Coach Hire Across Switzerland

Gstaad and the Saanenland by Coach

Gstaad's village centre is pedestrian, and the resort lists no public coach park. Coach parking is agreed beforehand with the mountain railways, who ask operators to get in touch. Settle that before anything else.

Parking around the Promenade

The official car parks include the sports centre, with 65 spaces for up to five hours, two car parks at the Eggli, and a garage in the centre of Saanen. Overnight sleeping in vehicles is banned. Because no coach park is listed, the operator agrees the village stop ahead of time.

For a large group, Zweisimmen or Château-d'Œx can be easier bases than Gstaad itself. The Menuhin Festival's tent holds 2,000 people at a concert or 600 at a banquet, and it can be hired for seminars as well.

Mercedes-Benz Tourismo 49-seat coach, exterior
Mercedes-Benz Tourismo 49-seat coach, exterior

Three roads into the Saanenland

From Bern the A6 runs to the Wimmis exit and on through the Simmental; the transfer from Bern Airport takes about 1.75 hours. From the Valais the A9 leads to Aigle and over the Col du Pillon. From Lausanne, leave at Bulle and go via Château-d'Œx.

The Jaunpass, the Col des Mosses and the Pillon stay open through the winter. On the Pillon, winter tyres are advised. Geneva Airport is about 2.5 hours and Zurich Airport about 3.5 hours.

Airports for a group arriving in Gstaad

Stadiums and arenas a coach can reach

  • Eisbahnareal Gstaad (Promenade 76) — Clay-court venue of the Swiss Open Gstaad tennis tournament, next to Gstaad station

Coach day trips from Gstaad

  • Saanen — about 3 km, about 10 min
  • Lauenen — about 8 km, about 15 min
  • Château-d'Œx — about 14 km, about 25 min
  • Zweisimmen (Rinderberg) — about 16 km, about 25 min
  • Col du Pillon (Glacier 3000) — about 18 km, about 30 min
  • Les Diablerets — about 24 km, about 35 min
  • Gruyères — about 40 km, about 55 min
  • Château de Chillon — about 56 km, about 1.25 h
  • Montreux — about 59 km, about 1.25 h
  • Thun — about 61 km, about 1.5 h
  • Interlaken — about 69 km, about 1.75 h
  • Bern — about 86 km, about 1.75 h
  • Lausanne — about 88 km, about 1.75 h
  • Genève — about 151 km, about 2.5 h

Where a coach can stop in Gstaad, and other rules

  • Bern Airport (BRN) is about 81 km by road from the Promenade, about 1.75 h in light traffic; Geneva Airport (GVA) is about 149 km (about 2.5 h), EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL) about 188 km (about 3.25 h) and Zurich Airport (ZRH) about 210 km (about 3.5 h). Journeys take longer at peak times.
  • Railway station: Gstaad station is on the Montreux–Zweisimmen line (stops Saanenmöser, Schönried, Gstaad, Saanen) and is served by the GoldenPass Express Montreux–Gstaad–Interlaken. Groups of 10 or more must reserve trains and buses by 12:00 two working days ahead.
  • Routes in: from Bern by the A6 to the Wimmis exit and through the Simmental; from the Valais by the A9 to Aigle and over the Col du Pillon; from Lausanne by the Bulle exit and Château-d'Œx. The Col du Pillon, the Col des Mosses and the Jaunpass are open all year; winter tyres are recommended on the Pillon.
  • Gstaad has a pedestrian village centre. The official car parks include the sports centre (65 spaces, up to 5 hours), Eggli P1 (130 spaces, no overnight parking in winter) and P3 (160 spaces, winter only) and the Saanen centre multi-storey car park; sleeping in vehicles is not allowed. No public coach park is listed: the mountain railways ask coach operators to arrange parking with them in advance, and the operator confirms the coach stop in the village.
  • Glacier 3000: the base station is at the Col du Pillon (1865 Les Diablerets, canton Vaud), about 18 km from Gstaad, with large paid car parks at the Col du Pillon and at Reusch. The 2026 summer season runs until 18 October; the cable cars are then closed for maintenance from 19 October to 6 November 2026, winter season from 7 November 2026 to 30 April 2027. A Glacier 3000 Express bus connects with GoldenPass Express trains at Gstaad.
  • Events in 2027: Hot-air balloon festival in Château-d'Œx, 23 to 31 January; Swiss Open Gstaad tennis, 10 to 18 July (by train advised; the station is next to the venue); Menuhin Festival Gstaad, 16 July to 4 September; Polo Gold Cup Gstaad at the Saanen airfield, 19 to 22 August; Country Night Gstaad, 10 and 11 September.
  • Cabotage: under Article 20 of the EU-Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, a coach operator established in an EU state may not carry passengers between two places in Switzerland. A group journey that starts and ends in Switzerland therefore needs a vehicle from an operator established in Switzerland. Coaches may carry groups across the border in both directions; these occasional services need no authorisation, but the coach carries a journey form (Fahrtenblatt).
  • Road charges: coaches and other buses over 3.5 tonnes pay the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee (pauschale Schwerverkehrsabgabe, PSVA) for every day they are in Switzerland, on all public roads, and need no motorway vignette; foreign-registered coaches pay the PSVA online through the BAZG "Via" portal or app before entering Switzerland. Minibuses and cars up to 3.5 tonnes need the motorway vignette (the e-vignette linked to the number plate, or the sticker) to use motorways and expressways (Autobahnen / autoroutes / autostrade).
  • Speed and driving bans: on motorways and expressways coaches may drive at up to 100 km/h (articulated buses and scheduled buses with standing places excepted); heavy vehicles are otherwise limited to 80 km/h. The Swiss night driving ban (22:00 to 05:00) and the Sunday and public-holiday ban for heavy vehicles do not apply to vehicles carrying passengers.
  • Drivers' hours: coach drivers follow the Swiss ordinance ARV 1, aligned with the EU rules: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest, recorded by tachograph. Drivers of foreign-registered coaches must keep the same driving, break and rest rules in Switzerland. In domestic traffic, professional drivers of cars and of minibuses with up to 16 seats besides the driver follow ARV 2 instead.
  • Winter: Switzerland has no general winter-tyre obligation, but a vehicle must be fit for the road conditions and the driver must keep control of it at all times; the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) recommends winter tyres from October to Easter. Where the sign "Schneeketten obligatorisch" / "chaînes à neige obligatoires" / "Catene per la neve obbligatorie" (sign 2.48) is shown, at least two drive wheels on the same axle must be fitted with snow chains.

Glacier 3000 is in canton Vaud

The cable cars start at the Col du Pillon, half an hour by road. There is ample paid parking at the pass and at Reusch. Any group from 10 to 500 people has to book ahead. Up top are the Peak Walk and, in summer, the Alpine Coaster.

At Gstaad station, the Glacier 3000 Express bus meets the GoldenPass trains. That lets part of a group go up while the coach takes the rest elsewhere.

Trains, Rinderberg and the lakes

The GoldenPass Express runs Montreux–Gstaad–Interlaken four times a day. A group of ten or more books its train and bus seats two working days before travel, by noon at the latest. Rinderberg starts from Zweisimmen, about 25 minutes by road. The Lauenensee, higher up the valley, can be reached by bus, and drivers there pay to park.

What organisers ask us

Which summer events affect a coach booking?

Three in 2027. Tennis comes first with the Swiss Open Gstaad, 10 to 18 July. The Menuhin Festival overlaps it, 16 July to 4 September. Then the Polo Gold Cup Gstaad fills the Saanen airfield from 19 to 22 August.

How do tennis spectators get to the courts?

By train is advised, since Gstaad station is next to the venue. If a coach is used, the operator agrees the set-down point well before the week, as Gstaad lists no coach park.

Is Château-d'Œx worth a winter day?

In late January, yes. The village hosts its hot-air balloon festival from 23 to 31 January 2027, and the drive from Gstaad is around 25 minutes.

More group trips by coach

Vehicles, each with a driver