Driving Calais to Lausanne, customs opening hours
A traveler is planning a road trip to Lausanne at the end of August from Calais, which involves a lengthy overnight drive. They need advice on which Swiss border route opens early and what scenic attractions to visit in Lausanne, particularly wondering about local markets on Saturday.
- All Swiss borders are open 24/7, so you can cross anytime without customs issues.
- Don’t miss the Ouchy waterfront and Olympic sights in Lausanne for a great experience.
- There is a market on Saturday near La Riponne; check local listings for more details.
- You will need to buy a vignette (road tax) to use the Swiss motorway system; plan to get one before your trip.
AI-generated summary-
I am driving to Lausanne in end Aug and travelling from Calais. Depart Calais Midnight so its about 7-8 hours drive of 757km. Which Switzerland border or route open very early at 6am to cross to switzerland? Is it La Douane route de vallorbe, cannot find opening hours?
What is there to do at Lausanne that the scenic places not to be missed? I know a few, Chillon Castle, Montreux, Chaplins World, arriving Saturday so is there a market?
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All main road borders are open 24 hours. Switzerland is part of the Schengen area so there are few checks at the border.
You will need a break or two so you won’t reach the Swiss border by 6am.
Also, note that ‘La Douane’ is just the French word for ‘customs post’ it is not a place name
Also for fun – I first crossed the border at Vallorbe as a 6 month old in 1960…
Hi Lucy
If you’re going to Lausanne at the end of August you will not want to miss Ouchy by the lake front (last stop on the metro going down), which comes alive in the summer! Also anything Olympic related is also worth seeing in Lausanne, and if you get high above the city you get some fantastic views as well e.g. Brasserie de Montbenon.
There is a market on Saturday by la Riponne (metro stop), list of markets can be found here (in French): http://www.lausanne.ch/lausan ne-officielle/administrat ion/securite-et-economie/service-economie/marches-et-commerce-itinerant/marches-lausannois.html
Montreux aka the Swiss Riviera is also beautiful of course, I would also recommend you go high up there where possible (Mont Pelerin etc) if you have the time. A couple of links that might help:
As 1960man said, the borders are open all the time, so unless you want to declare something you won’t need the customs office to be open 🙂
Have a great trip!
Maria.
No don’t need declare anything but just wonder if can get through the border and need buy the road tax and see the passport. If closed then you just drive through right?
Hello Luczliu88,
As said you will simply be able to drive across the border to Switzerland, provided you don’t need to declare anything.
You will need a so-called vignette to use the Swiss motorway system. Look at this link for information and also purchase options:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/mo torwayvignette
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ca rHappy journey.
Best,
Steph
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