tunnel observe the posted speed limit as the Kantonspolizei set up nicely disguised speed traps just before the first rest stop, which serves as a roadside court house, safely off the autobahn - the Swiss are so efficent

After paying the fine, the officer (smiling) handed me the receipt saying, "Here's a momento of your trip to Switzerland". We later discovered the area is a major revenue generator for the Kanton - mostly from Italian drivers.

Yes, a similar 'scam' happens a lot on the north side of the Brenner autobahn. Cars coming from Italy are routinely stopped for speeding, with on-the-spot fine or, in some cases, instant driving ban. If you don't have a co-driver, you are stranded! So take care.