I don't know how the roads in Spain or Portugal will be regarding punctures. But I would not be too overly worried. I have driven 10000s of miles in Europe and only had a puncture once (compared to at least a dozen times in the US), during my 2016 GT4 Euro Delivery. Since the nail was in the safe region, a local shop did a high-quality plug, and I was on my way again. Also, you will have access to a Porsche roadside assistance number that will be able to organize a tow truck if needed.

True, I have done AutoX in these conditions, and pirouetted like an ice dancer. Still not something I am willing to risk on a two-line public, tree-lined road with 10% inclination...

 

Thanks, yes, I should have brought up this discussion point. Had a call with Joey Bolton Rogers awhile back- he did mention that I may have problems with coverage in event of accident if not on winter tires when recommended.

there are pros and cons to winter tires, will keep exploring but might be best to just wait and watch my dates firm up before stressing out.

 

Looks like lots of people will travel to Switzerland.

Did you guys get the Porsche notice about not to travel Switzerland as it’s not EU, or was that notice just for Canadians?

 

Huh?! I am originally Swiss and was just there in May. Why would the EU membership have any bearing on whether you should visit it? By the way, Switzerland participates in the Schengen treaty, so if getting a visa is an issue, then if you have a Schengen visa, you will be allowed into Switzerland. Do you have a link to the notice?

 

I would highly recommend basing a couple days in Andermatt Switzerland, and running Susten, Furka, Grimsel, (you can make a loop covering all three) and then hit Oberlap, and others. Get up early and run the passes from say 6 AM to 10 AM, come back and have a luxurious breakfast, during the day you can do some hikes and relax in the area. In the early evening head out again. I found the passes got lighter around 5 PM as I think people were scared to get stuck on them at night. Running passes with the sun setting was exhilarating.

If you just drive them middle of the day, it will be a beautiful and scenic experience but the drive itself will suck.

 

Here’s the notice:

 

Duplicate - Please delete

 

Duplicate - Please delete.

 

I got the same notice. I am scheduled for my ED on Oct. 1. Our planned route at the moment is Leipzig > Prague > Vienna > Salzburg > Munich > Zurich > Stuttgart > Nuremberg then back to Leipzig. I was hoping to return the car in Stuttgart but since the car will get winter tires, I was told I have to return it back to Leipzig. For those familiar with that part of the world, are winter tires a must if we're only there from Oct. 1 to 11? Looking at the historical forecast, it says around 15 C is the average at these destinations in October. Any thoughts?

I really wanted to visit Zurich as we have only been at the airport but I'm not willing to risk the VAT not being refunded. My question is how do the authorities know we passed through a "non-EU" country if the borders are open and there are no passport control on most of the highways. Anybody know how this is enforced?

 

Dang! My ED was 7/03/24 and i didnt get any notice before my pick up, so it must be fairly new. Saw you posted the notice below. That's really unfortunate as the Swiss alps are a huge reason to do ED in my humble opinion as a driver. I saw some of the customs controls but didn't get stopped at any of them.

 

Thanks for posting this! This is concerning indeed! See more below.

Regarding winter tires: I would be ok to not get winter tires in early October. While you could encounter snow in the alps if you are (un)lucky (you can get that even in July/August), the risk is low and you can turn around/wait it out.

Regarding re-entry into the EU from Switzerland: My experiences have been that due to Switzerland being part of the Schengen treaty, most border crossings are not even manned (e.g., alpine passes like Spluegen or Simplon etc) or do not pay attention to non-commercial traffic.

The last time I crossed the borders were in May driving from Zurich to Sindelfingen and I crossed the border 3 times (around Schaffhausen) between Switzerland and Germany and never got stopped.

However, the warning above reads stern and I don't know if the EU border controls have increased on the Swiss border (Schengen is a visa treaty and not an economic treaty). So if you travel into/through Switzerland, I recommend checking with PCNA and Porsche AG on the latest status.

I am wondering what the legal basis for this is. Could it be that once you leave the EU with the car, it is considered exported and cannot be re-imported? But then you are not re-importing it but just transit the EU before moving it to the US or Canada. For example, it would be weird if I had to pay VAT driving a car with Swiss plates into Germany, knowing that I will leave Germany again in a few days/weeks.

While missing out on Switzerland would be a shame, having to pay the VAT seems a big cost to pay. I would recommend people who were looking to drive in Switzerland to choose the Austrian Alps and Dolomites instead and/or enjoy the EU side of the passes. Or use the Swiss drop-off location(s) and not return back into the EU....

 

Very interesting, feels like new news, and I personally wouldn't risk the VAT. Regarding Winter tires, depending on how long you are driving, you might run into legal requirements for the tires. Apparently parts of France require them from October 15. Switzerland apparently doesn't strictly require them, but you can be at fault for not having them if you have an accident in winter conditions.

In 2014, I was living in Zurich and did a 3 month "European Delivery". I must have crossed the Swiss/German/Italian/French borders a dozen times without ever getting a question, until the very last time I was returning to Zurich from France. I was stopped at the border, and they went through all my papers and decided I was missing one. They really didn't like an American, on a work visa, driving a car temporarily registered in Germany 80 days ago, with these special German plates, a bill of sale to a US address, etc. They kept me there while they made a few phone calls, and I really expected this to get messy, but eventually they decided it was more trouble than it was worth, and they told me not to cross the border with these papers again.

@Dhon If you are open to feedback on that route, it feels like a lot of cities. Getting in and out of them will not be fun, parking will be a hassle, etc. I'd consider adding more small towns connected by more fun roads.

 

I really appreciate the feedback regarding the winter tires and crossing into non-EU countries. I think just to be safe and hassle free, I'll take the winters tires and skip Zurich.

Great feedback on the routes I am considering, thank you! I've spent the past 7 days looking for hotels with secure parking in Prague and Vienna. I thought it would be easy filtering though the hotel booking sites, trip advisor, etc. with parking as an amenity until you start reading the horrible guest reviews/experience with "parking." It seems like most of these old city 5/4 star hotels have very limited first come-first serve, height restricted, off-site, street only, or no parking. At the moment, I've only been able to book in Prague so far and I waiting to hear from the hotel that they can guarantee me a secure parking spot on the premises whe we arrive. I have yet to hear back.