Arrival by car

The main thoroughfare is Highway A9, which runs to Sierre in Valais. Valais can generally be reached from the north by way of Bern through Lötschberg (car shuttle train), from the east via Furka Pass and from the south via Simplon Pass. The Furka and Simplon passes offer the possibility to take the car shuttle train all year round. From Western Switzerland by way of Lausanne, along the Rhône Valley into the heart of Valais.

Tickets for the BLS Lötschberg Car Transport service can be purchased from the comfort of your own home. The transport ticket (either in printed form or stored on your smartphone) is scanned at the self-service lane machine. This saves you from having to queue at the counter and makes it even quicker to pass through the car transport stations in Kandersteg or Goppenstein. Furthermore, online tickets are offered at a lower price than those purchased on site – yet another reason to buy tickets for your car train journeys online.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the 15-minute journey through the Lötschberg tunnel, avoiding stressful traffic jams in the process. The car trains run at least every 30 minutes during the day, and even more frequently during busy periods.

The construction phase has an impact on the Lötschberg car transport. (2018-2022)
Capacities are limited. A clever choice of arrival and departure times helps to avoid congestion situations.

Please note here the different construction phases and the corresponding travel recommendations for each phase.

 

Alpine passes open throughout the year

  • Col de la Forclaz
  • Pas de Morgins
  • Col du Simplon
  • Grand St-Bernard tunnel

 

Alpine passes open only in summer

  • Alpine Pass of Grimsel
  • Alpine Pass of Furka
  • Alpine Pass of Nufenen
  • Pass of Grand St-Bernard

Important note: Closure of the Vispertaltunnel

Because of construction work on the Visp southern bypass, the Vispertaltunnel remains closed to all traffic until mid-2024. Travellers heading towards Stalden, Saas and Zermatt are requested to follow the diversion via Visp. In order to reduce the risk of congestion, corresponding measures have been put in place.