Airports (international)

Alpabzug

The Alpabzug is a ceremonial cattle-drive when the cows return in the autumn from their pastures, high up in the mountains, back to the valley. Various of the events can be attended across Switzerland, between mid-September and mid-October.

Banks

There is no shortage of banks in Switzerland. You will find many banks with a lot of branches.
Make sure to check the opening times as they close a lot earlier than stores, sometimes as early as 4 PM.

Begging

There are just a few beggars, especially in the center of the big cities. Switzerland has an excellent social system. So people asking for money are usually drug addicts, or people forced to do so by organized criminals. If you want to give something, I recommend buying a "Surprise" newspaper for CHF 6, which is sold by street vendors in various locations. This is a non-profit program to help the less fortunate people back on their feet, and CHF 3 per sale will go to them.

Canton

Cantons are semi-sovereign states.

Convenience shops

Coop Pronto, Coop to go, Avec, and Migrolino offer a limited selection of their supermarket assortment at only slightly higher prices.
They also sell tobacco and alcohol and are mostly located in train stations or at gas stations.

Currency

The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss franc (CHF). The one-hundreth of a Swiss Francs is a Rappen. A lot of stores accept Euro bills as well. The change will be in Swiss Francs as they don't handle Euro coins. I recommend using Swiss francs as the exchange rate will be far worse than you get at a bank in most cases.

Currency Denominations

Coins: 5 Rappen, 10 Rappen, 20 Rappen, 1/2 Franc (50 Rappen), 1 Franc, 2 Francs, 5 Francs

Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1000 Francs

Dentist

zahnarztzentrum.ch Has over 30 branches across Switzerland that is open 365 days. For emergency (patients in pain, i.e.) they offer short notice appointments (on the same day if possible).

Drinking

The legal drinking age in Switzerland is 16 for Beer and Wine, and 18 for Spirits. One exception is the canton of Ticino; there is the drinking age in general 18 years.
Many stores and bars have a self-regulatory policy and will not sell any alcohol to consumers under the age of 18.

Doctors accepting walk-ins:

Zurich: Permanence Clinic, Zurich main station. Accepting walk-ins 365 days a year from 7 AM to 10 PM
Lucerne: Permanence clinic, Lucerne main station. Accepting walk-ins 365 days a year from 7 AM to11 PM
Bern: Hirslanden Praxiscentrum am Bahnhof, Bern main station. Accepting walk-ins in case of emergency from 7.30 AM to 7 PM

Duty-free allowance

• gifts/articles that will remain in Switzerland: CHF 300.-

• 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of other tobacco products.

• 5 liter of alcohol with less than 18% Vol.

• 1 liter of alcohol over 18% Vol.

Following products can only be imported from EU countries and Norway:

• 1 kilo of meat (no venison, fish, seafood)

• 1 kilo/liter of butter or cream

• 5 kilo/liter of Oils, Fats

Allowance is valid per person, with a minimum age of 18 years.

Duty-free on arrival

The airport of Zurich and Geneva offer duty-free on arrival service, located at the baggage reclaim where you can get cigarettes, a bottle of wine, spirits, and much more. As the Swiss VAT is quite low (8.1%), the price difference is quite low or even more expensive than in shops downtown.

Exchange

All official exchanges are reliable and safe to use. What varies is the fee they charge for it.

I recommend the currency exchange of the Swiss federal railways (SBB), which are located at all the main train stations (Zurich main station, Zurich Airport, Bern, Lucerne, Geneva airport, and many more). They have long opening hours and charge only a fee of CHF 5.- per transaction. They trade over 90 currencies, so it's difficult to surprise them.

Never exchange money on the street or help to break down a bill. That's almost always a scam.

Emergency numbers in Switzerland

• General emergency 112

• Fire 118

• Police 117

• Ambulance 144

• Rega Helicopter rescue service 1414

• Vehicle breakdown service 140

• Toxicological institute (in case of poisoning) 145

• Radio (in case of an avalanche) 161.300 MHz

• SBB Transport policy 0800 117 117

Federal Railways SBB / Swiss Travel System

The Swiss public transportation network is one of the best in the world. It's reliable and comfortable, offers a vast range of scenic routes, and can get you to almost all places within Switzerland. It’s usually even faster than by car, as there is no traffic jam. Between the major cities, there are trains every 30 minutes, in rural areas at least every 60 minutes.

Groceries

The biggest retailers for groceries are Coop and Migros. Lidl and Aldi are the largest discount retailers. Only a few of their stores are centrally located. Most of them are quite a bit outside of the cities where space is cheaper. Migros does not sell any alcohol and Tobacco products.

Prices

Yes, the cost of living is quite high in Switzerland. Here some price samples of products and services which you may use as a visitor. Prices in Swiss Francs.

Gastronomy:

• meal at an inexpensive restaurant: 25-30

• Three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant: 100-150

• McDonald’s meal: 11-15

• Water/Coke/Beer: 4 - 7

Supermarket

• 1 liter of Milk: 1.20 - 2

• 1 liter of water 0.80 - 1.80

• 1 liter of coke 1.50 - 2.50

• domestic beer 1.50 - 2.50

• 1 kilo apples 4 - 5

(1 liter = 0.264 gallons, 1 kilo = 2.2 lbs)

Transportation

• taxi (start fee/flag down): 7 - 9

• taxi (per kilometer/0.62 mile): 4 - 5

• taxi (waiting time per hour): 70 - 80

• train (Zurich-Bern, one-way, one hour ride) in 2nd class: 51

• train (Zurich-Bern, one-way, one hour ride) in 1st class: 90

Rental cars

Here a list of some companies that provide a network of branches in Switzerland:

• sixt.ch

• avis.ch

• hertz.ch

• enterprise.ch

• budget.ch

• europcar.ch

• alamo.ch

• sunnycars.ch

Safety

Switzerland is very safe, just use common precaution.

Common scams include:

Pickpocketing by distracting and asking for directions
Asking for money exchange, breaking bills and skim money or grab the wallet
Beggar (forced to beg by organized criminals)
People claiming to be the CEO of a big corporation, out of gas money and they will return the money later on
(Yes some people fall for it indeed)

Smoking

Cigarettes can be bought at almost all convenience stores and supermarkets. The price of a pack of 20 Cigarettes is between 7-9 Swiss Francs depending on the brand. A pack of Marlboro CHF 8.60. Smoking is banned from all inside places such as trains, bars, and restaurants. Since 2019 the ban also applies to train stations; however, there is a designated smoking space on most platforms.

Time zone

summertime (from the end of March to the end of October) GMT/UTC +1
wintertime (from the end of October to the end of March) GMT/UTC +2

Vignette (Road Toll)

If you want to travel on the Swiss Highways by car, you will need to buy a vignette. This colored sticker cost CHF 40.-. You have to adhere this Vignette to the windshield if you want to avoid a fine.  It's valid for a calendar year. You can buy it at all gas stations in Switzerland, as well as on the major border stations.

Znüni

Swiss German for word for a morning snack, or second breakfast.

- All information supplied without guarantee. -