Car rental Switzerland

General information and regulations

In order to rent a car you must be at least 20 years old (age may vary by car category) and have held your licence for 1 year. Drivers under the age of 25 may incur a young driver surcharge. Seatbelts are mandatory and child seats are mandatory for children up to age 7.

During high season (in the Alps this means summer as well as winter) the roads are considerably more crowded. The roads are well-maintained and the speed limits are as follows: on highways 75mph/120kph, on open roads 50mph/80kph and in the city 31mph/49kph.

Please note the toll stickers that you need on the toll roads. Without these, driving can become an expensive affair.

Driving in Switzerland with a rental car

Bern is the capital of Switzerland although the city of Zürich (in the North) is the largest. Interesting trips can be arranged from here, for example to the city of Lucerne. This picturesque city is situated between Lake Lucerne and the mountains. The city lies at 40 km from Zürich and it can be reached in half an hour.

Another nice trip would be through the Alps to Lugano. The journey will take you from the German speaking part of the country to the Italian speaking part and is about 150 km and a 2 hour drive. Besides German and Italian, French is the third language of Switzerland.

The most important city in the French region is Geneva. The route from Zürich to Geneva will take 3 hours and leads along Bern, festival city Montreux and Lausanne, where the IOC is seated.

Renting a car in Switzerland

Near car park 2 at Zürich Airport, several car rental companies offer their services. You can choose from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt.

Booking a car upfront is possible through EasyTerra as well. This website compares the rates of well-established car rental companies for your convenience.

Airports in Switzerland

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg  (Basel)
Geneva Cointrin International Airport  (Geneva)
Zurich Airport  (Zürich)