🇨🇭 Same-country drive · Switzerland
Driving from Luzern to Chur
- Drive time
- 1h 44m
- Distance
- 142 km
- Same day?
- Yes, half day
- under 4 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €20
- petrol · diesel ≈ €17
- Tolls
- ≈ €42
- vignette
- EV charging
- Plenty fast
- 26 of 78 ≥50 kW
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Avoids motorways
+1h 17m- Distance:
- 147 km (+5 km)
- Duration:
- 3h 2m
Via: 3 · 2
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
1h 44m
142 km · €20 fuel
See details ↓
7h 57m
150 km · Climb 763 m
11 km on EV15 Rhine Cycle Route
See details ↓
No direct service
Our coach data (FlixBus + BlaBlaCar) doesn't list a direct service for this pair. National operators (e.g., National Express in the UK, Eurolines feeders) may still cover it — check their site directly.
2h 28m
SBB · Schweizerische Südostbahn (sob)
See details ↓
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Short hop
Under two hours behind the wheel. Grab a coffee, set the playlist, done before lunch.
- Distance:
- 142 km
- Duration:
- 1h 44m (free-flow, no traffic)
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Vignette required in CH
Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania require a sticker or e-vignette for motorway use. Buy at the border — missing one is a heavy on-the-spot fine.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
Borders & documents
You're leaving the EU customs zone
Must knowSwitzerland is in Schengen but NOT in the EU customs union. Random customs stops happen at every border. Personal allowance: €300 in goods (CHF cash equivalent), 5L wine, 1L spirits. Above that you declare and pay duty. If you've loaded the boot with cured meat or cheese in Italy, declare it — confiscation is routine.
Tolls, vignettes & road payment
Mont Blanc, Grand St Bernard, San Bernardino tunnels charge extra
Must knowThe vignette covers most motorways but NOT the major Alpine road tunnels. Mont Blanc tunnel (FR-IT) is roughly €54 one-way for a passenger car, Grand St Bernard about €33, San Bernardino is included in the vignette but Gotthard road tunnel is a vignette-only route in summer (the queue can be 2 hours; the rail-shuttle alternative through the Lötschberg is faster).
Vignette is annual only — CHF 40
Must knowSwitzerland sells one vignette: an annual sticker (or e-vignette) for CHF 40 / about €42. There's no 10-day option. Buy at any border post or online before you leave. The sticker must be physically affixed to the windscreen — keeping it loose in the glovebox earns the same CHF 200 fine as not having one.
Fuel stations
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Money & connectivity
CHF dominant, EUR widely accepted with a markup
UsefulSwiss francs are the only legal tender, but most petrol stations, motorway services and tourist hotels accept EUR — at a deliberately bad rate (you'll lose 5–10%). For a transit drive, use a contactless card and ignore EUR; for an overnight, withdraw a small amount of CHF for parking meters and small shops.
EU roaming agreement does NOT cover Switzerland
TipFree EU roaming stops at the Swiss border. Some operators include Switzerland in "Europe Zone 2" plans (typically €5–10/day surcharge); many silently bill data at €4–10/MB. Check your operator before crossing or set the phone to flight mode and use Wi-Fi at hotels — €100 surprise bills are common otherwise.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
A3 —73 km
-
A14 Verzweigung Blegi29 km
-
A13 —21 km
-
N14; 338 Zugerstrasse8 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 89%
- Secondary
- 7%
- Other / rural
- 4%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Easy
Straightforward drive. One driver, one day, little to worry about beyond fuel and a toilet stop.
- No major complicating factors — motorway-heavy, single country, comfortable length.
Elevation profile
Highs, lows, and the total climb / descent along the route.
- Lowest point
- 408 m
- Highest point
- 669 m
- Total ascent
- ↑ 672 m
- Total descent
- ↓ 511 m
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €20
10.6 L × €1.92 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €17
8.5 L × €1.99 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €16
25 kWh × €0.65 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Motorway tolls & vignettes
≈ €42
- CH — Vignette (motorway sticker / e-vignette) — €42.00 for 365 days
Prices last refreshed 2026-04-01.
Fuel and EV charging along the route
Stations within a few kilometres of the road, sampled at evenly-spaced waypoints.
EV charging
26 at 50 kW or above (fast / ultra-fast).
Fastest first
- Ionity Gisikon — Gisikon 350 kW
- IONITY Heidiland — Maienfeld 350 kW
- Shell Tankstelle — Trübbach 320 kW
- Burger King — Vilters-Wangs 300 kW
- Apfelwuhr Süd — Zizers 300 kW
- Apfelwuhr Nord — Zizers 300 kW
- Tesla Supercharger Pfäffikon 250 kW
- Tesla Supercharger Landquart 250 kW
- Papieri — Cham 150 kW
- GoFast Zug-Metalli — Zug 150 kW
- GoFast Horgen — Horgen 150 kW
- Glarnerland Ost — Ziegelbrücke 150 kW
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇨🇭 Luzern
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6°
-0°
|
8°
1°
|
12°
3°
|
14°
5°
|
18°
9°
|
25°
14°
|
25°
16°
|
25°
16°
|
21°
13°
|
16°
9°
|
9°
3°
|
6°
1°
|
| 103mm | 63mm | 138mm | 155mm | 214mm | 129mm | 247mm | 172mm | 162mm | 145mm | 168mm | 131mm |
hot mild cold
🇨🇭 Chur
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6°
-3°
|
10°
-1°
|
12°
2°
|
15°
5°
|
19°
9°
|
25°
14°
|
25°
15°
|
26°
16°
|
22°
11°
|
18°
8°
|
10°
2°
|
7°
-1°
|
| 100mm | 67mm | 134mm | 156mm | 169mm | 140mm | 210mm | 197mm | 148mm | 150mm | 152mm | 139mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Chur
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Sun 11
⛅
10° / 10°
0.9mm
-
Mon 12
☀️
17° / 7°
1.1mm
-
Tue 13
⛅
19° / 6°
—
-
Wed 14
☀️
20° / 12°
—
-
Thu 15
☀️
23° / 6°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 13 manoeuvres
- Theaterstrasse
- Bahnhofstrasse
- Reussport (A2) 2 km
- (A14) 21 km
- Verzweigung Blegi (A14) 9 km
- Sihlbruggstrasse (N14; 338)
- Zugerstrasse (N14; 338)
- Zugerstrasse (N14; 338) 8 km
- (A3) 73 km
- (A13) 21 km
- Masanserstrasse (3; 13)
- Masanserstrasse (3; 13)
- Reichsgasse
Cycling from Luzern to Chur
Touring-pace bicycle route generated by BRouter, with elevation gain and matched against the EuroVelo cycle network.
- Distance
- 150 km
- vs 142 km driving
- Riding time
- 7h 57m
- Touring pace; experienced riders cut this 20–30%.
- Total climb
- ↑ 763 m
Routed on the BRouter trekking profile — balanced for paved leisure tourers; gravel and fast-bike profiles produce different lines.
On the EuroVelo network
Sections of this route follow signed EuroVelo cycle routes — well-maintained, signposted, and bike-friendly:
- EV15 Rhine Cycle Route · 11 km
- EV5 Via Romea (Francigena) · 6 km
Total: 17,0 km on EuroVelo (11% of the route).
Show route on map
By train from Luzern to Chur
Fastest cross-border rail itinerary from the public Transitous planner. Times reflect a typical Monday-morning departure on the next available service-day.
- Fastest journey
- 2h 28m
- 1 change
- Lead operator
- SBB
- + 2 more
- Alternatives
- 5
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- 75
- IR35
All operators across alternatives
- SBB
- Schweizerische Südostbahn (sob)
- Schweizerische Bundesbahnen SBB
Show route on map
Routing via the public Transitous OTP planner (community-run MOTIS instance). Cached 24 hours; verify on the operator's site before booking.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, BRouter for the bicycle route, EuroVelo GPX (ODbL) by the European Cyclists' Federation for the cycle-network overlay, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, OpenTopoData SRTM 30m for elevation, and Open Charge Map for EV charging stations. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.