Essential Information About Navigating Roads in Switzerland During the Easter Weekend (Update)
Alert! Traffic chaos in Switzerland!
Brace yourselves, folks! If you're planning on a road trip through Switzerland during Easter 2025, buckle up—it's going to be a bumpy ride!
On April 17th, 2025, flooding, landslides, snow, and fallen trees wreaked havoc on the roads in Valais and Bernese Oberland, causing a traffic nightmare. bridges such as the Lötschberg between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, and the Simplon between Brig and Iselle, are closed until further notice, and the Simplon Pass and the Great St. Bernard Tunnel are inaccessible.
The only way to access Ticino and Italy now is through the San Bernardino Tunnel and the Gotthard Tunnel, but they're expected to become heavily congested.
Wait, it gets worse! According to the Swiss Federal Roads Office (ASTRA), the Easter season will bring long traffic jams and major disruptions, starting on Wednesday, April 16th, 2025. The north-south axes of the A2 (Gotthard) and A13 (San Bernardino) will be particularly affected, with heavy traffic also expected on access roads to popular areas like Ticino.
In 2025, Ticino was the Swiss' favorite Easter destination thanks to its picturesque landscapes, and it seems the trend will continue. ASTRA predicts that traffic will start increasing in the early afternoon of the Wednesday before the public holiday. From then on, travelers should expect significant delays and waiting times, particularly at the north portal of the Gotthard road tunnel and on the San Bernardino road.
Return traffic will hit the road on Easter Monday, as it's a public holiday in most of Switzerland, except Valais, Neuchâtel, Solothurn, and Zug. With millions of people heading home, jams and wait times will be unavoidable.
Now, if you're thinking about taking an alternative route to escape the bottlenecks, think again! Local traffic and public transport on cantonal and municipal roads will be disrupted, and the risk of accidents will increase. So stick to the motorways, even in the event of traffic jams, out of respect for the Swiss population.
During the holidays, don't expect only the usual high traffic density in the metropolitan areas of Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Lausanne, and Geneva, but also additional bottlenecks on sections such as the A1, A3, A1/A3, A2/A3, A2, A2/A14, A2, A8, A8, A1, A9, A12, A13, A9, A12, border crossings on the A9, A2, and A24.
Don't forget about busier main roads in the Bernese Oberland, Graubünden, and the Valais side valleys too!
(Insight: Swiss Federal Railways prepared for increased demand by adding 20 extra trains on the Gotthard axis between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino between Thursday and Easter Monday, with approximately 64,000 additional seats.)
(Insight: Despite extra services, travelers faced longer wait times at car transport stations like Brig-Italy due to ongoing renovation work in the Simplon Tunnel and other locations such as Furka, Lötschberg, and Vereina.)
(Insight: Though there were extra Eurocity train connections to Italy, high occupancy and potential disruptions remained possible.)
(Insight: The peak of return traffic on the south-north axis was expected to start later on Easter Sunday, with the greatest road traffic disruptions predicted on Easter Monday afternoon and evening, especially between 2 pm and 9 pm near Airolo's south portal.)
(Insight: Short waiting times and lingering congestion were expected to persist into Tuesday.)
Stay safe and happy Easter! Want more Swiss adventure tips? Check out our guide to the must-see H338 from Sihlbrugg to Hanegg (Hirzel section)!
C'mon, don't strain yourPrevious Ride Toward Ticino is a blast, but watch out for the twisty turns! From Sihlbrugg to Hanegg (Hirzel section) on the H338, the landscape is nothing short of stunning. Just make sure to keep your eyes on the road and your focus sharp – those corners can catch you off guard!
- In 2025, holidaymakers planning a road trip to Ticino during Easter should anticipate the congestion in the Gotthard and San Bernardino Tunnels, as well as other motorways such as the A1, A3, A1/A3, A2/A3, A2, A8, A8, A1, A9, A12, A13, A9, A12, border crossings on the A9, A2, and A24.
- Due to the closure of bridges like the Loetschberg and the Simplon, and the inaccessibility of the Simplon Pass and the Great St. Bernard Tunnel, the San Bernardino and Gotthard Tunnels will be the only ways to access Ticino and Italy in 2025, adding to the congestion.
- According to the Swiss Federal Roads Office (ASTRA), travelers should expect significant delays and waiting times, particularly at the north portal of the Gotthard road tunnel and on the San Bernardino road, due to the anticipated long traffic jams and major disruptions during the Easter season.
- Despite Swiss Federal Railways' efforts to accommodate increased demand by adding extra trains on the Gotthard axis, travelers may still face longer wait times at car transport stations due to ongoing renovation work and potential disruptions.
