What do I need to know about luxury car rental in Switzerland?

Located between France, Italy, Germany, Lichtenstein, and Austria, Switzerland is a small, mountainous country in the heart of Europe. Despite being double the size of the State of New Jersey and having about the same number of inhabitants, Switzerland is an immensely interesting place, graced by Alpes, beautiful nature, long tradition, rich history, and a strong economy. In modern times, Switzerland is the center of the banking and investment industry, global corporations as well as niche industries like watchmaking or luxury goods. Most of all, Switzerland is a cosmopolitan place where almost all European nations live in perfect harmony, citizens use four official languages, and the government is proud of its sovereignty and military neutrality.

So, it is easy to see why this is one of Europe’s prime tourist locations. Wheatear you are going to Switzerland for business, pleasure, ski weekend, or a shopping spree, you will be amazed by the sights, food, sheer beauty, and overall experience. However, even though Switzerland is known for its impeccable public transport system, the only real way to see the country and enjoy it to the fullest is to do it by car. Renting the car will give you the freedom to go anywhere, see everything, cruise through charming boulevards of Swiss cities and enjoy spectacular views while driving through the Alps. But, before you book the luxury car of your choice to wait for you when you arrive, here are few things you should know.

Road Network

Although Switzerland is a mountainous country, the road network is exceptionally well designed, so each part of the country is well-connected. All ski and tourists’ resorts, cities, and historical sites are easily reachable. However, since you will be exploring Switzerland by car, let’s introduce you to the Swiss highway system.

The first Swiss highway was constructed in 1955 in the Lucerne area. Although short section, it was a very forward-thinking concept at the time.

Since then, the Swiss government had built 1,700 kilometers of modern highways connecting all the parts of the country. In fact, in comparison to the country’s overall size, Switzerland is one of the countries with the highest levels of highway densities, which means you can get practically anywhere fast and safely.

One of the best things about Swiss highways is the abundance of tunnels. In fact, with over 200 tunnels, which are over 200 kilometers long, Swiss highways are exciting to drive if you are car enthusiasts, even more so since every tunnel is the chance to open the windows, shift in a lower gear and hear glorious noise from the exhaust.

Speed Limits

Even though neighboring Germany is known worldwide for its sections of de-restricted Autobahns where you can legally test your vehicle’s top speed, in Switzerland, it is not the case. There are very strict speed limits here, and they are imposed not only for the safety of motorists but also concerning the environment and pollution.

The speed limit on the Swiss highways is 120 km/h (75 mph), on the two-lane expressway is 100 km/h (60 mph), on ordinary roads it is 80 km/h (50 mph), and in urban areas, the speed limit is set on 50 km/h (31 mph). Of course, we urge you to obey local speed limits, but Germany is close if you really want to drive fast.

Weather

As you probably know, Switzerland has a continental climate, which means snowy winters, especially in mountain regions. Swiss road services are perfectly capable of clearing the snow and allowing the traffic to flow uninterruptedly on the main highways and in the urban and touristic areas.  However, if you want to visit specific spots, mountain passes and climb on top of the Alps, we suggest you first check if a particular route is open.

For example, the world-known Furka Pass in Valais, where the James Bond movie “Goldfinger” was shot, is closed from October to June due to extreme weather conditions. Even though it is one of the best driving roads in the world, due to high elevation (2,429 above sea level), harsh weather limits access, regardless of the type of vehicle you are driving. So, we suggest you plan your trip accordingly.

Road Quality

The Swiss government is rightly proud of its road network as well as on the quality of the driving surface and signalization. Swiss roads are well-known for their smoothness, which is essential when driving a luxury sports car, for example. Sometimes, the bumpy surface and potholes can ruin the experience but thankfully, not here. Since there are four official languages used in Switzerland, you might be surprised to find road signs on German in one town and on French just a couple of kilometers further. However, most of the main signalization is also in English, so visitors from all over the world have no problem finding their way.

Fly-In and Drive Off

One of the best ways of getting to Switzerland and renting a luxury car is to use one of the dozens of commercial airports in the country. The biggest international airports are, of course, Geneve and Zürich airports, but there are many other regional ones strategically placed to cover the most prominent tourist destinations and ski centers. If you are book your luxury car rental, it can wait for you at the airport, and you can get in and drive off to your perfect Swiss holiday in no time. Also, you can drop off your vehicle at the airport, which is very convenient. Book now a luxury car for rent in Switzerland with Edel & Stark.