Geneva Getting There By Road

Swiss roads are generally good, although mountain routes can be narrow and winding. Chains and/or snow tyres may be required in winter, and after a heavy snowfall some routes may be closed altogether. There is a telephone number for information on national road conditions (tel: 163). Cars drive on the right. The maximum speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 100kph (62mph) on dual carriageways, 80kph (50mph) on main roads, and 50kph (31mph) in towns.

On minor roads, traffic going up a mountain has priority, except postal buses when a yellow posthorn on a blue background sign is displayed (a line through this same sign cancels this). Road numbers on green signs indicate toll expressways, where a toll vignette (sticker) must be displayed. An annual road tax is levied on Swiss motorways - motorists should purchase a vignette at border points or from Switzerland Tourism before departure. Stickers are valid for one calendar year. The legal driving age is 18 and a national driving licence is sufficient documentation, although Green Card insurance is recommended. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%.

There are two motoring associations in Switzerland. These are Touring Club Suisse (TCS) (tel: 0844 888 111; website: www.tcs.ch) and Automobil Club der Schweiz (ACS) (tel: (031) 328 3111; website: www.acs.ch).

Emergency breakdown service: TCS (tel: 140).

Routes to the city: Geneva is connected to the rest of Europe by an excellent network of motorways. From the south, motorists can follow the 'Route Blanche' to the outskirts of Geneva. Chamonix and Mont-Blanc are within one-and-a-half hours, and Italy (via the Mont-Blanc tunnel) is within two hours. A branch of the same motorway provides rapid links from Grenoble in the south and Lyon in the west, with good connections from Paris. Lausanne, Berne and Zurich are all on the northbound A1 road.

Approximate driving times to Geneva: From Lausanne - 45 minutes; Berne - 1 hour 45 minutes; and Zurich - 3 hours.

Coach services: Geneva's coach station, the Gare Routière, is situated at Place Dorcière (tel: (022) 732 0230 or 0900 320 230 (in Switzerland only); website: www.gare-routiere.ch). A number of operators provide regular links to Barcelona, Dover, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Nice, Rome and the French skiing resort of Chamonix/Mont-Blanc. Service providers include Citybus (tel: (022) 785 4369; website: www.citybus.ch), and Alsa and Eggman (tel: 0900 573 747, in Switzerland only; website: www.alsa-eggmann.ch), who operate in conjunction with Eurolines (tel: 0900 573 747, in Switzerland only; website: www.eurolines.com).