Salzburg to Zürich: the Alpine crossing over the Arlberg

Arlberg or Germany: two ways to Zürich

1. 
   01

   Salzburg

   Departure, kilometre 0

   We collect you wherever you are: at your hotel in the old town, at a private address in Anif or Elsbethen, at the main railway station. For Zürich we recommend leaving between 7 and 9 am. That puts the Arlberg in the late morning, gets you into Zürich ahead of the evening rush at the Brüttisellen interchange, and leaves time for a proper lunch stop in Vorarlberg.

   The first section is unremarkable but important: the A1 to the Walserberg border, then the A8 through Bavaria to the Inntal junction. These roughly 80 kilometres through Germany, known as the German corner, are the fastest way into Tyrol. There are intermittent police checks at the border near Kiefersfelden and Kufstein, so every passenger should keep an ID or passport to hand.

   If you would rather avoid Germany altogether, we can stay inside Austria via Lofer and St. Johann in Tirol. It adds about half an hour but runs through the Saalach valley and past the Wilder Kaiser. Tell us when you book and that becomes the route.

2. 
   02

   Innsbruck and the Inn valley

   approx. 1 h 45 from Salzburg

   From Kufstein, its fortress towering over the Inn, the A12 Inn valley motorway begins. The valley narrows, the Nordkette range moves closer, and near Hall in Tirol you see Innsbruck for the first time. Roughly a third of the route now lies behind you. A first break can be a coffee in Innsbruck's old town, ten minutes from the motorway exit, or simply the service area if you prefer to save time.

   The Inn valley is where the driving time is won or lost. On weekdays it usually runs calmly, lorries keep to the right lane and traffic flows. On winter Saturdays, however, the A12 is the main artery of the ski changeover: anyone heading west between 9 am and 2 pm meets the arrivals bound for the Zillertal, the Ötztal and the Arlberg. On those days our chauffeurs deliberately build in an extra hour.

   Beyond Innsbruck the valley turns rural again. Telfs, Imst and finally Landeck, where the Inn swings south and the road starts to climb towards the Arlberg. If you want to know this first stage in more depth, our page on the Salzburg to Innsbruck route covers both variants in detail.

3. 
   03

   The Arlberg: St. Anton, tunnel or pass road

   approx. 3 h from Salzburg

   From Landeck the road becomes the S16 Arlberg expressway. It runs through the Stanzertal, past Pettneu and St. Jakob, until the tunnel portal appears just before St. Anton. Inside the tunnel overtaking is prohibited, the speed is limited, and with oncoming traffic in a single bore you drive with focus and no hurry. After about ten minutes you come back into daylight at Langen in the Klostertal, and you are in Vorarlberg.

   In summer and in good weather, if you wish, we do not go through the mountain but over it. The B197 pass road branches off at St. Anton and climbs to St. Christoph, where the hospice has sheltered travellers for centuries. At the top are open alpine meadows, and to the north you look towards Stuben and the Flexen pass leading to Zürs and Lech. The detour costs about 20 minutes and is the finest moment of the whole drive.

   In winter the Arlberg is a world-class ski destination, and you feel that on the road. St. Anton is packed on Saturdays, the pass road may require chains, and at high avalanche danger it is closed at short notice. If you want to stop in St. Anton, Zürs or Lech on the way, or drop luggage and fellow travellers there, we are happy to plan it in. For dedicated ski transfers from Salzburg, our ski transfers page is also worth a look.

4. 
   04

   Feldkirch

   approx. 3 h 45 from Salzburg

   From the Klostertal the A14 Rhine valley motorway runs past Bludenz down into the Walgau. You feel the descent, the mountains step back, and after roughly half an hour you reach Feldkirch, the medieval little town beneath the Schattenburg castle. For us Feldkirch is the natural lunch stop: the old town with its arcades is compact, the car parks are close, and after almost four hours in the car a walk does you good.

   This is also where the second routing decision is made. Either across the Tisis and Schaanwald border into Liechtenstein and on to the Swiss A13, or further along the A14 towards Bregenz and into Switzerland at St. Margrethen. The Liechtenstein variant is more scenic and often quieter; the St. Margrethen variant has the faster motorway link to St. Gallen and Zürich.

   An honest note: if all you want is to arrive quickly, we do not recommend stopping in Feldkirch but a short break at a service area instead. A leisurely lunch easily adds an hour to the journey. We go by what you want, and we tell you beforehand what it costs in time.

5. 
   05

   Liechtenstein or St. Gallen

   approx. 4 h 15 from Salzburg

   Crossing Liechtenstein from Schaanwald to the Rhine bridge takes only about 20 minutes. There is no border control in the usual sense between the principality and Switzerland, as the two countries form a customs union. Checks, if any, happen when you enter from Austria. In Vaduz the castle sits high above the little town on the hillside, and if you like you can have a coffee here or collect a souvenir stamp in your passport, a small ritual many of our guests enjoy.

   Via Buchs or Sevelen you join the Swiss A13, which follows the Rhine north and meets the A1 at St. Margrethen. If you take the direct St. Margrethen route instead, you pass the motorway border crossing, where Swiss customs occasionally wave vehicles aside. Keep the duty-free allowances in mind, especially for meat, alcohol and larger purchases, since Switzerland is not part of the EU.

   St. Gallen itself sits right on the A1 and is worth it if you have time: the abbey district with its baroque cathedral and famous abbey library is a UNESCO World Heritage site. For most guests, though, St. Gallen stays a name on the road sign, because from here Zürich is only a little over an hour away.

6. 
   06

   Zürich

   Arrival after 5 h 30 to 6 h 30 driving

   The final stage runs along the A1 via Wil and Winterthur into Zürich. The bottleneck is the Brüttisellen interchange, and from about 4 pm on weekdays it reliably grinds to a halt. That is why we time the departure from Salzburg for an early-afternoon arrival, or divert via Zürich Nord and the Milchbuck when the traffic data justifies it.

   We take you straight to your destination: a hotel at the end of the Bahnhofstrasse, an office on Paradeplatz, an apartment on the Zürichberg or the lakeside towards Küsnacht and Kilchberg. Your chauffeur carries the luggage to reception and waits in case you need something else from the car. The city itself is organised into 30 km/h zones and one-way streets, but our drivers know them.

   A note on scope: this page covers the drive into the city of Zürich and its region. If you are flying on from Zürich, all the airport details are on our separate page for Zürich Airport to Salzburg. And for the way back there is the reverse route, Zürich to Salzburg, which we often drive for business travellers.