Driving in Switzerland

If would help to know where in Switzerland you are planning to visit, and where you will be dropping the car. Driving in Switzerland is really no different than anywhere else. Some roads are better than others.

Are you renting a car? Do you know about the drop off fees if dropping in a different country than you picked up from? Do you know about the vignette for Switzerland and the IDP?

Have you looked at the rail options to your Swiss destinations?

So you've never driven through Switzerland? You'll actually have few options in Switzerland by driving as the most beautiful places are not accessible by vehicles other than public transport (trains, gondolas). Wengen, Murren, Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, Zermatt, etc - all accessible by public transport but not cars.

Thanks. I've been looking through other posts as well and maybe my best option is just train from Florence and pick a few lovely spots. I'd like to parasail in Lucerne. Picking up daughter from college so we'd have gobs of luggage to deal with, unless a Prof. will store it.

If you return home from Italy (like Milan Malpensa), a car would be feasible. Just be sure to purchase a vignette sticker for the car at the Swiss border and attach it to the windshield in the proper spot.

Parasailing in Lucerne? I’ve seen many of them in the Berner Oberland but none in Lucerne.

Cars are great. Anywhere that you cannot get to in a car you just park it and grab the local transport. Local transport in this case is usually a cablecar of some sort, maybe a bus, and in some cases a train (like from Taesch to Zermatt if, god forbid, you are going to Zermatt). I am always amazed that people find using a car to be a problem in Switzerland. It really lets you get off the beaten path!

most tourists don't go "off the beaten path" and therefore are better served by public transport...What exactly do you like to visit that is "off the beaten path"?