Our plans for this summer's 5-week trip to Switzerland and Italy are all made and paid. One piece I'm still concerned about though is the best route for driving from Bern to Lugano on July 30, 2 days before a big holiday in Switzerland. The most direct route is via the Gotthard Tunnel. I've found some sites that moan about hours-long backups at the tunnel. Opinions or experiences with this route at holiday times, or ideas for better route alternatives would be most appreciated. And yes, the car is mandatory, though an auto train option would be fine. We've got two weeks in Switzerland to enjoy the rails, then we're picking up a leased car and driving it to Piedmont, where we will need a car. Pick up and drop off are in France. IDPs are in hand already. Thanks.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33845 posts
Nelly, other people may have had troubles in summer with backups at the Gotthard Tunnel but I never have done. I've never made the journey on 30th July though. I have seen massive queues for the large trucks waiting their turns, and for them to join the train. From Bern the route via Luzern and Gotthard tunnel would be the most direct route. You could go up and over via the pass, or you could go under via the train to Italy and then cross country. I've done all 3. The least desirable for me was the car train. The carriages are very open and exposed, you stay inside the car inside the cage, while queues were not long the drive on the Italian side was not pleasant on very narrow roads, poorly maintained, full of large trucks. The train ride was not scenic.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
Nelly, there are no auto-trains on the Gotthard (except if the tunnel closes for accident/scheduled maintenance never on summer). Backups at the Ghottard are more common on weekends between July and mid-August. There is, though, a VERY EASY and VERY SCENIC alternative route that not only will make you avoid the Gotthard tunnel altogether but also get you through the stunning Grimsel glacier pass. Here is the route (link to Google Maps): http://goo.gl/maps/6XOCW It is done through a modernized mountain road (wide, 2-lane, rebuilt/built on the 1960s-1970s so no cliff-hanging thrills). This route is open between sometime in May to sometime late October/early November. Ignore the "road subject to seasonal closing" advice on Google. This route takes out straight to Ariolo on the southern portal of the Gotthard road, and avoid completely the tunnel.
Posted by
OP
Abruzzo Mountains
1088 posts
Thank you both. Nigel, thanks for the information about the car train - sounds unappealing and out of the way, we'll give it a miss. Andre, thanks for the alternate route - that looks like just what I was looking for. We'll check the traffic report that day, but I'm leaning towards taking the scenic route in any case. Since you've promised no cliff-hanging thrills!