Milan to Morcote to Interlaken by car

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    6 December 2016 at 14:30:45 #810419

    We are renting a car and would like to travel from Milan to Morcote. Then drive with our car from Morcote to Interlaken. We would like to drive through the St. Gotthard Pass and not the tunnel. Where is the start of the road leading up to the St. Gotthard Pass? We don’t want to all of a sudden wind up in the tunnel. Also the approximations that Google Maps are not clear whether the approx. 3 hours from Morcote to Interlaken are via the tunnel or the mountain pass. The mountain pass is what we want to do.

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    7 December 2016 at 1:27:15 #857320

    Hi Elise-

    <<“Also the approximations that Google Maps are not clear whether the approx. 3 hours from Morcote to Interlaken are via the tunnel or the mountain pass. The mountain pass is what we want to do.”>>

    When?

    In winter, many high altitudes roads and passes are closed.

    Tell us when, and we can begin to advise.

    By the way, going by train and lake boat (for Morcote) could be a more tolerable way in Winter.

    I’d be surprised if you can drive to Morcote in reasonable time. However, there are roads…

    How many days have you planned for the trip? How many travelers?

    This map is also good for Switzerland, and may be better than Google maps, although I use both:

    map.search.ch/?pos=759936,113408&z=2

    Why do you wish to use a car? Are you experienced alpine drivers?

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    7 December 2016 at 13:02:08 #857321

    Hi Slowpoke,

    Thank you for the map!

    My daughter, 27 yrs. old, and I are the travelers. She’s going to be doing the driving. We have done other driving vacations in France and Germany. I have personally driven through a Switzerland pass in summer. By chance in another family vacation when attempting to crosss the French Alps, the tunnel was closed for repairs and we had to serpentine ourselves to the top and we were rewarded with the most beautiful scenery of a tranquil lake and clear blue skies. Other than that we are not experienced alpine drivers. But we thought it would be fun!

    We are going in the middle of May. What do you think of our plan?

    Also I was wondering what is your opinion of whether to stay in Morcote, Locarno or Lugano. We will staying for a couple of days.

    Our ultimate goal is to see the Jungfraujoch (when we go to Interlaken), which I saw many years ago. It is such an impressive sight!

    Elise

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    7 December 2016 at 13:30:28 #857322

    Hi Elise –

    Great idea. I agree about the scenery. It makes the drive worthwhile.

    However, most high Alpine passe don’t open until early June.

    There is a good bet the road will be closed. Obviously, the opening date will vary depending on the previous winter’s conditions.

    Please check these links.

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r/drivinginthemountain s

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r/trafficinfo

    europerides.com/ridebl og/pass-roads/

    http://www.alpineroads.com/pa ssstatus.php

    Where to stay is a matter of personal preferences. I happen to like Locarno, but some would prefer the other locations. Morcote is a bit harder to get in and out of.

    My Switzerland might be a place to start looking for information:

    http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/home.html

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    8 December 2016 at 13:23:18 #857323

    Hi Slowpoke,

    Thank you so much for the informative websites! We will checking them as our departure date comes closer. Hopefully St. Gotthard Pass will be open. Our travel dates are in the third week in May.

    We have only about two days to spend in the region Lugano-Locarno-Morcote region. I made a mistake in the calculation with the day of arrival so we would have had three days but now we cannot change it.

    Why do you like Locarno better?

    Why is Morcote a bit more difficult to get in and out of?

    Elise

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    8 December 2016 at 14:46:50 #857324

    Hi Elise –

    <<“Hopefully St. Gotthard Pass will be open. Our travel dates are in the third week in May.”>>

    Highly unlikely. Good luck.

    We have only about two days to spend in the region Lugano-Locarno-Morcote region. I made a mistake in the calculation with the day of arrival so we would have had three days but now we cannot change it.

    <<“Why do you like Locarno better?”>>

    Smaller, more human scale, church of Madonna del Sasso, train into or through Val di Centovalli

    <“Why is Morcote a bit more difficult to get in and out of?”>>

    Please use the map I linked before. Here, I have zoomed in.

    map.search.ch/?pos=718880,87360&z=32

    Slowpoke

  • The thread ‘Milan to Morcote to Interlaken by car’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.