Swiss Vignettes

[PETERA]

We will be traveling through Switzerland next month on our way to Naples with the caravan via the St Gotthard tunnel.
Is it easy enough to park up before entering the tunnel inn order to buy the 2 vignettes that I will need to drive on the Swiss motorways ?

Could I buy them somewhere before I reach the tunnel ?

Or is easier to stump up the booking cost and buy them online before we leave ?

Many thanks

PETERA
.

 

[Oldsalt49]

Hi Petera,
Last time we went to Switzerland by road, we bought the vignettes at the border. You can buy them at petrol stations before the border if you wish.
I believe you can get them online now, so that may be a good option for you?

David

 

[Percy1]

Make sure stick the vignette in the caravan window correctly , i used cello tape to avoid the hassle of scratching it off, the border guard noticed this and charged us again for a third vignette. Git !!

 

[DianneT]

We have only visited Switzerland and thought it outlandishly expensive for the vignettes. Have you considered an alternative route through Germany and small part of Austria and the Brenner motorway. Very pretty and easy route. See on

. Much cheaper for Austrian vignette which covers both vehicles and passage over the Brenner Motorway.

 

[JonnyG]

Assuming you are entering Switzerland via basle? in which case the border guards will automatically assume you need vignettes. There's also a parking area and toilets, for you to pull into just in case they don't ask..

 

[JonnyG]

We have only visited Switzerland and thought it outlandishly expensive for the vignettes. Have you considered an alternative route through Germany and small part of Austria and the Brenner motorway. Very pretty and easy route. See on

. Much cheaper for Austrian vignette which covers both vehicles and passage over the Brenner Motorway.

But not the Brenner pass itself and has to be paid both ways if you stay for more than 10 days...add the extra time and the extra mileage and therefore the extra fuel,and the extra Italian autoroute tolls, then for a journey south to Napoli straight through switzerland make good economical sense..

 

[pmb]

There was a similar thread over in the motoring forum on moneysavingexpert.com recently. As I posted on there if you are entering from Germany on the motorway there are (were when I went) 2 lanes , 1 for with and 1 for without vignette.

 

[DianneT]

If you pass through Austria and over the Brenner Motorway the cost is €8.50 for Austrian Vignette and €8.50 for the Brenner Motorway. Adding up to €17 and if you decide to return the same way a total of €34. Nearly half the price of the Swiss Vignette . Which ever way you go you will have Italian tolls to pay. It may be a longer journey our way but is an easy route and exceptionally pretty. We like to make the journey to our final destination part of our holiday seeing varied parts of Europe.

We try to do a different return route and see more countries and new areas.

 

[Stevel]

Forgive my ignorance, but does it have to be stuck to the window of the 'van?
I thought that may damage or effect the acrylic window.

 

[JonnyG]

if you go through the Brenner pass the tolls to Naples are over 10 euro's more than if you enter from Switzerland [Italian m/way tolls], and that each way.... ! and before we add on the extra cost of fuel..also personally i find Switzerland and the A2 once 50 miles past Basel to be as pretty a route to Italy as anything else on offer, although i except that's subjective. and like Dianne the journey is part of the holiday,afterall that makes sense....but the fact still remains if one does the maths and is driving to Italy and as far as Tuscany or indeed further south, from a monetary and indeed mileage point of view ..straight through Switzerland, make sense.. sure i've done a breakdown,to actually show you the mileage and the toll cost! twice..Personally a holiday is about seeing nice places and the Germany Austria via the brenner pass into Italy is well worth doing, but i repeat to try to sell this route to speak on economical grounds,Dianne,which is what you do tend to start off with doing is incorrect, unless and i am again repeating myself your only going to the sud tirol or lake garda..for 9 days and shoot back over the brenner before the original pass runs out....actually as the journey is part of the route if one did take this route then taking the old Brenner pass has to be considered too, its not difficult there only a few twisty bits the views are at times better then the new brenner pass toll road and i suppose saving 15 odd Euro's could come in handy.