Driving, Hitching and Cycling
Switzerland's road network is comprehensive and well planned, and although the mountainous terrain can make for some circuitous routes there is, of course, the compensation of impressively scenic mountain drives. Speed limits are 50kph in built-up areas, 80kph on main roads and 120kph on motorways. To drive on motorways (signposted in green) you must pay Sfr40 for a vignette or tax disc, which is valid for a year and available from Swiss tourist offices abroad, at every border-post and most petrol stations. It's easy, though, to stick to main roads (signposted in blue), which are fast and free. The Touring Club Suisse ( www.tcs.ch ) operates a 24-hour breakdown service on tel 140. Car rental costs upwards of Sfr130/day for unlimited kilometrage, or about Sfr750/week. Most firms require the driver to be over 21. Hitching is feasible on the main routes linking the cities of the north and east, or on a through-trip to the south, but the really scenic bits of Switzerland are so widely scattered that it's usually difficult to get a direct ride. The risks attached to hitching are the same as in any country. Given the nature of the landscape, cycling is not the easiest way of exploring the country, but the scenery often more than compensates for the extra effort required. It's a popular Swiss pursuit, especially along valley floors and around lakes; there are nine national long-distance cycle routes, and bike-lanes abound in cities. Tourist offices can give you a map showing routes. You can rent a brand-new country- or mountain-bike at over 130 train stations nationwide for Sfr27 per day, Sfr21 if you hold a Swiss travel pass, less for a half-day. For an extra Sfr7 you can pick the bike up at one station and drop it off at another (this charge is waived on rentals of two days or more). It's always a good idea to reserve a few days ahead at any train station or online ( www.rent-a-bike.ch ). The city councils of Zurich, Geneva and Bern also operate free or cut-price bike-rental schemes (ask at tourist offices), and some HI hostels rent bikes for Sfr15/day. You can take a bike on regional/InterCity trains for Sfr6/12, but many people take the sweat-free option of going by train into the high Alps, then renting a bike at the top station and freewheeling the whole way down again.
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