Gotthard tunnel queues at Ascension and Whitsun 2027
In May 2027, three long weekends follow one another at the Gotthard: Ascension Day on Thursday 6 May, Whitsun from 15 to 17 May and Corpus Christi on Thursday 27 May. Southbound, according to the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), the queues start from Wednesday afternoon before Ascension and Corpus Christi, and from Friday midday before Whitsun. Northbound, queues build from Sunday midday after Ascension and Corpus Christi, and on the afternoon of Whit Monday at Whitsun. If you set off before these times, you will usually wait less.
The key dates in 2027
Ascension Day (6 May), Whit Monday (17 May) and Corpus Christi (27 May) are public holidays in the Canton of Schwyz, for example. None of the three is a bank holiday in the UK. In both 2025 and 2026, FEDRO rated all three long weekends as prone to queues, above all on the A2 at the Gotthard and the A13 at the San Bernardino. These are the days that matter:
| Date | Occasion | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 5 May | Holiday traffic from the afternoon | South |
| Thu 6 May | Ascension Day | South |
| Fri 7 May | Bridge day (many take the Friday off) | South |
| Sun 9 May | Return journey from midday; Zurich city school holidays end | North |
| Fri 14 May | Pre-Whitsun traffic from midday | South |
| Mon 17 May | Whit Monday, return journey in the afternoon | North |
| Wed 26 May | Holiday traffic from the afternoon | South |
| Thu 27 May | Corpus Christi | South |
| Sun 30 May | Return journey from midday | North |
Ascension and the bridge day
Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday. If you take the Friday off as a bridge day, you have four days in a row, and traffic starts early accordingly: according to FEDRO, southbound from Wednesday afternoon. In the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) congestion calendar for 2025, Ascension Day and the Friday after were rated as very heavy traffic southbound, meaning a wait of more than an hour and a half. The Saturday after was only rated as busy traffic.
In 2027, two more things add to this: in Basel-Stadt the Friday after Ascension is also a day off school, and in the city of Zurich Ascension falls in the middle of the spring holidays, from 26 April to 8 May. Heading back north, FEDRO expects queues from Sunday midday. As the city of Zurich holidays end that same weekend, 9 May is likely to be particularly busy at the south portal.
Whitsun and the weeks after
Before Whitsun, according to FEDRO, holiday traffic heading south starts from Friday midday, which in 2027 means 14 May. Northbound, the return traffic queues on the afternoon of Whit Monday, 17 May. In the TCS congestion calendar for 2025, the Friday and Saturday before Whitsun were marked as very heavy traffic southbound, and Whit Monday northbound.
That is not the end of it. In Baden-Württemberg (18 to 29 May) and Bavaria (18 to 28 May), Whitsun is followed by almost two weeks of Whitsun holidays. According to FEDRO, holiday traffic from Germany and Italy can add to the northbound traffic on the two weekends after Whitsun.
Corpus Christi follows the same pattern as Ascension: southbound from the afternoon of Wednesday 26 May, and northbound from midday on Sunday 30 May. The Whitsun holidays in southern Germany end that same weekend, so two waves of returning traffic are likely to overlap.
When to set off at Ascension and Whitsun
Southbound: beat the wave, so set off on Wednesday morning before Ascension and Corpus Christi and on Friday morning before Whitsun, ideally early in the morning. If you have to travel on Thursday or Friday, you are usually better off starting in the early hours than around midday. At Ascension, it can be worth waiting until Saturday.
Northbound: after Ascension and Corpus Christi, drive on Sunday morning rather than in the afternoon; at Whitsun, on Monday morning. If you can stay a day longer, you avoid the times FEDRO gives for the wave of returning traffic.
Avoiding the queue in May
Whether the Gotthard Pass is already open at Ascension 2027 depends on the snow. In 2026 it opened earlier than planned, on 8 May, thanks to little snow; in 2025 not until 16 May. When the pass opens, the extended Göschenen exit, about 3 kilometres long, also comes back into use and takes you onto the pass road without a detour through the villages. From the south, the special “CUPRA” lane leads from Airolo to the passes; in 2026 it was available from the Ascension weekend.
For the spring public holidays in 2026, FEDRO named further alternatives to the Gotthard tunnel: the Great St Bernard tunnel, the Simplon Pass and the car-carrying trains through the Lötschberg and the Simplon. These are mainly options for western and south-western Switzerland. From central and eastern Switzerland, that leaves the San Bernardino route, which is also prone to queues on these days. More on our Avoiding the Gotthard page.
As at Easter: if there is a queue, stay on the motorway rather than diverting onto cantonal and local roads. The rules in Uri are explained on our Easter traffic page.
Check the live situation
Before you set off, it is worth checking the live traffic situation: queue length and delay in each direction, updated every 5 minutes from FEDRO’s traffic reports. The north portal and south portal pages show what it looks like in front of the tunnel. All the busy days up to summer 2027 are in the Gotthard traffic forecast.
Ascension and Whitsun: frequently asked questions
When do the Gotthard tunnel queues start at Ascension?
Southbound, according to the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), from Wednesday afternoon, which in 2027 is 5 May, then on Ascension Day (6 May) and the Friday after. Northbound, FEDRO expects queues from midday on Sunday 9 May, the weekend the city of Zurich spring holidays end. In the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) congestion calendar for 2025, the Saturday after Ascension was only rated as busy traffic.
When does the Whitsun traffic build up at the Gotthard?
Southbound from Friday midday, which in 2027 is 14 May, and northbound on the afternoon of Whit Monday, 17 May. After that come the Whitsun holidays in Baden-Württemberg (18 to 29 May) and Bavaria (18 to 28 May). At Corpus Christi, queues start southbound on the afternoon of Wednesday 26 May and northbound from midday on Sunday 30 May, when two waves of returning traffic are likely to overlap.
Is the Gotthard Pass open at Ascension?
It depends on the snow. In 2026 the pass opened earlier than planned, on 8 May, thanks to little snow; in 2025 not until 16 May. Once it is open, the extended Göschenen exit, about 3 kilometres long, takes you onto the pass road, and from the south the special “CUPRA” lane leads from Airolo to the passes.
What is the best time to drive through the Gotthard at Ascension and Whitsun?
Before the wave. Southbound, set off on Wednesday morning before Ascension and Corpus Christi and on Friday morning before Whitsun, ideally early in the morning; at Ascension it can also be worth waiting until Saturday. Northbound, drive on Sunday morning after Ascension and Corpus Christi, and on the morning of Whit Monday.
Information provided without guarantee. Official information from FEDRO and the cantonal police always takes precedence.