Towing through Switzerland
Does anybody have a link or accurate information on towing in Switzerland.
We are due to pass through in the summer Enroute to Itally and I am a tad confused about Vignette requirements for an outfit with a gross train weight of 4505 kg. I understand the ordinary Vignette is good for vehicles for up to 3.5t but over that an additional payment is required - how??
Some sites even suggest a vignette is required for both the car AND the 'van.
Confused.com
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You need a vignette for the car and one for the van which you can buy at the border crossing. I dont beleive gross train wieght is an issue for car plus caravan; if so then I have been breaking the law for 30 years as we went that way most years with caravan.
If you cross into Switzerland at Basle, rather than pay cash you can pull in to the parking area next to the office and pay by credit card. The customs officails will direct you.
Fuel is cheaper in Switzerland but just about everything else is outrageous so unless you particularly want to stay overnight I would cross in one day and stop in Italy.
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Have a look at this site, it's quite useful.
http://www.autobahnen.ch/index.php?lg=001&page=014
The opening paragraph may have the answer, if you are not classed as a HGV then the charge is the same. As Hitchglitch says, one for the car and one for the van. At 40 CHF each that's a tad expensive for one journey
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Swiss vignettes to get to Italy are cheaper than using either of the two big Alpine tunnels from France. Two vignettes - 80 CHF for car and caravan equals 68 euros, and that will get you through Switzerland to Italy and back again when you are coming home.
But Italy and back again via the Mont Blanc or Frejus tunnels from France will cost 115 euros for two single tickets if you are away for more than a week. Ouch!
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, Thanks Dianne T .Just printed fuel off for future reference.0 -
In terms of the route, this has been much debated on this forum. Much depends on which part of Italy you are visiting but the quickest and simplest route is Calais, Reims, Strasbourg, Basle, Lugano etc. You do however have Autoroute fees but it is a great
rout.We often come back over the Simplon pass which is quite comfortable for towing and very scenic. Domodossola to Brig and follow the Rhone then Lake Geneva and into to France.
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In terms of the route, this has been much debated on this forum. Much depends on which part of Italy you are visiting but the quickest and simplest route is Calais, Reims, Strasbourg, Basle, Lugano etc. You do however have Autoroute fees but it is a great
rout.We often come back over the Simplon pass which is quite comfortable for towing and very scenic. Domodossola to Brig and follow the Rhone then Lake Geneva and into to France.
We are booked on a site at the North end of Lake Como. All the route planners have plotted a route through France (from Calais) across Switzerland and just across the Swiss/Italian border to the site.
Im open to other suggestions though.
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The route suggested by the planner is the simplest and quickest but some people prefer to avoid tolls by going via Austria. If you stop at the Municipal site in Obernai, Alsace, you can get through Switzerland in a day.
By the way, it is strictly forbidden to stick the vignette on using Vaseline, lip salve etc. because it could then be removed and sold on! Personally, I hate sticking the vignette straight on to the acrylic windows in the van but that's what you are supposed
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As others have said you will need two vignettes and, having done it a few times, would now buy at the border with cash,they will ask how you wish to pay, so no having to park up and queue to pay-not sure you can pay the guy with a card?
If you look at viamichelin you can get a good idea of comparative costs,distances etc.
Assuming you start at Dunquerque it is 655x2 miles via Switzerland plus the €80.If you select the avoid tolls option on viamichelin it is 735x2, no toll, and this route is via Germany, Austria and
Switzerland.
It takes you via St Moritz and the Majola Pass, which may not be suitable for you, but the road up the West of Como to Camping Riva is very, very narrow in parts so not an easy choice.There is a video on youtube of a caravan being towed up the Majola,that would be the return direction for you,and it does not look too bad.
We were going to take that route last year to get to PIano Porlezza but a change of plan meant that we stayed at Prutz
in Austria.The route via Lake Lugano into Italy at Porlezza/Menaggio is also narrow but much better since a tunnel was opened to bypass the worst parts.
You could go via Switzerland and then up the East of Como on the motorway but that will add to your distance and tolls.If you go via Como and Lecco it adds about 40 miles each way plus the Italian tolls.
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Two points. Firstly concerning the vignette purchase at Basle. They will take cash at the checkpoint and (for a car) they stick the vignette on for you on the inside of the screen. This is to prevent people using different fixing methods that would allow
reuse of the vignette. If you wave a credit card at them then they direct you to the parking area and office (this may have changed since last year).With regard to the speed limit, yes, it is 50 mph towing and that's very hard. Not many Dutch vans stick to it. Generally, the principle in Switzerland used to be that you drive at a safe speed depending on road conditions, however, I assume they now have
quotas so be cautious. Many years ago I had an on the spot fine for overtaking where the there was an exclusion for caravans (didn't see the sign as I was overtaking!).0
