Local road knowledge near Interlaken sought please.

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Evening chaps, just after a little bit of road advice regarding Switzerland to Italy please.

We're heading from Interlaken to Florence at the end of may & Google maps seems to be suggesting we head north & go via Lucerne, which seems a little odd. This goes on a road marked '4' and then another road marked '2' (I suspect this is a motorway). This route is 370 miles & is predicted to take 5 hours 44 minues
It would appear that a better route is via Innertkirchen & Gadmen on a road marked '11', which is 349 miles, 5 hours 35 minutes.
Or....
via Innertkirchen towards Obergoms before going East on road '19' which is 361 miles & predicted to take 6 hours.

I appreciate Google maps will usually head for a motorway where it can but just wondered what anyone with any local knowledge thought of the other options please?

NB, I'll be on an RT, my mate on a Deauville so no gravel tracks please.

 

[Swiss Mike]

Route interlaken - italy

Hello timaloy

The alternative routes you suggest involve crossing passes which are unlikely to be open at the end of may. It depends on snow but normally the grimsel, furka and susten don't open until june. Www.tcs.ch is the swiss equivalent of the aa and has infos on road conditions and passes.

The only other route that is a bit shorter is via kandersteg and domodossola but involves putting the bikes on a train www.bls.ch has details.

Hope this info helps but get in touch if you need more info. We live in the area.

Mike

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Superb, really appreciate it.
Top banana, thanx again.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

More dumbass questions, apologies.

I know Switzerland uses Swiss Francs but are Euro's accepted as well, either in the shops or for the vignette?

How easy is it to buy the Vignette?

 

[milsh]

Ive used euro's in Switzerland, it hasn't been a problem using them. The only thing is that you get well and truly shafted on whatever you buy if you pay in euros.. At least i did! mebey i was just unlucky. An example was a coffee at the top of a pass. we only had euros on us, if we had paid in swiss francs it would have been about £3 each, as we paid in euros it was around £5 each. I found Switzerland to be incredibly expensive, its a lovely country, and im certainly not put off going there again, but i will be a little more savvy as to what & where i spend my dosh on

As for the vignette, you can pick them up at most petrol stations.

 

[Rasher]

I found Switzerland to be incredibly expensive

I found it surprisingly reasonable after all the moaners bashing it.

Top Swiss Ski resorts are probably pricey, but fuel is cheaper than the UK, Hotels are almost certainly cheaper than the UK, try getting a decent Hotel room in any UK Holiday resort or Tourist Hotspot and you will find it far more expensive than Switzerland.

We got two great Hotels in 2010 at £85 / £95 for a double room with brekky, lucky to get a tiny room in a Devon for the same price during the summer.

Restaurant prices were not much different than the UK, they don't do crap food so you won't find a £5 pie and pint deal ala Wetherspoons, but good quality Gastro-Pub type food for similar costs to the UK.

Beer is a bit costly (£5 pint), and lunches can be a bit pricey, mainly cos the food is always decent fresh stuff and it is hard to find a cheap option.

Considering the cost of fuelling your bike, burning rubber and racking up a service the extra few quid a day it may cost in Switzerland over France / Italy is pretty minimal, and they do have some of the best passes.

Probably gonna have to stop there for a night or two on this years Alps trip - can't wait.

 

[swissrob]

google maps will not route over any passes hence your odd routing and for may forget about the passes, they will be closed.

i have been on the car/bike train a few times and it cuts about 1.5 hrs off the trip and is cheap.

any roads that are marked 2, 4 etc are motorways.

you can use euros in some places but you will be shafted, but dont count on being able to use them. you can buy the vignette at any border, there will be people happily accepting your cash or card and they take euros.

 

[Rasher]

I will only have one night in Switzerland this year, and maybe briefly cross back over the border a couple of times here and there.

Won't bother with Swiss Francs, fuel stations take cards as do most places these days, certainly the Hotel and restaurant we choose will, and if desperate for a Latte at the top of a pass in Swiss territory I don't mind paying £4 instead of £3 for it if I have to.

And don't forget to fill up before you leave

Unless heading to Austria, the only borderng country with cheaper fuel, Italy is about 10p more than the UK, France and Germany a few pence cheaper, Switzerland about 10p cheaper and Austria 20p Cheaper.

Europe Prices here:-

http://www.theaa.com/resources/Documents/pdf/motoring-advice/fuel-reports/january2012.pdf

 

[GADGET]

Fuel is 1.13 euro in Livigno if you are travelling that way (visiting Stelvio) not a bad base for a couple of day either, particularly if you want to partake in some duty free shopping

 

[Tonibe63]

Hello timaloy

The alternative routes you suggest involve crossing passes which are unlikely to be open at the end of may. It depends on snow but normally the grimsel, furka and susten don't open until june. Www.tcs.ch is the swiss equivalent of the aa and has infos on road conditions and passes.

The only other route that is a bit shorter is via kandersteg and domodossola but involves putting the bikes on a train www.bls.ch has details.

Hope this info helps but get in touch if you need more info. We live in the area.

Mike

Another vote for the little train.
We found it by virtue of a Garmin settings error in 2011 and it was a very pleasant suprise, approx £14 from memory and the roads to/from the stations are good too.

 

[swissrob]

you can a direct train from knadersteg to iselle but its ony once or twice a day, however if you take the normal train from kandersteg to goppenstein and then take another train from brig to iselle OR if the weather is good and its open take the simplon pass and have a coffee at the cafe at the top.

Oh if you buy a vignette at the border its 40chf or 50 euro, if you are scooting thru in 1 day then personally i wouldnt bother, but be aware you may get stopped on an exit from a motorway services, chances are slim.

i have not had a vignete on the bike for years and dont intend to do so either.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Very tempted with the train idea and had no idea it even existed, so thanx Comrades.

Must admit though one of my greatest motorcycling moments was riding the motorway sweepers at the foot of Mont Blanc heading towards the Col du Telegraph late one summer's afternoon a couple of years ago. Empty roads, 100 mph, pleasantly warm and scenery to take your breath away. The only other vehicles I saw were 2 gendarmes razzing past in the other direction on their motos looking like they were going quicker than us, in tee shirt sleeves.

But then again, the train thing would be an experience.
Is it just a case of rock up and away we go?

 

[Tonibe63]

But then again, the train thing would be an experience.
Is it just a case of rock up and away we go?

We found it purely by accident and were on it within 10 minutes, that was August 2011. I think it's mainly set up for cars as the only covered carriage is the one at the back which I presume would take cyclists and foot passengers too. The journey itself was about 15 minutes.
No straps for your bike so put it on the stand with the front against something solid and hold on because it does rock about a bit

 

[ghiribizzo]

As above. But the 'loading' flat bogie we were on to get into the carriage had an angled tubular frame before the joint to the carriage. It was a real pain to get the GSA past it as I have 40mm risers on the bars. I doubt if anyone would get a Wing in past it.
You need to turn the bike around inside the carriage. That was fun as the train set off under a minute after we got on.
I found it by accident too having just set the Garmin not to use motorways or highways and was a bit surprised when climbing narrow twisting roads uphill but Garmin's saying turn onto Ferry. What? Yes, the Ferry is a train.

 

[swissrob]

yep just pitch up, u need to be there 20 mins before departure though for bikes the brig iselle is every hour i think

its all on the website anyway

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

So it is.
Excellent. Thanx again.