Parking study reveals the most popular summer excursion spots in Switzerland
By Jan de Boer
By analysing the parking habits of Swiss drivers and those from abroad, a new study by EasyPark has found the most popular locations in Switzerland for a summer excursion in 2022. The report found that residents of Switzerland were keener than ever to explore Swiss cities, mountains and historical sites, rather than brave the chaos seen at airports around the world in recent months.
42 percent more non-Swiss cars in Switzerland in summer 2022
In June, July and August, the EasyPark app recorded more than twice as many parking transactions in Switzerland than in the same period last year. Along with a strong Swiss contingent, the report found that there were 42 percent more non-Swiss vehicles parked in the alpine nation over the summer.
Of those that were non-Swiss, German drivers were the most common at 15 percent, followed by French drivers (9 percent) and drivers from the Netherlands (5 percent).
Top Swiss destinations were mountains and lakes
According to Blick, the most popular destinations in Switzerland this summer were the mountains and lakes. In all, Kandersteg saw the biggest rise in traffic, with 77 percent more vehicles parking in the area during the summer than at the same time last year. This was followed by Interlaken, Spiez and Walenstadt.
Situated amongst stunning scenery, and being close to the famous lake of Blausee, it is perhaps unsurprising that Kandersteg took the top spot. As the gateway to many top ski resorts - which are great to visit during the summer for hiking - the Bernese Oberland dominated the list, with all the top three being located in Canton Bern. The areas around Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) and Canton Ticino were also well represented in the list.
10 most popular excursion spots in Switzerland
According to EasyPark, these were the 10 destinations that saw the biggest rise in popularity in 2022:
- 1. Kandersteg, Canton Bern (77 percent)
- =2. Interlaken, Canton Bern (65 percent)
- =2. Spiez, Canton Bern (65 percent)
- =2. Walenstadt, Canton St. Gallen (65 percent)
- =5. Flims Waldhaus, Canton Graubünden (60 percent)
- =5. Prilly, Canton Vaud (60 percent)
- 7. Bouveret, Canton Valais (59 percent)
- 8. Arbon, Canton Thurgau (57 percent)
- =9. Muralto, Canton Ticino (56 percent)
- =9. Stein am Rhine, Canton Schaffhausen (56 percent)
In terms of drivers going abroad, the report found that the top destination for people from the alpine nation was Italy, making up 41 percent of all parking transactions made by Swiss cars during the summer. Germany came second with 21 percent, followed by Sweden, Denmark, France and Norway.
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Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016.
While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more