No, snow tyres are not compulsory in Switzerland. However, if you are anywhere and there is snow and/or ice, and you don't have snow tyres- you are not allowed to drive- and if you have an accident, you will be in real trouble, as serious as if you have been drink driving. Police can stop you and check your tyres too.
So in Bussigny, you should be OK- most of the time. The big problem is, is that there might me no snow and ice when you leave home- but plenty as you are on your way or on your return- and you will have to leave the car. Big fines if you leave the car in the wrong place too... abandon it by the side of the road, or even worse, Motorway- and you'ill be in BIG trouble.
For fabulous photos, you should drive up to the top of the JUra- much better views of the Alps from there than from the Alps. But the roads are really bad at the moment - and you must have snow tyres- so take the bus. You can take the train from Lausanne to Yverdon, then the little train up to St Croix- fabulous views from the train. Or if you have friends with a car, and snow tyres, drive up to St Croix and on to Les Rasses downhill and crosscountry ski area- the views are fantastic, nice footpath for walkers, and a couple of Inns, Restaurants- including the old Victorian Grand Hôtel (part of BOA) gorup.
One of the nearest ski stations to Lausanne is Les Paccots , which is just about 32 km away. However, I wouldn't recommend driving there on summer tyres. Although its altitude is only about 1060m there is snow there at present, as you can check with this webcam:
Public transport will take you from Lausanne to the centre of the village in about an hour, and from there there is a pleasant 30 min walk through beautiful countryside to the Lac des Joncs next the ski school, a very scenic area at any time of year.
Thanks so much for this. I have basically been using public transport since I got here as I needed to get my car key reprogrammed as soon as I arrived (grrr) which wasnt cheap.
I will check this place out! Thanks so much again!
Note, they are not Snow tyres they are Winter tyres. Once the temperature drops below 4c, or so, your summers will lose traction. You don8217;t need snow to become dangerous.
Don8217;t drive with summer tyres would be my advice.
Still, I would prefer summer tyres when it is dry and cold. Winter tyres are superior in winter conditions, like snow and ice, but summer tyres are better in dry and rain conditions.
Given the differences in their profile, also its depth, I bet winter tyres are clearly better in the rain, especially in heavy rain and at high speeds. Not to speak of slush, which you may well have at a few degrees above zero.
Sil and Bil fro Surrey bought snow tyres to come to visit us in winter a few years ago. When they returned to leafy Surrey, they decided to keep them on as they enjoyed the much softer ride (Mercedes 350 SL I think)
They will wear much faster when it hot 25 degrees or more, but as they only have a useful life of 5 years from date of manufacture I have often kept them on the car as you need at least 4mm left on them to he useful in snow. Very noisy in multi story car parks is the big give away.
My garage charged me 50.- for changing wheels, balancing, changing windscreen wipers and checking all levels. So no hassle to change- he even picks up the car and drops it back