Hi
We have a 3.5t motorhome and intend to travel from Annecy to Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and over to Lake Maggiore. Has anyone driven in Switzerland avoiding the motorways and therefore purchasing a Vignette? Looking and planning a route on via Michelin it looks possible, as you can enter options for no tolls and a caravan, but what are the roads like (presumably they are ok as Michelin recommends them).
Has anyone done the Simplon Pass or any of the other passes into Northern Italy in late May?
Thank you in advance
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I doubt if you will even get across the Swiss border on most roads without the gentleman taking 40CHF from you for a vignette. It's only about £30 - just pay it.
Funny enough we think we are putting our west coast US trip on hold til next year and had considered going to Lake Annecy, Switzerland and then over to Lake Garda. Having been to all these places at least 4 times I agree just pay the vignette.
Hi, we are caravanners so in Switzerland we need two vignettes and always got them as did not fancy going wrong and facing a heavy fine.
We dont go via Switzerland now as there are other interesting routes that are toll free, to Lake Garda,and the cost of sites is very high, but when in Austria in 2015 did cross over to Switzerland for the day.
Re the Simplon we have done it very early June and it was not a problem but it was busy with HGVs and the reason we used it may be of interest as it was due to the motorway via the Gotthard Tunnel being closed. If that happened in reverse you could find yourself having to use a toll road, as we did,due to the diversion.
------------- Allan
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
We stopped on a campsite in France nr Swiss border & drove into Swiss several times. Nobody forces you to buy a vignette. Either drive through a manned border on small road or no border at all on smaller road.
Just avoid turning onto motorways. It's not difficult. Blue/white signs for non motorway roads & green/white signs for motorways. Which is the reverse of France. If you get fed up with N roads & want a vignette you can buy them in shops I think.
We took our caravan to Switzerland last year and just bought the vignette at the border crossing. No difficulties, no queues, they spoke English and took payment in Swiss francs, euros or credit cards.
The roads we followed from Bern to Lauterbrunnen were fine although they did include a motorway. If you can spare some time to spend in and around Lauterbrunnen you should do so, it must be one of the most beautiful places on earth!
We'd read there was some potential for delays at some crossings so just got ours in advance from Swiss Travel Centre in London for £31 posted, virtually exactly the same as the official Switzerland price of 40CHF.
STC are an official "local agent" partner for it.
Downloadable map on pdf of the non-toll/toll-roads is at the bottom of the page here:
The vignette fee helps to pay for their immaculate roads...we wonder why ours are so disgusting. We too ought to charge visitors to pay fees. All those trucks from Europe who pay NOTHING ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
------------- CAT
Favourite site:
Camping Nanzel, Limone, Lake
Garda..perfect for MTB, Kayak, SUP and fell running training.
Favourite areas: Provence, French Alps, Savigny (as a stop over for Southern France: Rhein valley as a stop over for Italy. 78
Compared to some French tolls (albeit their much bigger network), we thought it was good value when for £30 ish it runs for 14 months, so would certainly cover most folks outward and return journeys, or even second trips within the 14 months.
Like the French CRIT' Air sticker, removing it from a windscreen destroys it, hence Nellie commenting on not sticking it on.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
I think the Austrian Vignette deal is better than the Swiss one; you pay a pro-rata fee...well it was the equivalent of a two week charge. This was discovered last year when we drove up the Brenner Pass from the north of Lake Garda - Trentino to Innsbruck. Lovely country side and amazing to watch the transition of the architecture as you approach the Austrian border.
------------- CAT
Favourite site:
Camping Nanzel, Limone, Lake
Garda..perfect for MTB, Kayak, SUP and fell running training.
Favourite areas: Provence, French Alps, Savigny (as a stop over for Southern France: Rhein valley as a stop over for Italy. 78