Grand Tour of Switzerland: The Highlights Drive (7 Days)

Switzerland’s signposted Grand Tour links the country’s greatest hits — glacier passes, mirror lakes and the Matterhorn — on one loop. This is the headline week from Zürich south to Italian-speaking Ticino, the scenic core of the full 1,600 km route: about 535 km in seven days. Buy the vignette before you set off.

Day 1 — Zürich to Lucerne (55 km)

From Zürich to Lucerne on its lake, with the wooden Chapel Bridge and Mount Pilatus above.

Day 2 — Lucerne to Interlaken (70 km)

Over the Brünig Pass to Interlaken, between two lakes under the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Day 3 — Interlaken to Brig over the Grimsel Pass (115 km)

Drive up the Hasli valley past Meiringen to the Grimsel Pass (2,164 m), through a bare granite landscape of reservoir lakes. On the far side the road drops to Gletsch, below the tongue of the Rhône Glacier, and follows the young Rhône down the Goms valley into the Valais. Sleep in Brig.

Day 4 — Brig to Täsch for Zermatt and the Matterhorn (40 km)

Zermatt is car-free. Drive up the valley to Täsch, park there and take the shuttle train to Zermatt for the Matterhorn. Sleep in Täsch or Zermatt.

Day 5 — Täsch to Bellinzona over the Furka Pass (200 km)

The longest day. Drive back down to Brig and up the Goms valley to Gletsch, then climb the Furka Pass (2,429 m), with the Rhône Glacier above you, and drop to Andermatt. From there the Gotthard road tunnel, about 17 km long and open all year, takes you south into sunny, Italian-speaking Ticino. Sleep in Bellinzona.

Day 6 — Bellinzona to Lugano and Morcote (55 km)

South to Lugano on Lake Lugano, then along the shore to the lakeside village of Morcote and back. Sleep in Lugano.

Day 7 — Lugano

Slow down in Lugano: lakeside promenades, a funicular and Mediterranean light before you head home. If you want one more lake, Como, across the Italian border, is about 32 km away.

The passes out of season

The Grimsel and the Furka are seasonal passes, usually open from around June to October. Check the live status before you go. When they are closed, car trains keep the trip possible: on Day 3, drive from Interlaken to Kandersteg and take the Lötschberg car train to Goppenstein, in the Valais; on Day 5, the Furka car train runs through the tunnel from Oberwald to Realp. Both cost extra.

Tolls and costs

Switzerland requires an annual motorway vignette (CHF 40), also sold as an e-vignette. The pass roads and the Gotthard road tunnel have no extra toll; the car trains do, and the mountain trains (Zermatt, Jungfrau) are pricey. Use the cost calculator for your dates.

This trip is also in the free Roadcut trip planner: change the number of days and where you sleep each night, pick your vehicle to see the fuel cost, check the weather on the road, and open each day in Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze.