Switzerland

Driving in Switzerland

Switzerland runs on a different logic from its neighbours, and the vignette is the clearest example: there is exactly one product, it covers the calendar year, and there is no short-term option. A single afternoon's transit costs the same as twelve months. If you are only clipping a corner of the country, it is worth checking whether a non-motorway route avoids the charge altogether. The other thing to absorb before you go is that Swiss speed enforcement is not like being fined elsewhere. Serious excesses are treated as a criminal matter rather than an administrative one, with consequences that scale well beyond a ticket. The motorway limit is 120 km/h — lower than Austria, Italy or France — and the rural limit is 80. Switzerland sits outside the EU but inside Schengen, so there is no routine border check, but the currency is Swiss francs rather than euros. Cards work nearly everywhere; the gaps tend to be parking machines and small mountain tolls, so carry some cash. Winter tyres aren't mandated by date, but driving without appropriate equipment in wintry conditions can count against you if it contributes to an incident, and chains are signed as required on some Alpine passes. Headlights or daytime running lights are required at all times. Blue parking zones need a disc showing your arrival time; white zones are usually paid.