Dealerships will organise car registration, you can build up a relationship with the garage and resell more easily but prices tend to be high. On Sundays and public holidays parking is free between the hours 7 pm in the evening and 7 am in the morning. For example, sortie, Ausfarht, and uscita all mean ‘exit’.
The Touring Club of Switzerland has up-to-date traffic reports and road snow reports. This means that you are covered for injury and damage to others. Outside peak hours, traffic lights flashing amber means ‘ proceed with caution’. In this example, you should depart at 11:30 AM at the latest. Blue zones are marked with blue lines and signs. Small motorcycles of under 50cc may be driven from the age of 14 at a maximum speed of 30km/h.
Fine amounts depend on your ability to pay; a Swedish man driving on a Swiss motorway at almost 300km/h (180mph) faced a fine of CHF 1.08m. Import companies deal in cars from outside Switzerland and will handle the import process for you.
When moving within a canton, it is necessary to send your driver’s license and vehicle registration papers to the automobile service for updating.
Parking in smaller towns is mostly not a problem.
Paid parking is the norm in Switzerland, especially around popular places like rail stations, hotels and town centers. Parking in the larger cities is quite expensive: up to CHF 4 per hour.
The alcohol limit while driving is 0.05%. The parking places are divided into different zones: MySwitzerland.com uses cookies to improve your online experience. Motorcycles (under 50cc with a maximum speed of 45km/h) may be driven from the age of 16.
However, if your driver’s license is not in English, German, French, or Italian, you also need an International Driving Permit.
Fines are graded according to how much over the limit you are in a certain area, for example, 1–5 km/h over the limit in a built-up area is a CHF 40 fine while on a motorway it would be CHF 20. Wear a seatbelt; children under 12 years old under 150cm tall must sit in the appropriate child seat or with a seat belt if over 150cm tall; you face a fine of CHF 60 for not doing so.
parking space in larger towns and cities can be hard to find; be sure to have a parking disc in your car: you may need it to park in a blue zone. You'll have to enter your parking lot and parking duration. You can buy a car in Switzerland from a Swiss dealership, a car importing company (Direktimport/Importation directe) or privately. In order to rent a car, the driver must be more than 20 years old and must have already had a driving license for at least one year.
Alternatively there are parking places with parking meters for short stays (white zone).
This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Before you leave, you'll have to enter the parking ticket you received when driving in, and you'll pay in cash or with debit/credit card; on many parking lots you'll find parking metres. You can see all the Swiss road signals here on the Federal Roads Authority website. Paid parking is set to White Zone Pay and Display and metered street places. Motorway signs in Switzerland have a green background (unlike France, Austria, and Germany). Any advice and info on parking in cities. (Local fees may apply). Always check signs before parking but as a rule, where you see: You’ll also find parking meters (sometimes parking is free at night and at lunchtimes), car parks, and parking garages – pay at the booth before going back to your car.
Facts about the Grand Tour of Switzerland. This guide covers the important aspects to know about driving a car in Switzerland: driving licenses, importing your own car, car registration and taxes, vehicle inspections, road rules, speed limits, traffic offenses, parking, car insurance, renting, sharing or buying a car, traffic reports and breakdowns.
A range of car rental companies is available, with major chains located in all main towns and cities. Every two years cars with catalytic converters or diesel engines also have to have an anti-pollution test; other cars have annual tests.
It must be blue and at least 11 cm wide and 15 cm high.