Although Switzerland is blessed with an excellent rail system, many travelers from abroad choose to rent cars and drive the scenic routes to enjoy the spectacular Alpine views and tour the medieval villages at their own pace and direction. The passes are easy to drive with a little extra caution taken on narrow, winding roads.
While Switzerland is a European country, it is not a part of the EU and doesn’t have to comply with EU road sign regulations. But for ease, authorities in Switzerland use approximately the same format as its neighboring countries.
You could easily cross the border into one of the surrounding countries like Germany or France without noticing, but there are subtle differences in the road signs you need to be aware of. Take the hassle out of your scenic road trips by understanding Switzerland’s road signs.
Table of Contents
Warning Signs
Warning signs in Switzerland are used to alert drivers to potential danger. They’re most often in the shape of an equilateral triangle with a thick, red border. The warnings are illustrated in black. Warning signs are placed 50 meters before the hazard in urban areas and 150 to 250 meters in rural areas.
Most of the illustrations on warning signs are easy to understand. For example, a slippery road surface is depicted with a tilted car with skid marks behind it. The danger of possible falling rocks in the area is shown with rocks falling from a cliff.
The most confusing warning signs are the alerts to railway crossings. White crosses outlined in red indicate a rail crossing ahead with one railway while a detached partial cross indicates more than one railway.
A stop sign is considered a warning sign in Switzerland and is the usual red octagonal shape with the word “stop” in white letters in the language spoken in the area.
Mandatory Signs
Mandatory road signs in Switzerland are just that — mandatory. They are not information, suggestions, or advisory signs; rather they require you to carry out a certain task. They are possibly the most important ones to follow. And unless a specific distance is indicated below the sign, you must adhere to the sign until the end of the next branch.
Mandatory road signs are circle shapes with a blue background and white content. Most of the depictions are easy to understand. Directional mandatory signs use white arrows to indicate “ahead only,” and mandatory left or right turns. Cyclists should be on the lookout for a red slash through the depiction of a bike to indicate the end of the cycling path. Drivers should look out for a picture of a tire with a red slash which indicates that removing snow chains is mandatory.
Posted speeds are mandatory signs in Switzerland. A red slash means the end of the minimum speed. Pay close attention to them. Switzerland has lots and lots of speed cameras, and the fines for speeding are hefty.
Prohibitory Signs
You’ll see prohibitory signs on all road types in Switzerland. They’re used to prohibit certain maneuvers such as U-turns, set maximum speeds, and restrict certain types of vehicles such as trucks, mopeds, trailers, and vehicles carrying dangerous goods.
Want To Save This For Later?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Prohibitory signs are white circles inside larger red circles with black content. Most of them are easy to interpret. For example, if you see a black U-shaped arrow canceled with a red slash it means “no U-turns allowed.”
One prohibitory sign that could be confusing—and a very important one—is “no entry” or “one-way traffic.” It’s shown with a long white rectangle inside a red circle.
Priority Signs
Priority signs in Switzerland are used to indicate which driver has priority at the junction or road ahead. They also indicate the order in which you should pass intersection points. They are circular, triangular, or square in shape in red, white, blue, and black colors.
Some important priority signs to be aware of include the direction of traffic on a roundabout which is a blue circle with white arrows showing the directional flow of traffic. A white triangle bordered in red with a black cross inside means you should look out for uncontrolled crossroads ahead.
Indication/Informational Signs
The most frequent signs you’ll see in Switzerland are informational signs. They’re used on all road types to provide drivers with general information about the road they’re on and the road ahead.
Indication signs are square or rectangular in shape and usually have a symbol on a white background or a white symbol on a blue background. A few are green with white, black, or red markings.
Informational signs show such things as the beginning of a tunnel, the beginning of a residential area, and information about the next exit.
There are also a lot of informational signs related to directions, highways and destinations which are very handy when you are looking for a specific thing like a highway entrance or how to leave a city.
Road Markings
Road markings on paved roads provide information and guidance to both drivers and pedestrians. They also help drivers with safety, navigation, and enforcement issues. For example, a yellow marking shows where parking is prohibited. Yellow is also used to indicate when lanes are being temporarily shifted during construction projects.
Parking Signs
There will also be many different parking signs around the various towns and cities you will visit in Switzerland. Some will indicate that you cannot park, others that you need a permit to park, and some that you should use a parking card on your dash stating the time you arrived.
The sign below is a common sign for parking garages and “Frei” indicates there are still free places in this one. “Besetzt” means it is full.
