Like every year, the days leading up to the Easter weekend are expected to be busy on Swiss roads. This is what you should know before you go.
Due to holiday departures, the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) expects long traffic jams and major traffic disruptions during the Easter period, starting on Wednesday, April 16th, 2025.
The north-south axes of the A2 (Gotthard) and A13 (San Bernardino) will be particularly affected. Heavy traffic is also expected on access roads to popular regions like Ticino
READ ALSO: Why is Ticino Switzerland’s favourite Easter destination?
“Experience shows that at Easter, traffic begins to increase in the early afternoon of the Wednesday before the public holiday. From then on, travellers should expect significant delays and waiting times, particularly at the north portal of the Gotthard road tunnel and on the San Bernardino road,” ASTRA warned.
The wave of returns on the south-north axis is expected from the end of the day on Easter Sunday, but many holidaymakers will take to the road on Easter Monday, which is a public holiday in most of Switzerland, except Valais, Neuchâtel, Solothurn and Zug.
Don’t stray off the motorway
To avoid the bottlenecks, many drivers tend to take alternate routes instead.
However, according to ASTRA, “this undesirable phenomenon places a burden on residents of towns bordering national roads and ultimately paralyses traffic in the affected regions.”
As a result, “local traffic and public transport on cantonal and municipal roads is disrupted, and the risk of accidents increases. It is therefore important for travellers to stay on the motorway even in the event of traffic jams, if only out of respect for the local population.”
Where the traffic will be heaviest
During the holidays, expect not only the usual high traffic density in the metropolitan areas of Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Lausanne, and Geneva, but also additional bottlenecks on the following sections:
Motorways
A1, Geneva (including the Bardonnex border crossing)
A1/A3, Zurich
A1, Härkingen – Wangen a. A.
A1, Kirchberg – Schönbühl
A2/A3, Basel (including border crossings with France and Germany)
A2, Belchen Tunnel – Härkingen
A2/A14, Lucerne region (from Stans-Nord / returns)
A2, Erstfeld – Biasca (Gotthard road tunnel)
A3, Walenstadt – Reichenburg
A4, Axenstrasse
A8, Interlaken – Spiez
A8, Sarnen – Lopper interchange
A1/A9, Lausanne
A9, La Veyre/Vevey – Bex-Nord
A12, Châtel-St-Denis – La Veyre/Vevey
A13, Sarganserland – Rothenbrunnen
A13, Andeer – Mesocco
Border crossings on the A9 (Vallorbe, VD), A2 (Chiasso-Brogeda, TI) and A24 (Gaggiolo, TI)
Main routes
Spiez – Kandersteg (departures)
Gampel – Goppenstein (returns)
Brunnen – Flüelen (Axenstrasse)
Göschenen – Andermatt
Raron – Brig
Bellinzona – Locarno
H338, Sihlbrugg – Hanegg (Hirzel section)
Various main roads in the Bernese Oberland, Graubünden, and the Valais side valleys
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Other modes of transport
Due to the repair work being carried out by the SBB on the Simplon Tunnel, including during the Easter period, BLS trains between Brig and Iselle will now only run every two hours. Waiting times may therefore increase in both directions. The current timetable can be found here.
Waiting times for departures will also be possible between 8 am and 4 pm at the Furka (Realp), Lötschberg (Kandersteg), and Vereina (Klosters-Selfranga) transfer stations.
Based on past experience, waiting times for return journeys will likely be expected between 11 am and 6 pm at Furka (Oberwald), Lötschberg (Goppenstein), and Vereina (Lavin-Sagliains).
A4 Axenstrasse: Bike shuttle resumes summer schedule
From April 1st, the bike shuttle service on Axenstrasse has resumed its summer schedule.
The shuttle will run between 6:25 am and 8:50 pm between Brunnen and Sisikon, in both directions.
All information, the up-to-date timetable, and a detailed map of stops are available on the FEDRO website.
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Bicycle ban
Bicycles and mopeds are prohibited from traveling on the national road between Brunnen and Sisikon. As an alternative, ASTRA offers free transportation for people traveling by bicycle, moped, or similar vehicles.
Trains and boats are also available as an alternative.
You can find more about this here.
