With the Ascension weekend beginning on Thursday, traffic will build up already from Wednesdy afternoon, with congestion and bottlenecks expected in certain parts of Switzerland. This is what you should know before you go.
Since Thursday May 29th is the Ascension Day, schools are out on Friday as well, and many people take the entire long weekend off.
Heavy traffic is expected on certain sections of the roads — especially, according to the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA), on the north-south axes of the A2 (Gotthard) and A13 (San Bernardino) motorways.
This is valid both for departures on Wednesday May 28th and the return journey on Sunday June 1st,
(And the same traffic pattern will apply during the Pentecost weekend, June 6th to 9th, as well).
Roads to avoid
“Not only will the usual high traffic density be expected in the metropolitan areas of Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Lausanne and Geneva, mainly on the A1, A2 and A3,” but you should also expect traffic difficulties on the following sections, according to ASTRA:
Motorways
A1, Geneva (including the Bardonnex border crossing)
A1, Kirchberg – Schönbühl
A1, Härkingen – Wangen A.
A1, Aarau-West – Birrfeld
A2/A3, Basel (including border crossings with France and Germany)
A2, Belchen Tunnel – Härkingen
A2/A14, Lucerne region (from Stans-Nord / return journeys)
A2, Altdorf – Biasca (Gotthard Road Tunnel)
A2, Lugano – Mendrisio
A4, Adlikon – Winterthur-Nord
A8, Interlaken – Spiez
A8, Sarnen – Lopper Interchange
A9, Lausanne
A9, La Veyre/Vevey – Bex-Nord
A12, Châtel-St-Denis – La Veyre/Vevey
A13, Sarganserland – Thusis-Sud
A13, Andeer – Mesocco
A15, Hegnau – Brüttisellen
A16, Courgenay – Glovelier
Border crossings on the A9 (Vallorbe, VD), the A2 (Chiasso-Brogeda, TI) and the A24 (Gaggiolo, TI)
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Main roads
Spiez – Kandersteg (outbound journeys)
Gampel – Goppenstein (return journeys)
Brunnen – Flüelen (Axenstrasse)
Göschenen – Andermatt
Raron – Brig
Bellinzona – Locarno
H338, Sihlbrugg – Hanegg (Hirzel section)
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What about the Gotthard?
This is typically the most congested road during the departures and returns on public holidays and weekends.
The Gotthard Pass Road has been reopened to traffic since May 16th for journeys to and from the south, ASTRA said.
To alleviate the flow of traffic, the special Airolo passes lane, called ‘CUPRA’ will be available on predefined days, as soon as traffic jams develop along a given section. It allows for rapid access to the Gotthard Pass without leaving the motorway.
You can find out more about these lanes here.
Motoring organisation TCS has published this timetable showing which days your should avoid to cross the Gotthard, both during the Ascension and Pentecost weekend:
TCS
(Red squares indicate very heavy traffic; yellow stands for ‘busy’ traffic; and green for ‘normal’)
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What else should you know before you go?
ASTRA said that due to the repair work being carried out by the SBB in the Simplon Tunnel, including on public holidays, BLS trains between Brig and Iselle will now run every two hours instead of every 1.5 hours. “Waiting times may therefore increase in both directions,” ASTRA said.
The current timetable can be found here.
Also:
Wait times are possible between 8 am and 4 pm at the Furka transfer stations in Realp, Lötschberg in Kandersteg, and Vereina in Klosters-Selfranga.
Based on past experience, return wait times will likely be expected between 11 amand 6 pm at Furka (Oberwald), Lötschberg (Goppenstein), and Vereina (Lavin-Sagliains).
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Train / plane travel
If you are planning to fly out of Zurich and want to take the train to the airport, know that from May 12th and until July 6th, one track at the Zurich Flughafen station will be closed, affecting several long-distance trains — including an international one — that will no longer be able stop there.
The following lines are affected during this time:
- IC5 from St. Gallen/Rorschach via Zurich central station (HB) towards Lausanne – this train will be diverted between Winterthur and Zurich HB.
- EC from Munich towards Zurich HB – this train will also be diverted between Winterthur and Zurich HB.
- IR36 from Basel towards Zurich – the train already terminates in Zurich Oerlikon. The Zurich Airport stop will also be canceled in the direction of Basel.
Can you get to the Zurich airport despite these disruptions?
Yes, despite the track closure, Zurich Airport remains easily accessible to travellers.
The online timetable has been adjusted accordingly, and numerous alternative connections are available either online or via the SBB app.
Zurich Airport is also accessible by public transport, with several tram and bus lines linking the city centre with the airport.
