Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SPEED LIMITS
ITALY
SWITZERLAND
Built-up areas
50km/h
50km/h
Non-urban roads
90km/h
80km/h
Highways
110km/h
80kmh
Autostrade (motorways)
130km/h
120km/h
Car & Motorcycle
Road Networks
ITALY
Italy boasts an extensive privatised network of autostrade (motorways), represented on road signs by a white A followed
by a number on a green background. You can pay tolls on Italian motorways with cash or credit card as you leave the
autostrada.
You'll be doing most of your travelling on the spiderweb network of
strade statali
(state highways, coded SS),
strade
regionali
(regional highways, SR) and
strade provinciali
(provincial routes, SP). The network is especially dense in the
plains areas around and south of Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona and Verona.
Around the lakes and in mountain areas, driving on spring and summer weekends can be a real test of patience as half
of Milan's population seems to stream northward.
The following are some of the most important motorways in Italy:
A4
Runs east-west, linking Milan with Bergamo, Brescia, Lake Garda and Verona.
A8
Leads northwest out of Milan and, in a slightly confusing tangle, becomes the A8-A26 as it approaches the southern
end of Lake Maggiore. A branch of the A8 reaches Varese.
A9
Once you're about 11km out of Milan along the A8, the A9 branches north to Como and on across the Swiss border,
where it continues as the A2.
A26
Follows the western shore via Arona and Stresa before it peters out in a smaller route to Domodossola and the
Swiss frontier. If you're coming from Milan and heading to Lake Maggiore, follow the signs to Gravellona Toce.
SWITZERLAND
In Switzerland an autostrada (A2, represented with the number on red background) also traverses Ticino roughly
north-south. If you intend to use the A2 and other motorways in Switzerland, you must buy a one-off Sfr40 vignette on
entering the country. This windscreen sticker is valid on all Swiss motorways for a calendar year.
The A2 connects with Italy's A9 and passes through Lugano, Bellinzona and north through Ticino into the heart of
Switzerland.
