Road trip to Switzerland in late May
A traveler named Pavan is planning a road trip through Switzerland, arriving on May 28th. They want to know if Klausen Pass, Susten Pass, and Furka Pass will be open during their visit, and are seeking alternative scenic routes if not. Pavan prefers driving over taking trains and is looking for local advice.
- Expect Klausen Pass to likely be open, but Susten and Furka Pass may not open until early to mid June.
- Consider using Gotthard Pass as an alternative scenic route that should be open late May.
- Be aware that Swiss mountain roads can be narrow and lack guardrails, so plan your driving route carefully.
AI-generated summary-
Hi Everyone,
I will be travelling across Europe from the UK in my car, will get to Switzerland by the 28th May.
Wanted to go on the following roads.
Will be using the Black Forest road in Germany then coming down to visit the following passes.
Klausen Pass then down to Susten Pass & Furka Pass.
My question is, will any of these roads be open around the 28th – 29th of May? If not, are there any other alternative scenic roads you recommend that will be open?
I’m aware that there are trains you can get on however I wanted to go by car.
Thank you for your help! 🙂
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Hi Pavan, welcome to MySwissAlps!
I’d recommend to have an alternative plan in mind (by train or a different route). The Klausen pass should open late May so will probably be fine, but the other two will most probably only open early to mid June. Such trips by car are best done from July to September. Please find more information on myswissalps.com/ car/trafficinfo. That’s where you can find open passes to compose a different route. The Gotthard pass should be open late May, so that might be an alternative.
Hi Pavan-
If you are an accomplished mountain driver, this advice may be irrelevant. Here it is, just in case.
We drove the Klausen fron Linthal to Altdorf a few years ago in wet and cloudy weather. The road lacks guardrails in many places ( as is the case with many other Swiss pass roads) and is quite narrow in places…too narrow for two cars to pass without one backing up. Downhill has right of way, and Post Buses have absolute right of way.
We did not find it an easy drive. Part of that was due to poor visibility, of course. If we do it again, we would drive from Altdorf to Linthal, so as to be on the inside lane as much as possible ( except for switchbacks, of course.)
If you are a hiker, you might want to consider Suvorov’s route from Altdorf up and over Chinzig Kulm and possibly down into the Muottatal. Cableways will get you partway up there.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
Uphill traffic has right of way, correct?
You know better than I. i thought it was the other way.I remember it as being easier to back downhill than uphill….but could be wrong.
Slowpoke
Thanks.
You learn something new every day on My Swiss Alps. 😉
Slowpoke
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