Swiss Alps in late May…will they be open?

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    29 April 2015 at 6:48:43 #807148

    Hi and thanks for letting me join this site.I might have made a mistake by planning on visiting the Pass roads at the end of May. I have booked hotels, but am now worried that the road pass may not be open. If this is true, is there any simple suggestions for alternative options. My visit is a planned car trip from UK , Germany Black Forest to the Alps arriving weds 27 May to 28 May . I was hoping to drive along the pass roads , susten, grimsel and furken at least .

    if they are not open, please can you share other scenic routes, I am sure they are all good.

    i will need to leave towards Basil heading into France on the Thursday.

    It is a once in a lifetime trip with my sons as a European car trip.

    Hoping you can help…many thanks and my apologies as I am sure the question has been asked before…

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    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    29 April 2015 at 7:38:51 #842782

    Hi Asghar,

    Thank you for joining, you’re most welcome! The Susten Pass normally opens up in June. Since this is all weather dependent the exact opening date for passes varies, so you might be fine late May. Even if it’s open, occasional bad weather may cause it to close for a day or so, so you should always be ready to look into alternatives. The same applies to the Furka Pass. The Grimsel Pass usually opens in May.

    It’s a bit early in the season for such a trip. July to September is the best season. It’s definitely not impossible, but you should look into alternatives. Just as an example: the Julier Pass and Bernina Pass are open all year round. But that’s Graubünden, which is a different, but beautiful, part of the country. You can check http://www.tch.ch for road and pass conditions. Select “Pässe” from the menu to see the passes. The green ones are open. Also be sure to read our section about car traveling to learn about safety, car trains and more.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    29 April 2015 at 7:57:34 #842783

    Thank you for the very prompt reply and guidance. I will review the suggestion and visit the links. Appreciate your help… Thanks

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    1 May 2015 at 5:26:28 #842784

    Thanks Arno.

    after reading articles on the trains, I see that a small railway goes from Kleine Scheidegg to jungfrau. Is it possible to drive to Kleine Scheidegg in the last week of May. Sorry if it sounds like a silly question but as I have never experienced real swiss weather, I am bring very cautious with plans.

    if this is possible to drive there I hope the trains will be running up to the Sphinx observatory.

    please let me know your thoughts.

    many thanks again.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    1 May 2015 at 6:40:35 #842785

    Hi Ashgar,

    You can’t drive to Kleine Scheidegg. The roads you see on the map are for hikers, bikers and service vehicles. You can park on the parking lots listed here, and take a train from there.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    2 May 2015 at 2:52:36 #842786

    Arno-

    I’ve added a couple of comments to your post. Hope you don’t mind.

    The trains mentioned run all year.

    The train to Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg is a special and spectacular engineering and scenic route, not cheap. Most people find that it is worth the money, but check the price.

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