Driving Great St Bernard Pass to Zermatt in June
A traveler is planning a trip in late June through the Great St Bernard pass from Italy to visit the hospice, then continuing to Martigny and Zermatt. They are unsure about dropping off their rental car in Martigny or Zermatt and are looking for alternative travel options and tips for visiting the area.
- You cannot drop a rental car in Zermatt since it is a car-free destination; leave the car in Martigny or nearby.
- Consider taking public transport like buses or trains to access Zermatt after dropping off the car.
- The Great St Bernard Pass is open from May to October, making your planned drive feasible during June.
AI-generated summary-
In late June 2023 we will be traveling through the Great St Bernard pass from Italy to visit the hospice. From there we plan to stop in Martigny and then on to Zermatt. From there we are switching to trains. To get to the pass, the only means I’ve found is driving. We can rent a car in Italy and drive through the pass to Martigny but I can’t seem to find out if we can drop off the car in either Martigny or Zermatt? I also put in a request through Day Trip to see if we can do this with a driver but haven’t heard back. Are there other ways I have missed? Appreciate any insight anyone can provide! Any good tips for visiting this area? Thank you!
-
The Grand St Bernard is one of the Alpine pass roads with no railway route, so you have to travel by bus or private car.
You can’t drop a rental car at Zermatt as tourists cannot drive to Zermatt. Martigny is a fairly small place so I doubt many car hire firms have office there. Sion is the regional capital of the Valais which is a more likely place.
There is an infrequent bus service from Aosta to Martigny via the Grand St Bernard route, and otherwise the Hospice is served by buses from the Swiss side
http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2022/12.210.pdf
http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2022/12.211.pdf
The weak bus service is explained on this web site: Timetables – TMR SA
Hi DianaS,
The Great St Bernard Pass is open between May and October so driving through is possible during your visit. Zermatt however is a car-free destination so you will have to leave the car in Martigny (or other destinations in Valais) and take the train to Zermatt.
You can find sightseeing options in Zermatt here: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt/activities
You might also find this quick guide about driving in the mountains useful: http://www.myswissalps.com/car/drivinginthemountains
Regards,
Anna
Thank you so much! I will look into these options!
You have not said where you are coming from in Italy. The best way round might be to come through the Simplon tunnel railway route from Milan to Brig and the Valais (Rhone Valley) region. from the Rhone Valley you can reach both Zermatt and the Grand St Bernard Hospice using efficient Swiss public transport.
Hi DianaS,
you can find information (like openings) about the mountain passes here: http://www.myswissalps.com/car/trafficinfo.
Ildiko
- The thread ‘Driving Great St Bernard Pass to Zermatt in June’ is closed to new replies.
