Driving in Switzerland

Sounds like you've probably already made your decision:

"We also just like the idea of being able to drive ourselves around within Switzerland rather than relying on the schedule of public transit."

If that's what you want then do that.

Cost of gas is average, by European standards.
Tolls are easy: in order to drive on motorways, you need to have a highway sticker on the windscreen - 40 CHF per year, no matter how much you drive; a car rented in Switzerland is likely to have already the sticker.
Free parking, quite difficult to find; in touristic zones, even parking areas on mountain meadows may be metered. Free parking in central city areas almost unheard.
Be sure to stick to the letter to speed limits and any rule of law: Swiss policemen are not know for their elasticity, and even some highway code infringement may escalate to court matter. In particular, speed limits in tunnels are ruthlessly enforced. Swiss people are law abiding and expect foreigners to be the same.
Borders easy to cross - but for queues at peak times in some areas where commuters cross borders daily; be sure to check with your hire agency that the car can be driven outside Switzerland (insurance is more expensive out of Switzerland and some luxury models may not be insured against theft abroad).

For driving in Italy, note that each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. (so you must carry both). These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office).

You may never be asked for an IDP, but failure to produce one if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.

You may also want to have a look at some of the posts on the forum concerning the Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic) areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities (especially Florence!). Some of these are enforced by automated cameras and some by local police. Each pass through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket and visitors often don’t know of these violations until several months after they’ve returned home. In addition to the actual fines, renters will also be charged by the rental agencies for providing information to the authorities. You may find this website helpful - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm

You'll also have to deal with automated speed cameras, including the devious Traffic Tutor, which measures not only instantaneous speed past the camera but also average between two points. Violate one or both and expensive tickets will follow!

In the Berner Oberland many of the most beautiful villages are unreachable by car. You will have to park the car (cost, there is no free parking) and take the cable car/funicular/gondola/train.

For our trip to Switzerland last year (Basel-Bern-Murren-Luzern-Chur-Italy) we found that renting a car for a week (pickup in Basel; dropoff in Chur), and paying for fuel and parking in Stechelberg (Murren) was cheaper than train tickets for two people. And much more convenient, being able to start, stop and rest whenever you want.

Parking is rarely free, but no more expensive than we're used to at home. Both Bern and Luzern had friendly websites that showed where there were available spots. Long term parking in Stechelberg was something like EUR 24 for three days.

We did not have an IDP and have never needed it.

If you've driven in Greece and are still here to talk about it, you never need to prove your ability to drive anywhere else in Europe.

"We did not have an IDP and have never needed it." - but commila says:
"we may want to drive around to northern Italy or southeastern France" and an IDP is a legal requirement in both France and Italy unless you have an EU licence (I don't want to get into the argument about "nobody asked for it", the law says you must have it).

"We did not have an IDP and have never needed it. If you've driven in Greece and are still here to talk about it, you never need to prove your ability to drive anywhere else in Europe."

An IDP is a legal requirement in some countries, and not a requirement to "prove your ability to drive anywhere else in Europe". Especially in Greece, if a traveller is involved in an MVI and doesn't have an IDP, they'll be deemed to be driving without a license and will be in a world of misery. This warning is provided by the U.S. State Dept. (AFAIK, the same applies for others although rules for those with EU licenses may vary).....

"If a U.S. tourist in Greece is stopped by traffic police and is found to drive without the proper documentation (valid U.S. license together with International Driving Permit or, Greek Driving license, if he/she has exceeded 6 months of stay in Greece) the U.S. citizen may be arrested and face trial."

Given the small cost for an IDP, it really makes sense to have one especially as the OP indicated they will be driving in Italy.

Sure, its a legal requirement, and you should obey the law. Driving 110 km/h on the highway is a legal requirement too, but it is a law largely ignored. 99% of the time, it won't be a problem. 1% of the time it may cost you a fine. Its up to the individual to decide if the risk is worth the avoiding getting another passport photo, the hour to drive to CAA or AAA and back, pay the $35 plus more for the passport photo.

I got one in France and never needed it. I never got one in Britain, Germany or Switzerland and never needed it. However, I have got one for my upcoming trip to Greece, given the different alphabet there and the generally increased risk of driving.

Yes, driving in Greece was certainly a feat! We actually had the opposite problem there - we did NOT want to drive since we heard that driving there is crazy, and would've preferred to take public transit around the Peloponnesian Peninsula. However, when we went to the Rick Steves Greece forum, we got a resounding "bad idea" from fellow posters when we suggested using public transit for this. That's why I figured I'd ask the same question here - in case there is a clear answer as to how good or bad of an idea this would be in Switzerland. Thanks for your input and helpful tips, everyone!

We will plan to get our IDP as we did in Greece....it was so cheap and easy to obtain when we got it for Greece that we'd rather just do that and obey the law rather than risk a headache abroad. To clarify, we know we won't be able to drive a bunch within the Berner Oberland (given that there are gondolas and such that take you to the towns), but are hoping we could park the car on the valley floor. In Italy, we'd probably stay in the north (Milan, Genoa, Piedmont region), as we've already gone further south. I haven't looked at specific distances on the map (perhaps they will be prohibitively far), but in France we'd be interested in the Alsace region or Provence.

I am intrigued by darrenblois' feedback that it was cheaper to do the car rental. Have others found this to be the case as well? That would be welcome news if it is not only doable, but also cheaper!

Cheaper in the sense that you can fit 2-4 people in a car at the same cost, while each would have to buy a separate train ticket. We found it slightly cheaper or about the same for 2 people. Much MUCH cheaper when we were 4.

Giving advice to exceed the speed limit, not having proper driving credentials, and being told that speeders rarely receive speeding tickets is just plain old bad advice and should be ignored.

Please stop giving bad/poor/misinformed advice.

Tim, please read carefully, and no need to be the police of what advice can or should be given. I did not advocate speeding; I merely acknowledge that it is very common. Its a law, but not well enforced, and most of us (including in Tennessee, I suspect) take the risk of bending that particular law. Nor advocating driving without credentials, on the same logic. In fact, you must have not read the part where I said I got my IDP for my upcoming trip. I only stated the fact that I have never been asked for it, even when I had it.

Personally I prefer driving in Switzerland...the roads are great and there are many villages and passes that are not accessible by train. The opposite hold true as well though...there are places you can't take your car that are equally as spectacular! Just depends on what you want to see. Personally I love to rent a zippy, smallish car and really DRIVE the mountain roads and passes...if you are a confident driver you'll love it.
Parking was never a problem for us. There are many lots that are very easy to navigate everywhere you'll want to visit. The rental car will have a small, blue, paper clock - for many lots you'll set it to the time you arrive and it is checked to see if you have overstayed the time limit that will be marked on a sign at the entrance or near parking spaces.
In quite a few places you can drive up to restaurants that are usually only accessible in ski season by riding a gondola...there are dirt/paved roads through some of the ski runs in summer that you can just drive up. So fun!
Signage is easy to follow, speed limits are readily posted, and it's very similar to most of western Europe.
I'll give another view on the IDP...I've been asked for it more than once. In Italy, the Czech Republic, and one other place long ago - can't remember where it was. I always say it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It's easy to get.

I cannot speak for Italy or France, but on one visit for five weeks (Switzerland 3, Germany 1 and Austria 1) it was great having the convenience of a car. You did not indicate where you are flying into, but when renting a car, we always fly to Geneva. Walk across the airport and rent your can on the French side. It is significantly cheaper. I was shocked at the low cost. We also opt for insurance coverage through our American Express card. More savings. I will say it takes a little getting used to driving to the alpine villages. In some cases, the roads look like one-ways, due to their narrow width. Gets the heart pumping. On other two week visits, we have opted for half-fare railpasses. Of course, less convenient. Just requires a little more planning. There’s a lot to be said about comfortable rail travel. We found that anything less than two weeks did not make the half-fare pass worth it. When opting for rail, we fly into Zurich. Whatever you decide, you’ll be very pleased in Switzerland. Enjoy.

HI, Commila, I just wanted to chime in that you should strictly observe the speed limit throughout Switzerland. My husband's job is based there, and we are moving to Bern in June, so he has a lot of experience driving in Switzerland. The roads are excellent and the driving is easy, but there are hidden cameras all over the place to catch speeders. The Swiss usually know where they are (which is why you'll often see them speeding), but you won't, and you could get caught. And speeding tickets in Switzerland are VERY expensive. Just a heads-up. Have a great trip!

Thank you everybody for your valuable advice. It sounds like driving could be a viable option for us, and we may just have to go in knowing that the exact costs we'll encounter as far as tolls, gas, and parking will be unknown (would still welcome more input on this if anybody has any to offer). But it sounds like it wouldn't be crazy expensive for our party of two compared to riding the train. Our loose plan at this point is to rent the car out of northern Italy and then drive up to Switzerland, through the Provence region of France, and then back to Italy. In Switzerland, our travels will certainly take us to the Bernese Oberland region (where we'll have to just leave the car parked on the valley floor), and from looking at Google Maps, it will likely also take us to Zermatt, Lucerne, Geneva, and Bern. We would welcome any must-knows about driving through/parking in these areas.

Are there any safety issues we should know about when driving in this region (aside from narrow mountain roads)?

We had no issues just using cell phone GPS and reading road signs while in Greece. Can we expect to do the same in Switzerland? Do cell phones tend to lose reception in the Alps?

Thanks again.

commila,

You'll also need an I.D.P. or in lieu a certified translation of the terms of your D.L. in French for driving in France - https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article376 . An I.D.P. is compulsory in Italy. You'll also have to purchase a Highway Tax Vignette when you enter Switzerland, or face hefty fines.

For driving in Italy, you'll need to be vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas, as hefty fines for each pass through one. You may not know about those until several months after you return home, when unexpected charges start appearing on your credit card.

For a two week time frame, that sounds like a rather grueling trip, but your choice. Well planned rail travel will likely be quicker and more efficient, especially on routes served by the high speed trains which travel at up to 300 km/h. Unless you're going to be visiting out-of-the-way locations, a car isn't really much of a benefit. If you stop to tour something, you'll have to be careful to ensure that luggage is not pinched while you're away from the car.

EDITED to add a few points.

Thanks very much for the tip! Yes, when we sit down to plan our itinerary, we'll have to figure out which of those Swiss towns we'll stop and explore vs. just pass through. Not likely to explore all of it in the timeframe we have (as we've learned in previous trips to Europe - there's always so much to see!). But the actual drive time (I think the route we plotted was about 17 hours across two weeks) should be doable...did more than that one a one-week trip through the Canadian Rockies last year :) Good things to be thinking about though!

and we may just have to go in knowing that the exact costs we'll encounter as far as tolls, gas, and parking will be unknown

commila, plot your routes on https://www.viamichelin.com/ This will give distances and times (assuming NO stops, add 10-25%), but also estimated costs. This will be broken down into fuel costs and tolls.
Switzerland: to travel on motorways (Autobahn/autoroute) you need a toll sticker called a "Vignette", cost CHF 40, but a Swiss hire car will already have this.
Austria: Also a Vignette for Autobahn, buy at the border
Italy, France: Autoroute/autostrada tolls charged by distance
Germany: No tolls.

commila, please keep track of all your car costs during your trip, and report back on your experience when you return. It will be helpful to others.

Hi Commila! We drove when we were in Switzerland last year for one week and it was really fun - nice quick roads with beautiful scenery. The driving in and around cities was somewhat stressful, but avoiding rush hour proved to be the best remedy for that. There were times when we found the train to be more expedient, especially when crossing the Alps (for example when we went to Zermatt and to Locarno - we actually started driving to Locarno but gave up and jumped in the train!). In addition to what others have said, there is photo enforcement of speed limits in Switzerland, so do treat the speed limits as hard limits.