Scenic drive from Milan to Interlaken via Zermatt in mid-February
A traveler, Driftking, is planning a trip from Milan to Interlaken and Zermatt with their wife, considering driving routes through either Lake Como or the A2. They’re unsure about the winter weather conditions and if the roads will be safe for travel.
Avoid driving in winter; road passes may be closed and conditions can be dangerous. Consider taking the train for a safer and quicker option. If you opt for a rental car, ensure you have good tires and basic winter gear. Look into the Swiss Travel Pass for easier access to public transportation across Switzerland.
AI-generated summary-
Hi, me and my wife are going to be in Milan and we want to rent a car to go to Interlaken and the surrounding area(Zermatt).
Google maps suggested 2 routes, 1 though Como lake and road A2, second route via E62 (it says that in Reno navetta Sempione I need to take the train to Naters, and that there is some kind of auto loading phase).First rout from my understanding is way more beautiful but I don’t know what to expect regarding weather and road passes.
please advise.
Thanks.
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Hello Driftking
Welcome to MySwissAlps
I cannot share your enthusiasm for driving from Milan to Interlaken in wintry conditions. Have you done any mountain driving in winter?
To work out the possible routings I Iooked at an old-fashioned paper map.
The A2 Gotthard Motorway/Autostrada
Timewise this is almost certainly quicker. You drive north along a very busy motorway/freeway heading north to the Swiss city of Luzern. There will be numerous heavy lorries.
Near Luzern you turn south and drive over the Brunig Pass (altitude 3,300 feet, 1,000 metres) to Interlaken.
The E62 Route.
Probably a bit shorter, but almost certainly slower.
Drive along the E62 heading for the Swiss town of Brig.
At the Italian village of Isella di Trasquera drive the car on to the ‘Treno Navetta Sempione’. This TRAIN will take your car, with you sitting in it, through the Simplon Tunnel.
At NATERS (a suburb of Brig) you drive off the train and drive about 15 miles to GOPPENSTEIN.
At Goppenstein you drive your car onto another shuttle train bound for Kandersteg. This goes through the Lőtschberg Tunnel. It is then an about 30 mile drive along twisting roads to Interlaken.
Interlaken to Täsch for Zermatt.
You drive back to Kandersteg. On the train to Goppenstein. Then you drive via VISP to Täsch. You park your car at Täsch and take the train up to Zermatt.
Wengen and Műrren
Like Zermatt, these villages are Car-Free. You drive to Lauterbrunnen. For Wengen you go up on a cog-wheel train. For Mürren it is cable car.
Is this rent-a-car a good idea?
No
Alternative Suggestions
If you want a taste of Switzerland while staying in Milan, take the TILO commuter train which leaves Milano Centrale at 43 minutes past each hour and gets to Lugano in 75 minutes and Locarno in just under two hours.
Alternatively, ride on a Eurocity train all the way to Zurich. This takes three-and-a-quarter hours.
Kind regards
Roger
Hello Roger,
First of all thanks you very much for you reply.
regarding the trip my wife and I still debating if to do only North Italy or visit Swiss, but today I saw that a small section on road A2 at Airolo is temporary closed.
Also we will drive a Peugeot 3008 so I don’t know how good it will be for this road.
I did this road to St. Moritz on march few years ago and it was okay. but now I have second thoughts.
Br,
Asaf.
Hi Asaf,
I wouldn’t recommend driving in wintertime either. Many road passes will be closed. Others can temporarily close due to the weather. Every road can be slippery and/or packed with traffic if weather conditions are bad. In all, you’re options are more limited and it’s much more of a gamble than in summer and early fall. Your trip is possible but it’s quicker and safer by train. You may find this page useful: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/car/driving-winter/.
The type of car is not very important but driving skills, good tires, and basic winter gear (to defrost locks and windows, and remove snow) are crucial.
Unless you know exactly what you’re in for, my best advice is to go by train this time and rent a car for all or part of your trip another time in summer if you’d like to experience the pass roads. Here’s an example of such a road trip: https://www.myswissalps.com/itinerary/pass-road-tour/
Thank you Arno for your informative reply.
I probably do Swiss in a better time (maybe train this time).
Hi Asaf,
You can read all about the Swiss train system in the link below, it really is a great way to travel around and see Switzerland:
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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