Renting a car in Germany and going to Switzerland for a day

Chances of your rental car having a Swiss Vignette are nill. We’ve picked up our rental car at the Munich airport many times and have never had any toll sticker for any country on the car.

We went to visit Convent St, Johns in Mustair, Switzerland, which is 15 minutes from the border of Italy and we did not need a Swiss Vignette, as it was only a one single local road to the Convent and back. That’s all we drove in Switzerland on that trip. IF you use a highway at all, you NEED to have a vignette. Keep in mind, even of you don’t plan on using a highway, it’s easy to get on one by mistake. One wrong turn and … you could be on a motorway.

Some companies have started charging for taking rentals into a different country ($15 or so?). Tell Avis you'll be doing so, just in case.

You will not require a vignette if you are only visiting Basel for a day (or anywhere else, as long as you stay off the motorways):
https://www.autobahnen.ch/images/vignette_required_en.jpg

From Riquewihr we visited Basel a couple of times, parking across the river from the old town. I think it was this location, about $20 per day: https://parcandi.com/ch-de/facility/62

It’s better to pay 40 CHF for the toll sticker than 200 CHF for the fine you could very possibly find in your mail several weeks later.

You only need the sticker if you intend to drive on motorways.

However if it is basel you want to visit just park your car in Lorrach or Weil am Rhein and take public transport in. Basel is very, very, very car hostile.

In 2006 I was staying in the Black Forest for a family reunion and one day my German aunt wanted us all to go to a museum in Basel. As we approached the border we were told we had to buy the vignette. We had 3 cars between us. That was definitely not going to happen for a day trip. They were very kind and told us that if we turned around we could take surface streets to the museum and then gave us directions. This was before smart phones and navigation systems. It should be easier now.

Thank you everybody. After doing some research, we are going get the vignette and drive to Interlaken OST and possibly do the Jungfaujoch. Driving is definitely cheaper than buying train tickets from Basel for 2. Plus driving allows us to stop and take pictures along the way. Things may change but for now that is the plan. We were in that area last year for about a week during late summer. It was amazingly beautiful and we wanted to go back in the winter. Thank you all again.

as you are driving I will remind you that speed limits in Swiss tunnels are much slower than on the open highways. Most non-urban (watch the directional arrows and speed restrictions in the winding Basel area) motorways in Switzerland are only 120 kph but drop sharply to 80 in most motorway tunnels. These are radar camera controlled, and you need to have slowed by the electric or normal sign. Don't speed up on exit either until you pass the sign.

They take driving technique in tunnels incredibly seriously.

A couple of other things - it is worth remembering that although both Germany and Switzerland are signatories to the Schengen treaty, that is a treaty for the free movement of people but not stuff - it is not a Customs treaty. Since Switzerland is not in the European Union (EU) there is a Customs border between Switzerland and all its neighbours except Lichtenstein (which has its own with Austria). So be sure to have all the car's papers in order.

I am surprised that one of our German residents hasn't mentioned the requirement for International Drivers Permit or equivalent.

Expect a stau on the A5 approaching the border from Germany.