Vignette
Switzerland prides itself on its well-established roads and motorways. With its nearly 72,000 kilometres of paved roadways to maintain, the cost for this infrastructure can add up for such a small country. The government therefore introduced the famous motorway vignette.
The vignette is a small sticker you are required to purchase before driving on the motorway. Attach it to your windshield so that it is visible for the police. You can buy these stickers at most petrol stations, customs offices, or post offices around Switzerland, and, of course, online: www.tolltickets.com
The price of one such vignette for driving in Switzerland is CHF 40, and it is valid for 14 months. Although there are no checkpoints to ensure that you have a vignette, it would be unwise to try your luck and not purchase one. The cost of getting caught without one is CHF 240.
Due to the mountainous nature of the country, driving in winter can be rather dangerous. We recommend you to contact one of the automobile associations in order to check which mountain passes are closed during the winter months.
Make sure that you have adequate equipment for driving in winter conditions: snow tires, snow chains, or a four-wheel drive car, blankets, GPS system, etc. Both the Touring-Club Schweiz and the Automobil-Club der Schweiz offer up-to-date information on driving conditions in less populated regions, as well as guides on how to deal with driving in harsh weather.
Even though most cities have a system that tells you the number of free parking spaces, driving into a city centre can still be a nerve-wracking and time-consuming experience due to the constant shortage of parking spaces and exceedingly high fines.