The Motorways Of Switzerland

Switzerland is actually much better known for it's scenic cycle routes and alpine trains than it's vast road network. 

Despite it's small size the country is served by a 71,345 kilometer road network which incorporates twenty two motorways which between them cover over 1,763 kilometers.  
The Swiss motorways, known as autobahnen in German, autoroutes in French, autosrade in Italian and autosradas in Romansch - the four languages spoken in Switzerland - travel through miles of lush green countryside resplendent with high mountains, scenic valleys, steep gorges, vast lakes and rivers, traditional alpine villages and beautiful cities all interspersed with a myriad of spectacular viaducts, bridges, dams and tunnels.  
Of these twenty two motorways I have hand picked eight of the most scenic for inclusion on this page. 

 

The Motorway Network of Switzerland
Click on map to enlarge

  

A1 - The 210 kilometer long A1 travels in a north east / south west direction and links the city of Geneva, located in the very south east of the country with Zurich located along the Swiss Plateau of northern Switzerland.

From the Austrian border town of St Margarethen the road passes through the cities of Aarau, Baden, Morges, Zurich and the Swiss capital Bern before terminating in Switzerland’s second largest city, Geneva.

The road is served by the 1.1 kilometer long, Baregg Tunnel at Baden and the 3.2 kilometer long Gubrist Tunnel, which links the A1 with the Zurich Bypass, also known as the A20 motorway. 

A2 - The A2 travels in a north / south direction for 285 kilometers between the city of Basel on Switzerland’s German border to the town of Chiasso on Switzerland's Italian border.

The road passes through the towns and cities of Airolo, Altdorf, Bellinzona, Lucerne, Lugano, Olten and Stans. 

The road is also served by the 16.9 kilometer long, St Gotthard Tunnel, located between Goschen and Airolo, the Sonnenberg Tunnel located in Lucerne and the impressive Strada della Tremola at Airolo. 

   

A4 - The 165 kilometer long A4 travels in a north / south direction linking Switzerland's largest city Zurich with the town of Bargan on Switzerland’s northern border with Germany. 
The road passes through the picturesque towns of Altdorf, Brunnen, Cham, Rotkreut, Schaffhausen, Winterhur and Zug. 

 

A7 - The A7 is just 33 kilometers long but takes in some stunning scenery as it makes it's way along the shore line of Lake Constance in north east Switzerland. 

The road links the town of Kreutzlingen on Switzerland's border with Germany with the city of Winterhur, passing through the Alpine villages of Gruneck and Frauenfeld along the way.  

  

The Strada della Tremola at Airolo
Image courtesy of Markus Bernet, wikimedia commons

A8 - The A8 is a 94 kilometer long road which travels in an east / west direction between the towns of Hergiswil and Spiez in central Switzerland. 

This particularly scenic motorway makes it’s way along the shores of Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Lake Lungern, Lake Sarnen and Lake Alpnacher.

The road also passes the Jungfrau Park and passes through the towns of Darligen, Interlaken, Leissigen and Sarnen.

The road is served by the 1,008 meter high, Brunig Pass, located between Lucerne and Speiz, the five kilometer long, Sachseln Tunnel near Sarnen and the Lopper Tunnel near Lake Alpnacher, which links the A8 with the country's A2 motorway via an elaborate series of smaller sub tunnels.

A9 – Switzerland’s A9 motorway is a 230 kilometer long road situated between the cities of Lausanne and Brig in south west Switzerland.

Part of the A9 includes the Simplon Pass, located at an altitude of 2,005 meters above sea level. The pass, which is located above the Simplon Rail Tunnel located along the Pennine and Lepontine Alps, links the Swiss city of Brig with the Italian border in Piedmont, via the shore of Lake Rotel.

The A9, which travels through miles of Switzerland's prime farm land and wine growing country, also passes through the Alpine towns of Bellaigues, Gondo, Sion and Vevey.

A13 – The A13 is a 195 kilometer long motorway linking Switzerland’s Austrian and French borders.

Located between the towns of St Margarethen on the Austrian border and Bardonnex on the French border, the road makes it's way through the towns of Ascona, Bellinzona, Chur and Thusus.

The road also gives visitors access to the upmarket ski-ing resorts of Davos, Klosters and St Moritz in the very east of Switzerland by way of the 43 kilometer long, Julier Pass located in the Albula Mountains. 
The Italian border is accessed by way of the 2,115 meter high, Splugen Pass, located in the Engadain Valley in Graubunden.

The road makes it's way through the picturesque Ergadin, Hinterrhein and Rhine valleys, along the shores of Lake Constance and across the Viamala Gorge.

The road is also served by the 6.6 kilometer long, San Bernadino Tunnel, located between the towns of Hinterrehein and San Bernadino, which is located at an elevation of 1,650 meters above sea level. 

 

A16 – This 84 kilometer long motorway, also known as the Transjurane, links the town of Boncourt on Switzerland's border with France with the picturesque city of Biel / Bienne located in the foothills of the Bernese Jura.

The road is renowned for it’s twenty seven tunnels, eleven of which are over one kilometer in length, as it makes it's way through the mountains and valleys of the Jura Mountains, passing through the picturesque towns of Court, Delemont, Frinvillier, Mouti and Porrentruy along the way. 
  

   

Image Courtesy of BenKidd77, wikimedia commons

Owing to it’s mountainous terrain Switzerland is home to hundreds of mountain passes.  

Shown below is a list of the country’s ten highest, showing their ultimate height and location -  

 

The Umbrail Pass – 2,501 meters – Located along the Switzerland / Italy border in Graubunden.

The Nufenen Pass – 2,478 meters – Located between the towns of Ulrichen in Valais and Airolo in Ticino.

The Great Saint Bernard Pass – 2,469 meters – Located on the Swiss / Italian border of Valais.

The Furka Pass – 2,427meters – Located between the towns of Gletsch in Valais and Realp in Uri.

The Fluela Pass – 2,383 meters – Located between Davos and Susch in the Engadin Valley in Graubunden.

The Bernia Pass – 2,328 meters – Located between St Moritz and Val Poschino in Graubunden. 

The Albula Pass – 2,315 meters – Located between Thusis and La Punt in Graubunden.

The Livigno Pass – 2,315 meters – Located on the Switzerland /Italy border at Motta in Graubunden.

The Julier Pass – 2,284 meters – Located in the Engadin Valley in Graubunden. 

The Susten Pass – 2,224 meters – Located between Bern and Wasser in Uri.

Lake Sarnen
 Image courtesy of - www.picswiss.ch 

Before embarking on any road trip to Switzerland you will need to purchase a Vignette, an annual motorway toll sticker.  
Affix this to the windscreen of your car to show that you have paid the road tax, which will then enable you to drive around Switzerland and to enter all of the country's two hundred tunnels. 

Vignettes can be purchased online from - www.ezv.admin.ch - or from any of the country's border controls, post offices or petrol/gas stations.   

Traffic in Switzerland drives on the right hand side of the road.

The speed limit on Swiss motorways is 120 kilometers an hour.

Switzerland is not a member of the European Community, but it is part of the Schengen Agreement, therefore it has open borders with it's neighbours Austria, France, Germany and Italy.

All vehicles in Switzerland must now carry high visibility jackets at all times. In Winter drivers must also carry snow chains. If drivers wear glasses they must also carry a spare pair with them at all times. Both drivers and passengers must also wear seat belts at all times. 

From May 1, 2016 Swiss registered hire cars can now no longer be driven across the border of the four EU countries of Austria, France, Germany and Italy. Some car hire companies may provide EU registered cars so do ask first if your journey will require cross border travel. 

The official name for Switzerland is Confoederatio Helvetica - The Swiss Confederation, hence the use of the letters CH on it's vehicles. 



   

      To check out the geography of Switzerland, visit - Facts about Switzerland.  

                              FIND HOTELS IN SWITZERLAND