Germany Switzerland
Germany 
SwitzerlandLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
The A5 crosses at Basel, the main road gateway between Germany and Switzerland.
Driving rules in Switzerland
- Motorway vignette required (sold at borders/petrol stations).
- Headlights on at all times, day and night.
- 0.05% alcohol limit; 0.01% for new/professional drivers.
- Strict speed-camera enforcement.
What to see when you arrive in Switzerland
- the Matterhorn at Zermatt
- the Jungfrau region
- Lake Geneva and the Chillon Castle
- Lucerne's Chapel Bridge
- the Glacier Express railway
Once you're driving in Switzerland
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Visitors may drive on a valid foreign licence for up to 12 months. An International Driving Permit or certified German/French/Italian/English translation is required if the licence is not in one of those languages or uses a non-Roman alphabet.
Tolls & road charges
No per-km tolls; a single annual motorway vignette (CHF 40, valid Dec 1 to Jan 31 of the following year) is mandatory for all motorways and is already fitted on rental cars. The Great St Bernard and Munt la Schera tunnels charge separate tolls.
Parking in the cities
White zones are paid (meter or apps like Parkingpay/TWINT); blue zones require a parking disc giving free limited stay (typically 1 hour) during posted hours. Yellow markings are private/no-parking and cars are towed.
Fines & camera enforcement
Speeding is fined on graduated bands and serious excess (e.g. 25+ km/h over in town) can mean criminal proceedings and licence seizure; handheld phone use and no seatbelt draw on-the-spot fines around CHF 100. Police can collect cash on the spot and rental firms pass camera fines on with an admin fee.
If you have an accident
Call police on 117 (rescue 144, fire 118); police must be called for any injury and for anything beyond minor bodywork damage. Place the warning triangle at least 50 m back (100 m on fast roads), photograph the scene and complete the European Accident Statement (recommended, not compulsory). Do not move vehicles if there are injuries.
Driving in the capital
Zurich and Geneva have dense blue-zone residential parking and limited centre access; Geneva's lakefront one-way system and Zurich's tram-priority junctions catch out visitors, and many city centres are effectively car-hostile with paid white zones throughout.
Sources: ch.ch · iamexpat.ch · thelocal.ch · lenews.ch