I have just registered my request to change my home country driving license to a Swiss one. I heard the practical test would be easier in small cities rather than Zurich city since there is no tram and so on there. I am wondering which city you would recommend in the zurich canton. And do you know a great instructor to prepare me for the test? It would be great if you share your experiences. Thanks. Any other suggestion regarding the practical is more than welcome!
Hello all,
I'm learning at Essbach Fahrschule in Oerlikon and they practive in Bülach area and you will also be doing your exam there
If you plan on driving in the city of Zurich please do the test there. It might be a little harder to prepare for the exam but you will have done it with an instructor. Otherwise it will be much harder on you after when driving alone!
My experience of the practical driving test (not in ZH, other canton): they have unrealistic expectations.
I think I passed my test because I was very familiar with the streets (because of riding the bike) and the evaluator just said "go to X or Y town". Of course, there was a literal Christmas tree of 12-15 signs including the butcher shop, the church and the local museum. If you stop to read you fail, so I just pretended to read but I already knew which direction.
The evaluator also took me to streets like the ones below. I was coming from the blue arrow direction and the only way to continue is the green arrow. All other streets are in the inverse direction. I already knew this place, so drove accordingly. A competent driver in the real world without GPS would have stopped a few seconds to look at the signs and then continue, but taking time to read and orientate yourself is failing the test since you block the road, bla bla bla
Cannot help with ZH canton town recommendation. But, don't be ashamed of making your life easier for the test. You can still practice in congested ZH city with the instructor but not at risk of failing the test.
PS. I've almost forgotten to parallel park in Switzerland. Only do it because I have a "small" car with cameras and distance sensors. However, have not parked like that since at least a year. Somehow, it's relevant for the test. I did the test in an old rental Nissan Micra, it helped because it's easy to park (small) and narrow roof pillars.
Hinwil or Bülach are the 2 locations farthest away from big city.
But as Axa said, it would be good if you are familiar with the streets, so you need to consider if these places are convenient when you do practice/lessons.
Taking a few lessons from a driving instructor can only be helpful.