More Than Just Cheap Flights.

Switzerland Information

Overview

Small, mountainous and wealthy, with a population of just 7.5 million, Switzerland is renowned for its enviable quality of life in a country that ticks along like clockwork. Its products are sought after the world over, from its delicious cheese and chocolate to luxurious watches whose timekeeping is as sharp as a Swiss Army Knife, another popular export from this sophisticated Alpine nation.

Switzerland’s famed political neutrality, financial power and isolated location, ring-fenced by breathtaking mountains, have enabled it to play a safe but central role in European affairs. The conveniently central location in the middle of Europe has also made Switzerland a favourite meeting place for conventions and international conferences - Geneva, for instance, is home to the United Nations.

Switzerland is not only a place for professionals, though. As a stylish tourist destination it offers such top ski resorts as Zermatt, Verbier and celebrity-studded St Moritz, while the white peaks of mountains set against blue skies make a wonderful backdrop for summertime hiking. The ancient capital of Berne provides superb opportunities for sightseeing, shopping and traditional folk entertainment while the largest city, Zürich leads the way in arts, design and nightlife, from opera and world-class theatre to stylish bars and nightclubs.

Switzerland’s unique political model is based on consensus-building, and, considering that the country consists of several culturally different groups speaking different languages (Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch), its peaceful domestic situation is admirable. And while the Swiss in practice have been neutral in foreign affairs for several centuries, they are increasingly willing to get more involved in world affairs and deploy the skills in democracy and diplomacy they have developed domestically on the international stage. Switzerland finally joined the United Nations in 2002, and signed the Schengen treaty in 2005, showing their support for the European Union.

Author

Sylvia Huber

Top Things To See

Explore Zürich, Switzerland’s largest city. The old town (Altstadt) is especially picturesque. Do not miss the gothic Fraumünster, with its stained-glass windows by Chagall; the imposing twin-towered Grossmünster cathedral; the Swiss National Museum; and the modern art collections at the Kunsthaus Zürich (website: www.zuerich.com).

Visit the Horological Museum and watch-making factories at La-Chaux-de-Fonds. There are more factories at Le Locle nearby, all producing celebrated Swiss precision watches (website: www.mih.ch).

Discover Geneva’s ancient city centre on foot, and its crowning glory, the Cathédrale de St Pierre - a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture. Near Lake Geneva, the flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, with over 6,500 blooms, pays homage to Geneva’s watch industry (website: www.geneva-tourism.ch).

Explore Lausanne, on the shore of Lake Geneva, headquarters of the International Olympic committee (IOC) since 1915. Highlights include the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and the Musée Olympic (Olympic Museum). A stroll along the promenade of the old Port d’Ouchy reveals a slower pace of life (website: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch).

See one of the country’s most important historic buildings in Vaud. Head for the small town of Romainmotier to discover its 11th-century Benedictine monastery (website: www.romainmotier.ch).

Visit the capital city of Bern on the Aare River, with its medieval heart of unique 11th-century arcaded streets, its famous 13th-century clocktower (Zeitglockenturm) and ancient medieval bear pits (Bärengraben), a reminder of the city’s ursine emblem seen throughout Bern on flags, statues, stained-glass windows and souvenirs (website: www.berninfo.com).

In the elegant ancient city cenre of St Gallen, enjoy the baroque cathedral and famous Abbey Library (Stiftsbibliothek) in the old Benedictine monastery (incunabula and illuminated manuscripts), named a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO (website: www.stiftsbibliothek.ch).

Head for Neuchâtel, attractively located beside a lake, and admire the striking medieval yellow stone buildings in town, once described by Alexander Dumas as ’carved from butter’. The town is celebrated for its cafe culture and first-class cuisine (website: www.neuchateltourisme.ch).

Visit the most important baroque castle in Switzerland. The historic town of Brig in the Valais region boasts the Stockalperschloss. Castle enthusiasts should also visit Leuk, Martigny, Monthey and Sierre.

Explore the Berner Oberland, a major tourist area that includes spectacular scenery including famous peaks (Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger), mountain lakes, alpine streams and wild flowers, as well as Europe’s highest railway and such celebrated resorts as Adelboden, Grindelwald and Interlaken (website: www.berneroberland.ch). 

Also in the region, ascend the Schilthorn mountain by funicular made famous in the James Bond movie Her Majesty’s Secret Service (website: www.schilthorn.ch); visit the the Reichenbach falls (where Sherlock Holmes fell to his fictional death) (website: www.reichenbachfall.ch); and explore the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenberg, with its charmingly preserved houses and crafts from various regions (website: www.ballenberg.ch).

Discover the ancient university and trading city of Basel. Straddling the Rhine between the Jura region, Alsace in France and Germany’s Black Forest, it is a centre of art and research. Don’t miss the Art Museum or the ancient red sandstone Münster (website: www.baseltourismus.ch).

Check out the 170m (558ft) covered wooden Chapel Bridge spanning the River Reuss in Luzern - the oldest in Switzerland (1333) until it was destroyed by fire in 1993, but it has since been reconstructed. Explore the delightful medieval old town (Altstadt), visit the Swiss Transport Museum and cruise on the Vierwaldstättersee (website: www.luzern.org).

Explore the lovely, Italian-speaking, southernmost tip of Switzerland, the region of Ticino. Follow the road from the Alpine valleys through Bellinzona with its three medieval castles to the Locarno and Lugano, the celebrated lake resorts of Southern Ticino (website: www.ticino.ch).

Get close to the highest mountains in Switzerland, in the Valais region (’the valley’), with such lofty glacial peaks as the Dufourspitze (4,634m/15,217ft), Dom (4,545m/14,917ft), Weisshorn (4,509m/14,793ft) and the Matterhorn (4,478m/14,698ft). Popular resorts here include Saas Fee, Verbier and Zermatt (website: www.valaistourism.ch).

Visit one of Switzerland’s most photogenic villages, Gruyères, home to the nation’s most famous cheese, to explore its castle and various cheese factories (website: www.la-gruyere.ch).

Drive through rustic Appenzell, the most traditional canton, with its picturesque villages of ornately painted houses set in lush, rolling landscapes. Säntis (website: www.saentisbahn.ch) is Appenzell’s most famous peak, with memorable views over six nations - Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (website: www.appenzell.ch).

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

Top Things To Do

Join the Swiss in their favourite pastime - hiking. There are over 50,000km (31,070 miles) of marked trails. Hiking times are given on the signposts, and trails are colour-coded according to difficulty (website: www.swisshiking.ch).

Participate in various mountain sports (including climbing, ice climbing, ski touring, snowboarding, deep-snow skiing, heli-skiing and glacier walking).  Top ski areas include Portes du Soleil, Davos, Klosters, Zermatt, Verbier, Saas Fee and glamorous St Moritz, which also offers snow-polo, the Olympic Bob run and the Cresta run).

Cycling is not necessarily as strenuous as the mountainous terrain might indicate. There are 3,300km (2,046 miles) of well-marked interlinked trails, and most of them offer easy cycling. Many railway stations offer bike hire (return it to any other station at the end of the tour) (website: www.cycling-in-swtizerland.ch). 

Travel by train through stunning Alpine scenery on the Glacier Express, one of Europe’s greatest rail journeys from St Moritz to Zermatt (or vice versa) at the very heart of Switzerland (website: www.glacierexpress.ch). 

Go on a lake cruise or ferry trip, including Lake Zürich, Lake Geneva, Lake Constance (with visits to towns in Germany and Austria) and the picturesque Vierwaltstättersee at Luzern, where paddlesteamers link up with various mountain railways and cableways.

Enjoy a theatre production at the Zürcher Schauspielhaus, which is considered one of the most prestigious German-speaking theatres in the country (website: www.schauspielhaus.ch). 

Go to Basel for the Basler Fasnacht (a pre-Lenten carnival), with three days of grand masked parties and street parades with fancy costumes. There is even a Fasnacht Fountain in front of the City Theatre (website: www.fasnacht.ch). 

Take Europe’s highest aerial cablecar up the Little Matterhorn at Zermatt . Then ski back to the car-free village of Zermatt on one of the longest ski runs in Europe (website: www.klein-matterhorn.ch). 

Head to the small town and popular ski resort of Engelberg, where the world’s first revolving cable car ascends Mount Titlis, the highest lookout-point in central Switzerland (website: www.titlis.ch). 

Listen to the world’s greatest jazz, blues and rhythm ’n’ blues artists at the prestigious Montreux International Jazz Festival in July (website: www.montreuxjazz.com). 

Visit one of Switzerland’s many climatic health resorts. The Graubünden resorts of Arosa, Davos, Klosters and St Moritz are renowned the world over. Interlaken, near Bern, is another celebrated health resort and the gateway to the Berner Oberland.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

Going Out

Food and Drink

Swiss cuisine is varied. The great speciality is fondue, a delicious concoction of Gruyère and Vacherin cheese, melted and mixed with white wine, flour, Kirsch and a little garlic. Other cheese specialities are Emmental and Tête de Moine. Pork sausages or salami come in a variety of local recipes including Beinwurst, Engadinerwurst, Knackerli, Landjäger and Leberwurst (liver pâté). A great variety of Swiss wines are available throughout the country. Swiss beer is also popular - both lager and dark beers. Bottled mineral water is an accepted beverage, with local brands including Henniez.

Things to know: Bars/cocktail lounges have table and/or counter service. Although there are many self-service snack bars, table service is normal.

National specialities:
•Viande sèchée (dried beef or pork) from Valais and the Grisons (where it is called Bündnerfleisch), served with pickled onions.
•Pieds de porc (pigs’ trotters).
•Rösti (shredded fried potatoes).
•Fondue Bourguignonne (cubed meat with various sauces).
•Leckerli (spiced honey cakes topped with icing sugar), decorated in Bern with a white sugar bear.

National drinks:
• Kirsch, Marc, Pflümli and Williams (spirits).

Tipping: A service charge is included in all restaurant, cafe and bar services by law; further gratuities are not usually required.

Nightlife

Most major towns and resorts have nightclubs with music and dancing, sometimes serving food. There are also cinemas and theatres, a symphony orchestra in every main city, and some bars and restaurants have local folk entertainment.  Zürich is the country’s top nightspot, with a plethora of trendy bars and a flourishing avant-garde club scene, closely followed by Lausanne and Geneva. During winter months, many ski resorts (including Verbier and Zermatt) offer a lively après-ski party atmosphere.

Shopping

Special purchases include embroidery and linen, Bernese woodcarving, chocolate, cheese, Swiss army knives and luxury handmade clocks and watches. Zürich is the shopping capital, centred on the luxury boutiques and department stores of the celebrated Bahnhofstrasse.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0830 or 0900-1200 and 1400-1800 or 1830, Sat 0800 or 0900 -1200 and sometimes 1330-1600 too. Many shops (especially in rural areas) are closed on Monday mornings.

Climate

The Alps cause many climatic variations throughout Switzerland. In the higher Alpine regions temperatures tend to be low, while the lower land of the northern area has higher temperatures and warm summers.

Required Clothing

Warm clothes and rainwear; lightweights for summer.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2008-December 2009 period.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
2 Jan* Berchtold’s Day.
21 Mar* Good Friday.
24 Mar* Easter Monday. 
1 May* Ascension. 
12 May* Whit Monday.
1 Aug National Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2009
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
2 Jan* Berchtold’s Day.
10 Apr* Good Friday.
13 Apr* Easter Monday. 
21 May* Ascension. 
1 Jun* Whit Monday.
1 Aug National Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Note

(a) * These holidays may not be observed in certain cantons. (b) There are additional regional holidays which are observed in certain cantons only.

Health

Diphtheria

Special Precaution: No

Hepatitis A

Special Precaution: No

Malaria

Special Precaution: No

Rabies

Special Precaution: No

Tetanus

Special Precaution: Yes

Typhoid

Special Precaution: No

Yellow Fever

Special Precaution: No

Health Care

If European visitors or any of their dependants are suddenly taken ill or have an accident during a visit to Switzerland, free or reduced-cost necessary treatment is available - in most cases on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Full travel insurance is advised for all travellers.

Further Health Information

We advise you to check health requirements for the country you are traveling to with your GP, practice nurse or travel health clinic as health requirements and vaccinations can change at short notice.

Money

Currency

Swiss Franc (CHF) = 100 cents (called centimes in French, rappen in German and centesimi in Italian). Notes are in denominations of CHF1,000, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of CHF5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 centimes.

Currency Exchange

There are bureaux de change at train stations and banks.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. ATMs are widely available.

Traveller's Cheques

Pound Sterling, US Dollar, Euro or Swiss Franc cheques are accepted at airports, railway stations and banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, visitors are advised to take traveller’s cheques in Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars.

Banking Hours

Mon-Fri 0830-1630.

Passport/Visa

British

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

Australian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

Canadian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

USA

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

Other EU

Passport Required: 1/2/3
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

Passport Note

The regulations below also apply to Liechtenstein (no border control between the two countries).

Passengers arriving at Basle or Geneva airports can enter either France or Switzerland, provided their documents for the country of entry are in order; both airports have two different exits, one to France and one to Switzerland. Therefore passengers can exit to the French part of the airport with a valid French or Schengen visa, if required.

The airport of Basle/Mulhouse is located on French territory.

Part of Geneva airport is located by convention in France and some flights between France and Geneva are considered as domestic flights while others are considered international flights. In this case, passengers must hold proper entry documents for either of the destination countries.

Passports

Passport valid for three months after intended period of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except: 
1. nationals of the EU holding a valid national identity card, providing not taking up employment, for stays of up to three months; 
2. nationals of Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain with normal passports, expired for up to five years, providing not taking up employment, for stays of up to three months; 
3. nationals of Germany with passports expired for up to one year.

Visas

Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to three months.

Visa Note

(a) Tourists and business visitors who travel repeatedly to Switzerland but stay less than three months each time must apply for a residence permit if their total stay exceeds six months within a period of 12 months. (b) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Contact Addresses

Switzerland Tourism in Switzerland (main office)

Tödistrasse 7, 8027 Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: (44) 288 1111 or 00800 1002 0030 (international toll-free) or 011800 1002 0029 (toll-free from US & Canada).
Website: www.myswitzerland.com

Embassy of Switzerland in the UK

16-18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7616 6000 or 09065 508 909 (recorded visa information).
Website: www.swissembassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200.

1st Floor, 30 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ED, UK
Tel: (020) 7420 4900 or  00800 1002 0030 (toll-free in Europe).
Website: www.myswitzerland.com

2900 Cathedral Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 745 7900.
Website: www.swissemb.org

Switzerland Tourism in the USA

608 5th Avenue, Swiss Center, New York, NY 10020-2303, USA
Tel: (212) 757 5944 or 1 877 794 8037 (USA-only) or  011800-1002 0030 (international toll free).
Website: www.myswitzerland.com

Travel Advice

Warning

Most visits to Switzerland are trouble-free.
 
Travellers should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

There is a moderate danger of avalanches throughout the year in Switzerland’s Alpine regions. It is advised to exercise due care and attention and observe all written notices and warning instructions.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

• Switzerland Overview
• Switzerland Things to See
• Switzerland Things to Do
• Switzerland Events
• Switzerland Climate
• Switzerland Public Holidays
• Switzerland Health
• Switzerland Currency
• Switzerland Passport & Visas
• Switzerland Contact Addresses
• Switzerland Travel Advice