Chauffeur service in Switzerland

BlaakLane.com provides chauffeur, black car and limousine service in 12 Switzerland cities: Zurich, Geneva, St. Moritz, Gstaad, Basel, Lausanne, Lucerne, Bern, Zermatt, Davos, Verbier, Lugano. Every city page lists the airports served, the pickup rules, the business districts and hotels we drive to most and the intercity runs booked from there. Trips are booked on one account at a fixed fare shown before you confirm, with flight tracking on every airport pickup.

Chauffeur service across Switzerland: airports, borders and arrival

Zurich Airport is Switzerland's largest gateway, 12 km north of the city with a rail station under the terminal. Geneva Airport sits beside the French border and has a French sector for travellers going directly into France. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is on French soil and operates Swiss and French customs sectors, so check which exit you need before landing. BlaakLane.com times each pickup to the tracked landing, with the car at the designated pickup area and 60 minutes of included waiting on international flights. A name-board greeting in the Zurich or Geneva arrivals hall is an add-on, available in selected locations. See the Zurich airport guide and the Geneva airport guide, and the Zurich and Geneva private aviation pages for FBO arrivals.

Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not the EU customs union, so goods limits apply at the border. Entry rules for non-Schengen visitors are published by the State Secretariat for Migration.

Alpine and lakeside routes by road

Swiss motorways are fast, but mountain passes and resort access roads set the pace in winter.

Zermatt is closed to ordinary vehicles, so cars stop at Tasch and the last stretch is by shuttle train. Book resort runs as intercity transfers.

Swiss trains are punctual, and many itineraries mix rail with road. A car meeting the train at Zurich Hauptbahnhof, Geneva Cornavin or Basel SBB covers the stretch from platform to hotel or chalet door with all the luggage, which is where the train is least convenient.

Road rules, the vignette and the Swiss year

Switzerland drives on the right. Every vehicle on the national motorways needs an annual vignette, now available electronically, and the Great St Bernard and Gotthard road tunnels have their own arrangements; the Gotthard tunnel queues heavily at Easter and on summer weekends. Winter tyres are expected in snow, and some passes such as the Furka and Grimsel close from autumn to late spring. Speed cameras are common and fines are high, which keeps chauffeured driving calm and precise.

Events by month:

• January: the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, with road controls and security zones.
• January to March: peak ski season in St. Moritz, Verbier, Gstaad and Zermatt.
• June: Art Basel at Messe Basel, a major week for private arrivals.
• August: the Locarno Film Festival and the start of the Lucerne Festival summer season.
• Autumn: watch and jewellery events in Geneva, and banking conferences in Zurich.

Which vehicle classes suit Swiss trips

A Luxury Executive Sedan is the standard for bankers moving between Paradeplatz, the Geneva rue du Rhone district and the airports. The Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach) meets a principal off a private jet. For ski resorts, the Standard Black SUV or Executive Black SUV gives space for skis and boots, and a Sprinter Van carries a family chalet group or a WEF delegation. Rolls-Royce and Bentley requests are handled through vetted partners and confirmed in writing. Ski-bag capacity per class is on the fleet, and Swiss planning ranges are on rates.

Business and leisure centres

Zurich, Geneva and Basel carry the corporate load: private banks and insurers, international organisations and pharmaceutical headquarters respectively. Bern holds the federal government and embassies, and Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee. Winter travel focuses on St. Moritz, Zermatt, Verbier and Davos. Lugano, in Italian-speaking Ticino, is often reached from Milan Malpensa, about an hour's drive to the south. My Switzerland publishes resort and event details. Gratuity and Swiss airport parking are added at the actual amount, not included in the fare.