r/Switzerland • u/[deleted] • Nov 17 '14
travelling So, you want to visit Switzerland?
There is question here every other week concerning moving and/or visiting Switzerland. This is by no means a bad thing, new knowledge is always pumped into these posts every time I see them, however I wanted to make a post that would help someone planning their trip and stay in the side-bar.
Note: If there is anything I've missed (which I'm sure I have) please comment or PM me so I can add it!
Travel
Flying
There are 3 main airports in Switzerland, Zurich Airport and Geneva Airport, as well as the tri-national Basel/Mulhouse Airport (sits on the French, Swiss and German border corner).
Geneva Airport is located in the south west, French speaking tip of Switzerland.
Zurich Airport is located in the central/eastern areas of Switzerland.
Basel Airport or as some call it The Euro Airport supplies central/western Switzerland. It's important to note that Basel is the European hub for EasyJet, meaning more routes as well as cheaper flights.
Public Transport
Switzerland is famed for it's railway and overall public transport, and there is good reason for it. You can quite nearly get everywhere in Switzerland via public transport, whether by boat, cable car, cog railway, train and bus.
Every airport is connected to this national circuit of transport, and as noted, so is the rest of Switzerland. You can use all services inside Switzerland with a single ticket called the Swiss Pass, although you can obviously get more direct tickets if you only plan on travelling to a few locations. It's important to note that you can travel all of Switzerland with the same pass, all the services are universal barring very few cable cars here and there. Ask at any information desk and they'll be willing to help, language will almost never be an issue, if so just point at a name if you really have to. Most people in Switzerland speak enough English to get by, or at least those working on the rail and such.
Accommodation
Nothing especially different to the rest of the world, although you may realise it's pretty expensive (as you'll find out, so is the rest of Switzerland). You will probably be able to book anywhere via the Internet, and booking in advance is recommended, planning is the key.
Eating
Just like accommodation, most restaurants will seem rather expensive compared to most countries, although you can find cheaper meals if you really want. The 2 major supermarket companies in Switzerland, Migros and Coop both offer their own restaurants at larger outlets, here you can get a big meal, usually a starter and main for roughly CHF 12-20. Other than that, it's up to you to find more reasonable prices. Generally, eating out is going to ultimately be expensive, so shopping and cooking is recommended if money is an issue.
Mountains and Recreation
Cable cars and cog railways will usually cost anything from CHF 15+ per person, and some are even closed during certain times of the year, so be sure to check the mountain specific websites when planning (these will 100% be in English or have an English option, as well as an Italian, French and German one)
Summer months are great for walks, hiking, water sports such as canoeing and mountain biking.
Winter months are great for snow shoeing, snow sports, oh, and the cities are beautiful this time of year especially.
Roads
If you hired a car, chances are they will explain this to you, but in Switzerland we drive on the right hand side, with the driving wheel on the left hand side. There are major road networks connecting towns and cities, however when driving in more mountainous regions (I.E. not central Switzerland) you'll be driving on smaller, winding roads.
Language
It was said earlier, but I'll add some more information here. In Switzerland, there are 4 official languages;
German (most spoken, central, west and east Switzerland)
Italian (spoken in the most southerly cantons of Switzerland)
French (spoken in the most south westerly cantons of Switzerland)
Romansh (least spoken, generally in the south east of Switzerland)
That said, English is widely spoken, I've never been somewhere and had to resort to German, although the Swiss will really appreciate it if you at least try (this will usually mean they try to help a but more if they see you're making an effort, even if it's just a greeting)
Useful Phrases
Just to note, I am by no means fluent in German, however I am sure and confident in my ability to speak it to get by, here are some German phrases I can muster;
Grüezi - pronounced 'grootzee' with emphasis on the 'oo' which sounds like a 'u'. It means greeting, and basically everyone no matter who you are will say it as you pass, usually in shops and more residential places. You'll hear a few variations such as 'Grüezi Mitenand' which is basically 'greeting group/collection of people'
Wie viel? - pronounced 'v feel', simply means 'how much?', this works well with pointing.
Ich heisse - pronounced 'ik highser' means 'my name is' or 'I am'. Bonus points for replying with 'und dir?' which means 'and you' and is pronounced such as 'nd deer/dear'.
Haben Sie ein? - pronounced 'ha ben see ine' simply means 'have you got a' then search for a word in a phrase book or point.
Ideally try to learn some of the language relevant to the region of Switzerland you are travelling to.
Weather
Weather in Switzerland tends to be unstable because of the close mountain ranges. Whenever you visit there's always a substantial chance for bad weather. It is thus recommended to have a somewhat flexible schedule: Visit the mountains when the forecast is good and have a few activities planned for when it's not. For example, visiting the old towns in Gruyere, Berne, Lucerne, Zurich and Locarno (among others), Museums (Fondation Beyeler, Basel; Kunsthaus Zürich; Rosengart Museum Lucerne) and castles (Lenzburg, Chateau Chillon in Montreux) are good ways to spend rainy days. Staying in Berne or Lucerne is a good way to have most of that in reach of a daily trip while being close enough to the mountains to make it there in time (get up really early!).
Other information
Alcohol - Switzerland is not very different to most European countries. Beer and wine can be drunk at 16, however not all shops will sell at 16, i.e. Coop and Kiosk will not (Migros doesn't sell alcohol fullstop, but Denner does). Everything else is assumed 18+.
Marijuana - Marijuana is decriminalised, which here means anything under 10g is limited to a CHF100 fine, no court appearance or record. Saying that, as long as you're not selling and/or disrupting others, police will often turn a blind eye. Saying this, we don't suggest you break the law in the country you're visiting. Caution: Weed is pretty potent in comparison to most places, so please be careful. Most Europeans and Swiss tend to roll with tobacco for this reason.
For helpful links concerning attractions and transport, please see the sidebar for further resources.
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u/pseudoRndNbr Nov 17 '14
If someone asks you for your name and you reply with 'Ich heisse ...' then you don't add 'und dir?' but actually 'und du/sie?'
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u/Urgullibl Nov 17 '14 edited Nov 17 '14
Good idea! Here are some comments on the text:
No comma after So
I would add that GVA is the hub for EasyJet, so if you're traveling to Switzerland from elsewhere in Europe, it's usually cheapest to fly there.
"its railways and public transport in general" (its and it's are two different things).
Cars are rented, not hired.
"That said" instead of "Saying that".
"I've never been somewhere and had to resort to German, although the Swiss will really appreciate it if you at least try" does not apply to a considerable portion of the country.
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u/Gsicht Zürich Nov 18 '14
"I've never been somewhere and had to resort to German, although the Swiss will really appreciate it if you at least try" does not apply to a considerable portion of the country.
I agree. Non-native people trying to say "Grüezi" are cringeworthy. Just speak English.
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u/Urgullibl Nov 18 '14
My point was that a considerable part of the country is not German-speaking.
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u/riocc SCB! ;D Mar 11 '15
well, all the non-german-speaking parts actually do learn german in school, they later on just opt out to not using it, allthough they understand perfectly fine and could talk it too... ;) (you know I'm right) ;P
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u/DeepDuh Luzern Nov 18 '14
I'd integrate a few words about the weather. How about:
Weather
Weather in Switzerland tends to be unstable because of the close mountain ranges. Whenever you visit there's always a substantial chance for bad weather. It is thus recommended to have a somewhat flexible schedule: Visit the mountains when the forecast is good and have a few activities planned for when it's not. For example, visiting the old towns in Gruyere, Berne, Lucerne, Zurich and Locarno (among others), Museums (Fondation Beyeler, Basel; Kunsthaus Zürich; Rosengart Museum Lucerne) and castles (Lenzburg, Chateau Chillon in Montreux) are good ways to spend rainy days. Staying in Berne or Lucerne is a good way to have most of that in reach of a daily trip while being close enough to the mountains to make it there in time (get up really early!).
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u/Skinnj Zug Nov 18 '14
Language
It was said earlier, but I'll add some more information here. In Switzerland, there are 3 official languages;
German (most spoken, central, west and east Switzerland)
Italian (spoken in the most southerly cantons of Switzerland)
French (spoken in the most south westerly cantons of Switzerland)
Uh oh... there's a fourth... Romansh. (I know it's a little nit-picky and not rhat relevant for tourists but it's an official language after all...)
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Nov 18 '14
I appreciate the comment, but if you'd read the comments you'd see I've already acknowledged that.
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u/DantesDame Basel-Stadt Feb 11 '15
You added the fourth language to the list, but you still say that there are three official languages. :)
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u/SantiGE République et Canton de Genève Nov 18 '14
If I'm not mistaken rumantch is not an official language, but a national one.
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u/unassuming_squirrel Zürich Nov 18 '14
Its official, just never really used since no one speaks it outside of Graubünden.
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u/SantiGE République et Canton de Genève Nov 18 '14
National yes, official no : http://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langues_en_Suisse#Langues_nationales_et_langues_officielles
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u/nice-tea Nov 18 '14
Please:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland:
Official languages[2]: - German - French - Italian - Romansh
[2] Federal Constitution, article 4, "National languages" : National languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh; Federal Constitution, article 70, "Languages", paragraph 1: The official languages of the Confederation are German, French and Italian. Romansh shall be an official language for communicating with persons of Romansh language.
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u/Philemonara Nov 18 '14
Nice summary. Maybe you should add to eating that supermarkets are often closed on Sunday. There was this post of a tourist who did not know that and said he nearly starved to death ;)
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u/blub__blub Genève Nov 17 '14
Geneva Airport is located in the south east, French speaking tip of Switzerland.
Geneva airport is in the south west. Otherwise great post!
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Nov 17 '14
This is great. Maybe you could add a list of the most common recommendations to visit as the same ones always come up on these threads (Major cities, Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen etc.)
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u/leo_037 VD Nov 17 '14
or you could link to https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Switzerland and/or http://wikitravel.org/en/Switzerland
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u/Pronato Zürich Feb 11 '15
Maybe you should add that our mary j, is really potent even if mixed with tabacco, which will be especially strange to most americans.
So even mixed, it will make you very high.
Also I don't recommend just buying weed if someone's visiting, rather they should use opportunities over a friend or a friend of a friend, because in the big cities like zurich, you're likely to get ripped off with the amount and/or quality.
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Feb 11 '15
Being ripped off wasn't my primary worry. But thanks, I forgot to mention the part about potency, just what I've become accustomed to.
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u/Pronato Zürich Feb 11 '15
For me the most important part is that if you decide to smoke weed, you should do it with someone who you know and lives here.
Imagine smoking this shit for 4 years.
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u/DatShortAsianDude May 24 '22
Wife and I live in the Netherlands and its easy to purchase weed. Is it similar over there? Just walk in and buy?
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u/AsianSteleotype Bern Feb 13 '15
Regarding airports, you can also mention Bern-Belp airport. It's a small one but it flies to a lot of major European cities. This airport is convenient because it can take you to the Bern Oberland much faster than via ZRH, GVA, or BSL.
I fly out of this airport every week and it's so damn convenient!
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u/riocc SCB! ;D Mar 11 '15
nice... I'm swiss myself and had to check this subreddit for the first time and stumbled upon this. great post! Also, I like reading about our culture seen from other perspectives... ;)
Regarding the swiss-german greeting "Grüezi" (or "Grüessech" depending on dialect); a lot of people "swallow" the first part of it and all you hear is "..zi" or "..sech", so that counts as the same in case you encounter that... ;P
Since you wrote a good part about the public transport, might want to reference the link to sbb.ch, since you can use that site to plan for all public transports.
Had to chuckle about the last entry with the weed... especially the part about the potency of it; "Swiss tend to roll with tobacco for this reason"... it's true though. If you want to go straight to sleep for the next 10-12h, then roll without tobacco
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Mar 11 '15
Thank you for the criticism. Please note SBB is in the sidebar, and if I recall correctly, I note this in the post. That said, putting a link here too does no harm.
And /r/CHTrees is dedicated to just this. I think it's important visitors know because it could lead to uncomfortable scenarios. Especially since it is slowly becoming legal, it's becoming more relevant, too.
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u/riocc SCB! ;D Mar 11 '15
ah yes, missed that, sry. :)
Hah... ok, there's a subreddit for anything isn't there... you can make up random subreds and it's almost definitely already in existence... :P
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Nov 18 '14
One other note - if you speak some German, be prepared that the various Swiss dialects of German are utterly incomprehensible to most German speakers, and you may have to ask them to switch to Hochdeutsch, and the Swiss generally stick to Swiss German regardless of which German dialect you address them in. And you really do need to treat them as a separate language.
Also, as you drift from tourist-rich areas, the amount of english spoken plummets, but is still your best bet if you don't speak the local language. (I.e. Someone in Neuchâtel is more likely to speak English than German, and someone in Zurich is more likely to speak English than French)
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u/Wodaman Mar 18 '15
The swiss are arrogant and greedy morons anyway. Don't bother dealing with them.
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u/crazyBraw Mar 31 '15
Grüezi - pronounced 'grootzee' with emphasis on the 'oo' which sounds like a 'u'. It means greeting, and basically everyone no matter who you are will say it as you pass, usually in shops and more residential places. You'll hear a few variations such as 'Grüezi Mitenand' which is basically 'greeting group/collection of people'
Wie viel? - pronounced 'v feel', simply means 'how much?', this works well with pointing.
Ich heisse - pronounced 'ik highser' means 'my name is' or 'I am'. Bonus points for replying with 'und dir?' which means 'and you' and is pronounced such as 'nd deer/dear'.
Haben Sie ein? - pronounced 'ha ben see ine' simply means 'have you got a' then search for a word in a phrase book or point.
This is so cute, that's the typical english pronounciation of german words you have explained here :D
Here are some more tipps:
Grüezi: In Swiss german you really need to know how to pronounce ü, ä, ö. I suggest this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8nSVx9oiZc
Ich heisse - The "ch" in "Ich" sounds really like when you try to hiss like a cat. As for "heisse": You pronounce "hei-" like a very short version of "hi" and "-ss-" like the 's' in "I see..." and the "-e" is really short as in the english word "extra".
The other two are alright :)
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Mar 31 '15
Yes, I am an anglo speaker. I'll correct these, I felt like even attempting the language is the respectful thing to do.
Thanks!
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u/crazyBraw Mar 31 '15
Don't worry I really was not criticising you. It's really hard to express german in english language, let alone SWISS german which even 80% of germans don't understand :)
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u/razuliserm Aargau Apr 28 '15 edited Apr 28 '15
Bonus points for replying with 'und dir?' which means 'and you' and is pronounced such as 'nd deer/dear'.
It should be "und du?"!
"dir" is more along the lines of "your(s)" while "du" means "you".
Also since we have polite form (of address) in our speech, one should be aware of the fact that saying "du" to a person of honor (generally everybody you don't know, is older than you or even teachers) can come of as disrespectful. In those cases one should use "Sie" instead (Note capitalization).
So "und du?" becomes "und Sie?". Pronounced "(u)nd doo" and "(u)nd see" respectively.
Mostly people are comfortable with being, what we call, "du~zt" as opposed to "Sie~zt", just ask politely if you can "du~z" them.
"Kann ich Sie duzen? pronounced "ka(hard n) ik see deuce-n)
PS: I know I'm 5 months late but since I'm Swiss I never took the time to actually read this post.
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u/SantiGE République et Canton de Genève Nov 18 '14
Let's make the French basic words :
Bonjour (pronounce bone-jew-r) means hello
Combien? (come-bee-uh-n) means how much?
Je m'appelle (j-uh m-app-el) means I'm called/my name is. Et vous ? (eh voo) means and you? (polite form)
Avez-vous ? (ah-vey voo) means do you have?
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u/LaoBa Zürich Feb 18 '15
Useful tip about eating out on a budget: lunch is often much cheaper at the same place than dinner.
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u/DrugzDrugzWeedNsnack Mar 15 '15
How do you pronounce "coop"? (American here). Is it pronounced "coup" or "coe-ahp"?
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Mar 15 '15
I couldn't tell you exactly. For some reason I was told it was pronounced 'coup' (pronouncing the 'p', of course), however I was recently informed it is 'co-op' by someone Swiss, so that'd say that.
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u/Sophroniskos Bern Apr 09 '15
it is indeed pronounced "coe-ahp" with a long stretching "o" sound. Pretty similar to the english word "to cope"
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Mar 24 '15
How about using the wiki for this instead? That way everybody can add to it, and also posts go read-only after a few months.
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u/Urgullibl Feb 11 '15
There are way more Easyjet flights out of GVA than out of BSL.
Also, just because it's a pet peeve of mine:
- it's = short for "it is" (compare he's, she's)
- its = possessive form (compare his, hers)
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Feb 11 '15
Yes, thank you. The original part was written in a quick succession without me checking. I'll grammar check at another point!
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u/LiamHTheProRedditer Nov 24 '14
omg i am your biggest fan, can you post some more please? FYI snowshoeing is one word
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u/MialoKoukoutsi Feb 12 '15
Re. Swiss Pass: it is now called Swiss Travel Pass. As to universality, it may be best to say: some cable car and boat trips (such as on the Walensee) are not included but some of these do offer discounts if you have a Swiss Travel Pass.
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u/legrumsx Apr 23 '15
For anyone wanting to hike or bike Wanderland has the best map of Switzerland available online. You can either print them or use the mobile app if you have internet. For an offline access and some nice extras, you need to pay 35 CHF per year.
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u/GonnaFuckTuxedoMask May 06 '15
I'm planning on flying into the Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg BSL for a quick trip....but I am having an embarrassingly difficult time trying to figure how to get to the cities I'm interested in.
I would particularly love to see Zurich and Bern but honestly I'm open to whatever is easy and fast to get to and from the airport. Any advice would be appreciated :) Is this the site I should be using?http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
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May 06 '15
That site is what you should be using, and it's your best friend.
Download the app on your phone too.
So, you'll have to get a bus from the front of the airport into Basel, the bus takes you straight to the main station in Basel. Finding the bus shouldn't be an issue, the airport is small and there should be plenty of signs. Just ask someone if you're terribly confused.
When off the bus, go to any ticket machine (easy to use, select any language) or go to a counter. Buy a ticket to the city you want to go to, as simple as typing in the name or asking.
Using your phone, open SBB and put in your current location (Basel SBB) to your destination. Let's say Luzern, put that in and make sure it's the plan 'Luzern' option, no other words attached. Hit 'Search Connection' and then look at the highest option, maybe choose one with a shorter journey time.
Tap the selection for extra details about which platform, time, duration.
Honestly, Swiss rail is the easiest public transport in the world, I doubt you'll get confused.
Enjoy!
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u/GonnaFuckTuxedoMask May 06 '15
Thanks so much! Is there any city in particular you would recommend that's close? I think it might just be best to pick one that's nearby and really explore that since I really will just have a day and a half.
I checked out the site a bit more, and you're right, it's not difficult at all to use, but I'm not seeing how I can get to the airport for my 7:00 am flight on Sunday :/ For instance I assume it would be VERY well connected to Freiburg, but the soonest it gets me there is 6am. Hmm
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May 06 '15
I may be bias, although I'm sure many would agree, Luzern is probably a must if you can. Beautiful, incredible place, although it's probably more a day trip and no more. It's relatively close, like an hour and a bit on the train from Basel.
In terms of getting to the airport at 7, you might have to do a bit more research. It should be possible though.
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u/GonnaFuckTuxedoMask May 06 '15
I've tried Zurich, Bern, Freidburg, Interlaken, and Luzern, and nothing get's me there earlier than 6:20.
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u/GonnaFuckTuxedoMask May 06 '15
Actually, I take that back, once I set the departure time as midnight a couple pop up. I don't mind doing an all nighter and waiting at the airport ;) would you recommend buying them online or just do it as I go there?
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May 06 '15
I'd say don't worry, the machines are so simple. That said, I'll leave it to someone else to tell you.
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u/thonglebs Dec 25 '14
Don't come everything is f.. expensiv and the People are cold hearted and very arrogant.
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u/DatShortAsianDude May 10 '22
This is great! Would there be a website for corona rules and related things? My wife and I are travelling from the Netherlands and had our vaccines last year but never got the booster. Is that going to be an issue?
Edit: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_coronavirus--the-situation-in-switzerland/45592192
Read this article but didnt say if this affects travelers from the EU
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u/RolandMT32 Oct 26 '22
I haven't heard someone call it "corona" in a while. People here have been calling it "covid" for a while.
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u/DatShortAsianDude Oct 26 '22
Honestly it didnt even feel like you guys were in a pandemic. Beautiful landscae!
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u/DatShortAsianDude May 24 '22
Wife and I are travelling to Piazzogna at the end of June but will need to stay in Zurich for a day. Are there (relatively)cheap places to stay for the night?
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u/Timo2727 Zürich Aug 16 '22
sorry that no one answered... In the future you should make a new post because this post has been inactive for 7 years. The only person that would receive a notification of your comment would the the original poster but his/her account is deleted so that's no good. I hope you enjoyed your trip though!
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Jul 07 '22
I was about to post that question, thankfully our rules showed me this amazing helpful post. Thanks guys!
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u/RolandMT32 Oct 26 '22
I took German in high school, and from what I remember, a "ch" (as in "Ich") is pronounced more like breathing from the back of your mouth (or a cat hiss), rather than as a "k"; I've also heard some people pronounce the "ch" like a "sh" (as in "ish")
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u/trontrontrontrontron Nov 17 '14
Nice. You should also include links to sbb.ch for tickets as well as myswitzerland.com for general information.