Gotthard Traffic – Ferragosto (15 August)
Ferragosto (15 August) is the main Italian summer holiday. Italian motorways are jammed and the return wave of Italians from Switzerland reaches the Gotthard.
Recommended route
Depart before dawn on the A2; during extreme August queues prefer San Bernardino (A13) and check the Gotthard Pass.
Live verkeerssituatie
LIVEN → Z (Göschenen): 0 km · Z → N (Airolo): 3 km · Tunnel: open
N → Z (Göschenen)
Z → N (Airolo)
Tunnel
openPas
openSituation updated in real time
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Verkeerstijdvakken
Drukste uren
13:00–18:00
Vertrek voor
11:00
of na
19:00
Drukste uren
08:00–14:00
Vertrek voor
06:00
of na
16:00
Historically the most congested day of the year at the Gotthard. Queues of 18–20 km have been recorded in recent years.
Drukste uren
13:00–18:00
Vertrek voor
10:00
of na
19:30
Vertrekadvies
| Dag | Richting | Risico | Beste tijdvakken | Spitsuren |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 14 August | ↓ Richting zuiden | Extreem | before 11:00 · after 19:00 | 13:00–18:00 |
| Saturday 15 August The most critical day of the year. Depart before dawn or postpone by at least two days. | ↓ Richting zuiden | Extreem | before 06:00 · after 16:00 | 08:00–14:00 |
| Sunday 16 August Heavy bidirectional traffic: both southbound exodus and first northbound return peaks. | ↑ Richting noorden | Hoog | before 09:00 | 11:00–17:00 |
| Monday 17 August | ↑ Richting noorden | Extreem | before 10:00 · after 19:30 | 13:00–18:00 |
Verkeersprognose
Drukste uren
08:00–14:00
Verwachte file
~18 km
The weekend of 14–15 August is historically the most intense of the year at the Gotthard. Northbound queues (returns to Italy) on 17 August can be equally long. Expect up to 3–4 hours wait.
Officiële omleidingen
Drempel contraflow: 10 km
At Ferragosto, ASTRA may activate contraflow (senso unico alternato) in the tunnel itself for very long queues. When queues exceed 10 km, ASTRA officially activates the diversion via San Bernardino (A13). If the tunnel closes, San Bernardino becomes mandatory.
Queue ≥ 10 km
Official ASTRA diversion to A13 San Bernardino
Tunnel closed (emergency)
A13 San Bernardino mandatory — follow ASTRA signage
Aanbevolen alternatieve routes
Strongly recommended during Ferragosto. Usually free or with short waits even during the most intense weekend of the year.
Open in August. Good scenic alternative but slower.
Officiële bronnen
Touring Club Switzerland – real-time traffic information with Gotthard queue alerts.
Swiss real-time road information, including queue and diversion data on the A2.
British road transport research foundation – useful for contextualising European summer traffic peaks.