Switzerland, known for being blessed by nature, is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. In the Alps region there is cold weather almost year round. In the northern areas of the country the weather tends to be warmer, especially in the summer. Skiing and snowboarding is big in Switzerland as Switzerland is considered one of the best places for snow sports in the world. Snow is such a big part of Swiss tourism that hotels like St. Moritz and Zermatt had igloos built as hotel rooms for their customers. Being situated so closely to France, Germany, and Italy it’s natural that the official languages of Switzerland are French, German, and Italian. English is also commonly spoken in Switzerland.
It is considered polite to bring unwrapped flowers when visiting a Swiss in their home. Tourists are urged to be cautious in selecting flowers to bring as white asters and chrysanthemums bring ill tidings as they are known as a funeral flower. Red roses are also considered to bring ill tidings. When in doubt, ask a florist. Casual dress is common in Switzerland, but it’s an important part of Swiss life to dress up when going to fancy restaurants and dinner parties.
Switzerland has not yet switched to the Euro and is very proud of its usage of the Swiss franc as it is considered one of the most stable currencies in the world. Switzerland is known for their chocolates, handmade clocks, expensive watches, embroidered linen, music boxes, wood carvings, cheese, and Swiss army knives so when shopping in Switzerland keep an eye out for those items. Many shops are closed on Mondays so it’s important to not plan any big shopping trips to occur on Monday. As a service charge is added to the price of dining out and hotel rooms, tipping isn’t a common practice. A tax of 7.6% is added to purchases made in Switzerland, but this can be reclaimed later usually at the border crossing is the total purchase amount of items is over 400 Swiss francs.
In Switzerland, the standard current used is 230 volts from an AC current and 50 Hz. For those who are traveling from countries where this is not used, it’s important to bring along converters and adaptors. Make sure to know what you’ll need before leaving for Switzerland, because there is nothing worse than a broken laptop on a business trip.
SwissAir connects Switzerland to 71 destinations worldwide. Zurich is the largest airport, so tourists to Switzerland will likely fly into Zurich although Geneva, Basle, and Bern also have airports. The airport is 11 kilometers from the city, but have duty free shops, banks, restaurants and more for travelers to use while waiting for transport. Trains bring visitors to and from the airport every 15 minutes. There is the option for travelers to collect their luggage at the train station versus the airport with Fly-Rail Luggage. It’s important to book this in advance. Traveling to Switzerland is another option which is stressed during the winter months due to a high percentage of canceled flights in bad weather. Switzerland can be reach by train from most other large European cities. In Switzerland, the roads are kept in good condition, but in the winter it’s important to have snow tires equipped as well as chains. In Switzerland, cars are driven on the right hand side of the road.
Duty free items in Switzerland vary depending on where visitors are from. Visitors from European countries can take 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco and two liters of alcohol of up to 15% alcohol content and one liter of alcohol over 15% alcohol content without paying duty. Visitors from outside of Europe can take 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500g of tobacco and two liters of alcohol of up to 15% alcohol content and one liter of alcohol of over 15% alcohol content. Narcotics, meat and meat products, animals, and firearms are not allowed to cross the border. Switzerland is famous for its Absinthe which is not legal in many countries. That being said, Absinthe is also not allowed to cross borders.
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