Gotthard Tunnel: Traffic jams in early August and night closures in autumn 2026

Anyone driving through Switzerland to Italy can hardly avoid the Gotthard Tunnel. Right there, massive traffic jams are once again looming at the beginning of August. Waiting times of more than three hours are possible in both directions. At the same time, several night closures are scheduled for September and October due to maintenance work. For holidaymakers from southwestern Germany, this means double planning: time buffers for midsummer and alternative routes for the autumn nights.

The Gotthard road tunnel is located on the A2 between Göschenen and Airolo. The tunnel is 16.9 kilometres long and is one of the most important north-south connections for motorists heading to Ticino, northern Italy, or further south.

Early August: the Gotthard becomes a bottleneck

It is expected to be particularly tight between 1 and 8 August 2026. Heading south, vehicles can queue up to eleven kilometres in front of the tunnel. Waiting time will then be at least two hours and 45 minutes.

The return journey can take even longer. Heading north, 8 August is considered the most difficult day: up to 13 kilometres of tailbacks and more than three hours of waiting time are possible. After the first weekend of August, the pressure eases. Heading south, the situation relaxes from 9 August, and heading north from 18 August. You can find further information on the general traffic situation on the first weekend of August in our news article on the traffic forecast for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

For September and October, normal or moderately heavy traffic without longer waiting times is expected during the day, apart from the planned night closures. Towards the end of the year, things could get busy again. For 20, 22 and 26 December, very heavy traffic and tailbacks of up to eight kilometres are expected heading south.

Additional night closures from 10 to 28 August 2026

In addition to the expected traffic jams in early August, there are further restrictions: the Gotthard road tunnel will be closed for maintenance work from 10 to 28 August 2026 on a total of twelve nights, each from 11 pm to 5 am. The reason is preventive work on the tunnel's intermediate ceiling. This is intended to prevent stresses from building up there that could later lead to unplanned restrictions or closures. No work will take place on the nights from Friday to Saturday, Saturday to Sunday, or Sunday to Monday, so that the tunnel remains fully available during the busy weekend periods. Anyone travelling on the affected nights can use the Gotthard Pass road as an alternative route.

Night closures in September and October 2026

From September, the Gotthard Tunnel will remain closed at night in several phases. The work takes place outside the main travel season and does not affect weekends. In the first phase, the tunnel will be closed for up to seven hours, and later for up to nine hours at a stretch.

The following dates are planned:

• 7 to 11 September 2026: four nights from Monday evening to Friday morning, each from 10 pm to 5 am

• 14 to 18 September 2026: four nights, each from 8 pm to 5 am

• 21 to 25 September 2026: four nights, each from 8 pm to 5 am

• 28 September to 2 October 2026: four nights, each from 8 pm to 5 am

• 5 to 7 October 2026: two nights, each from 8 pm to 5 am

In total, that amounts to 18 night closures in early autumn. In addition, regardless of the maintenance work, the tunnel is regularly closed on Wednesdays between 11 pm and 1 am for a time slot reserved for special transports.

Important: Anyone wanting to cross the Gotthard at night in September or early October should check the dates before departure and, if necessary, take an alternative route or travel during the day.

What alternatives are there?

In the event of heavy traffic jams or night closures, the A13 via the San Bernardino route via Chur and Bellinzona is especially recommended. The Gotthard Pass can also be an alternative, though not for vehicles with camping trailers. Other alternative routes go via Simplon, Grimsel and Nufenen. However, these usually take significantly more time and can become overloaded themselves in the event of heavy diversion traffic.

In practice, this means: plan alternatives in advance, not only once you're stuck in traffic in front of the portal. It's worth checking current waiting times and webcam information just before departure.

Toll in Switzerland

Anyone driving via the Gotthard to Italy should take a quick look at the Swiss toll rules. Unlike in Austria, there is no short-term vignette, and the weight limit is based on the permissible gross vehicle weight (GVW) including passengers. You can find an overview in the guide on tolls in Switzerland.

Annual vignette

For cars, motorcycles and vehicles up to 3.5 t GVW, the Swiss annual vignette (digital or as a sticker) applies on motorways and many national roads. The Gotthard Tunnel and most other motorway tunnels (such as San Bernardino) are covered by the vignette. Which vehicles need a vignette is explained in detail in the guide on vehicle classes.

Heavy vehicle charge

If the GVW exceeds 3.5 t, the vignette requirement no longer applies. Instead, the heavy vehicle charge applies: either as a flat-rate charge (PSVA, e.g. for heavy motorhomes) or as a performance-related charge (LSVA) based on kilometres and weight, mainly for freight traffic. Details can be found in the guide on the heavy vehicle charge.

Special toll

On a few routes, an additional special toll applies alongside the vignette or heavy vehicle charge, for example at the Great St Bernard or the Munt la Schera Tunnel, as well as on some Alpine pass roads. The Gotthard itself is not among them. More information can be found in our guides on special tolls and tunnels and passes in Switzerland.

Car trains

As an alternative to passes and tunnels, Switzerland offers car trains (Autoverladungen), for example via Furka, Lötschberg, Simplon or Vereina. For these, you need a separate ticket from the respective operator; the annual vignette does not cover this. Further information on car trains can be found in our guide on car trains.

Toll in Italy

Anyone continuing on to Italy switches to a different system: Italy has no vignette, but instead a distance-based motorway toll. More on this in the guide Toll in Italy. You can use our route planner to plan your trip.

The Europamaut team wishes you a pleasant journey!

With enough time buffer, up-to-date traffic reports and a clear alternative to the Gotthard route, you can travel to Italy and back more relaxed, even in midsummer and autumn. If you have any questions about the digital vignette or tolls in Switzerland, you can reach us at any time by email.