[Removed user]

16 August 2019 at 16:08:13 #823421

Hi, My husband and I are coming to visit Switzerland with our three girls March 13-20th 2020. We will be renting a car and driving from Zurich to Basel (2 days in Basel and 2 days in France) to Bern (1 day stopping in Thun and St. Beatus Caves) to Interlakken (1 day) to Lucerne (1 day) back to Zurich. I am nervous about the road conditions once we get down to the Thun/Interlakken/Lucerne area. How are the road conditions AND the weather this time of year? Thank you!

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[Annika]

17 August 2019 at 7:06:03 #920165

Hello CamillOlson, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!

Weather at that time of the year can’t be predicted. Snow at lower altitudes isn’t likely, and the roads you’re using will probably be cleared, but snow storms could still occur. Please refer to http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit and http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather. In any case, car driving in Switzerland needs thorough preparation: http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r/trafficregulations, http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r/drivinginthemountain s.

Are you sure you’re better off using a car than enjoying the excellent public transportation system? You may want to read http://www.myswissalps.com/ca rversustrain for some pros and cons.

[Removed user]

18 August 2019 at 21:29:29 #920166

Thank you Annika! I appreciate your response. We usually take the public transportation except my husband’s job (reason for coming to Switzerland) is renting the car and paying for it. He will need the car until we get to Bern. Do you recommend taking the train from Bern to Zurich? We are from Colorado and Utah (USA), both of which get a lot of snow and are used to mountain pass driving. (Don’t like it at all, but feel comfortable) It is definitely not our preference to experience “stressful” driving while on our vacation. Thanks for posting those links. I will review them….thoughts on the train from Bern to Zurich?

Thanks

[Removed user]

19 August 2019 at 7:47:16 #920167

Hello CamilleOlson,

To find out about train connections from Bern to Zurich please use the following link. Make sure you understand how the timetable works:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Are you thinking of leaving the car for good in Bern and heading back to Zurich by train, is that your thought?! Would for sure be an option, if this is possible with the car you have.

On the other hand, driving the Brünig Pass on the journey Interlaken to Lucerne in March should not be the biggest challenge, it is one of the lower and less spectacular passes (this is a Swiss saying so!) and most probably entirely snow-free in March.

To get an idea of the route, I recommend using this page:
-. http://www.viamichelin.com/

A Swiss rail pass worth looking into for travellers by car is the Swiss Half Fare Card, which “halves” the ticket price of any trip you might do by public transportation. Find details here:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard

Best,
Steph