UKC

HI, can one avoid the swiss motorway tax by using other roads only, I am touring europe and would quite like to avoid the motorways and use the smaller roads.

Steve

In reply to moonraker:

Sorry, but the simple answer is no. Irrespective of what roads you intend to use within Switzerland, the Swiss will insist on their pound of flesh at every border crossing.

In reply to moonraker: If you enter Switzerland not on a motorway, you won't have to buy the vignette (permit). However if you are caught on a motorway without one, the fine is large !

When are you going and when are you coming back ?

Andy

In reply to moonraker: You've answered your own question. If you avoid the autoroutes then no vignette is required. It's a simple as that.

As far as I know there is nowhere in Switzerland where one would be forced to take an autoroute although using the smaller roads could require some good navigating. Much like britain in that sense really.

In reply to EwanR: there is no way to get in without a vignette... so you will need to get one. it is only 25 euros, no biggie?

In reply to joa_ds@mount_Wiki:

Erm... that's completely untrue. If you enter Switzerland on an autoroute then they will certainly insist that you purchase one. This is the cause of much consternation to people coming off the autoroute blanche and heading towards Geneva.

However, if you enter on a "normal" road then you will certainly not be asked, nor obliged, to buy one.

The official Swiss government line can be viewed at

http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/topics/intorg/un/unge/gepri/manveh/manv...

I do agree that 40CHF is a bargain compared to France though!

In reply to moonraker:

I can confirm that you only need the vignette if you use the motorways, but this can be tricky. For example, coming from Chamonix to drop a friend off at Geneva airport the easiest way is to leave the French autoroute and go in to Switzerland on their system for which they will require you to pay for a year's vignette. If you have a trailer, as I did, they require a double payment. Being skinflints we refused and scratched round the point of Switzerland on the French side to get to the French half of the airport... just in time. I later found that I could have driven the few miles across on ordinary roads and not paid ether but the Swiss border guard didn't tell us this and was quite stroppy. It was about 20€ for the year at the time, so 40 with the trailer for a 10 minute drive.

In reply to moonraker: i'm fairly sure i bought a 7 or 8 day vignette at a service station a couple of years ago when just passing through switzerland rather than a whole year version?, a big saving - i may just be having a 'senior' moment though!!

In reply to joa_ds@mount_Wiki:

Youa re talking complete rubbish. The only reason you think you can't escape is because you have always entered on the motorways. It is perfectly possible, and in face very pleasant, to drive through Switzerland without using the motorways. Whether it is worth it for the sake of the price though, I would doubt. It is pretty goood value compared with the French and Italian tolls.

In reply to woppo:

I don't think they do. Austria does though, maybe you are confused with them?

In reply to moonraker:

Steve,

I live in Switzerland and waited until well into Feb before getting my vignette. Living in the Engadine means that there are no motorways nearby. This could be useful for you:- if you come from Munich, for example, you can easily get to the Bernina and Bregaglia Alps without going anywhere near a motorway. Then you could drop into Italy to head back west (although the MB tunnel could hurt, but that's another thread!)

Cheers
Luke

In reply to moonraker: yes, if you enter on a non autoroute you are not obliged to buy a vignette...but think about it (and we have done since I have a family home in the Valais - just along from Lake Geneva) - the normal roads are great, lovely villages etc - but you will use LOADS more fuel pottling around, up and down, round and about, take loads more time (not necessarily a bad thing if you are relaxing) but you COULD BE CLIMBING on that time. It's just a false economy. swallow hard, think of the fuel you are saving (unless you bat along the autoroute at 160kph) and use the time will win wisely...we try to

In reply to moonraker: If you are basically going from Chamonix to the Valais then there's no need for a vignette, but in general it will make getting about easier.

In reply to timO:

Comprehension seems to be lacking in a lot of posters. Just so you know, this is what OP wrote;

>I am touring europe and would quite like to avoid the motorways and use the smaller roads

Not climbing, pottering and seeing places.

In reply to moonraker: Andy’s right. Don’t forget that the police can question you about your route and you may have to prove you haven't used the motorways - this happened to an old work colleague - if you have used the motorways they will fine you. I've driven quite a few miles around Switzerland and the motorways are fantastic, you still see some great scenery and get to drive through some well-engineered tunnels. Why not use the motorways? You'll pay more driving through northern France on the toll roads - plus the vignette lasts a year so you can go back and use it.

In reply to moonraker:
On my first trip to the alps I didnt even know a vignette existed, we entered the country on A-roads (perfectly innocently) and were driving around on the motorways quite a lot for three weeks, then went home (also exiting via motorway) and I only found out about it when we went the next year and I was going with different people who were better-informed. Oops!

So if you dont use motorways, they dont make you buy one. Its pretty cheap though, Id just buy it in case.

In reply to sutty:

Haven't done this for a couple of years so I don't know if the current design allows it. The old perforated design was fairly easy to get off the windscreen and I've sold on or bought 'second hand' ones from climbers either going to or leaving Switzerland. Enquire at any of the popular climbers campsites in France, Germany. Italy etc

In reply to moonraker:

Re. the Geneva airport Toll!!!!!!!

I did this about 4 weeks ago - I exited the motorway at Annecy and took the minor roads into Switzerland - the problem was that there's lots of work going on on the Pont de la Caille ( the famous bridge swing bridge) and I had to do a 25km detour.
Nevertheless, I arrived at Geneva airport less than 20 minutes over my ETA and avoided paying the Vignette.
I also got out of the country without paying it which makes me feel really smugg because 5 years ago when I was late for a flight I had to do the Autoroute border crossing and got stitched up by a nasty Swiss biddutch for 35€.

Enty

In reply to moonraker:

Don't be a tightarse and pay it. It's worth it and it's not that dear.

DJ

In reply to Si dH:


It's not cheap if you just want to do the 15km from France to Geneva airport and back.

Enty

In reply to moonraker:

So much miss-information here...

True, if you came via a motorway, they will (force) sell ya it.

Also true, that it is not checked at every border crossing... but it does happen even on smaller roads.

And lastly, the most important factor... The Vignette is not a motorway tax/permit... it's a permit to use the public roads in CH. Hence, if you get caught by ze police anywhere in CH sans the Vignette... be prepared for a hefty fine (and by hefty, I mean just that).

Same deal in AT, BTW.

In reply to HeMa: The vignette is ONLY for motorways in both Austria and Switzerland. You do not need it, if for example you drive from Munich via Garmisch to Imst. But you do need it if you drive from Munich via Innsbruck to Imst on the motorway.

You get a big fine in Austria if caught without one. Been there, seen it got the T-shirt. You just get forced to buy one if driving back to Geneva Airport from Chamonix, no fine as such but as Enty says its effectively a big toll for 15km of motorway.

In reply to HeMa:


Wrong. Normally I wouldn't bother responding but this is pure misinformation.

According to the Swiss government:

"L'Ordonnance du Conseil fédéral suisse relative à une redevance pour l'utilisation des routes nationales du 12 septembre 1984 (Ordonnance sur la vignette routière) a introduit l'obligation d'une redevance annuelle de 40 francs suisses (vignette routière) pour tout conducteur de véhicule à moteur et remorque qui emprunte les routes nationales de première et de deuxième classe (autoroutes). "

The vignette is required for the equivalent of motorways and nothing else. These cunningly have large signs with "vignette obligitoire" at the start unlike other roads....

[as a side issue the fine is 100CHF plus the cost of a vignette so not really "hefty"]

In reply to pog100:

Austria you can get the 10? day pass. The coppers are very strict, they stopped the whole autobahn when I drove through the other week, checked it and let me go.

In reply to moonraker:

There used to be a shorter stay pass years ago in Switzerland but I'm not sure when it was done away with. I remember getting one in 1997.

In reply to moonraker: Just to put my tuppeny worth in.....you definitely do not need a vignette if you are not going on the motorways. simple as that.

i'm 90% sure you can only get annual vignettes - they certainly do not advertise shorter term ones when you cross the borders.

In reply to moonraker:
I live and work in Geneva. You definately do not need the vignette if you are only using non motorway roads. There are plenty of ways in and out of cities , borders, towns that do not require using motorways. Just navigate carefully.
On the other hand, using the vignette , currently 40 swiss francs, will save you an enormous amount of time in terms of getting from place to place. Crossing Geneva for example takes 15 minutes using the motorway. Through town could take up to 90mins or more on a weekday afternoon, with all the additional stress of sitting in hot traffic jams and wasting gas and valuable cragging time while your motor is ticking over.

In reply to moonraker: I forgot to add that you can only get annual vignettes. I have seen unused vignettes advertised on ebay and bought one last year for half price which I used on my motorbike for the summer!!

In reply to sutty: ...actually, just being picky, but the OP didn't say that they weren't climbing...you are just inferring this...and what I have said about the vignette is 100% accurate regarding regs - as per the later posters who live in CH...

In reply to timO: OP here!!!! yes I will be visiting the snowy stuff!!!!!

In reply to moonraker: ...excellent! have a great time...I'll be there in late July...

In reply to moonraker:

In response to OP, do you want to avoid the motorways in order to save cost, but would otherwise like to use them, or would you actually prefer to use the smaller roads for more sightseeing etc?

I have a 2009 vignette that you could have if you wanted to use to the motorways.

Let me know if you are interested.

Rimz

In reply to Rimz: I have sent you an email - would not hurt to take one if available. Would offer it on when I return in september.