Switzerland

Overview

Switzerland sits in Europe with its capital at Bern, and covers enough ground that a first visit is best built around two or three bases rather than a tour of everything. A country that runs its mountains on a timetable.

The practical shape of a trip is usually the same: arrive into Bern, take a day to adjust, then move outward by the transport the country does best. Distances on the map are a poor guide to travel time; ask locally before committing to a long day.

Things to see and do

Four things worth building an itinerary around, rather than a list of everything.

• 01

  Bern and around

  Most trips start in Bern. Give it two full days before moving on — the museums, the market and the day trip within an hour of the centre are almost always the strongest introduction to the country.

• 02

  The high country

  This is where Switzerland stops looking like the brochure and starts looking like itself. Allow more travel time than the distance suggests.

• 03

  A market morning

  Markets open early and thin out by mid-morning. Go before nine, eat where the traders eat, and buy the thing you cannot identify.

• 04

  One overnight somewhere small

  A single night outside the main cities changes the shape of a trip to Switzerland more than any other decision on the itinerary.

When to go

The usable window is Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. August is typically the warmest month and January the wettest; the shoulder weeks either side of the peak give you most of the weather at a fraction of the price.

Getting there and around

International arrivals concentrate on Bern, and for most visitors that is the sensible entry point even when it is not the first place you want to be.

Overland

Roads follow the valleys, which means the shortest line on the map is rarely the fastest route. Buses are cheap and slow; a shared car is often the better use of a day.

Local transport

In Bern, use the metered taxi or a ride app rather than negotiating at the kerb, and carry small notes — change is a genuine problem in most of the country. Intercity travel is worth booking a day ahead during the Jun–Sep peak.

Food and drink

Eat where the turnover is fastest. In Switzerland that usually means the market stalls at lunch and the neighbourhood places that open at seven and stop serving when the pot is empty.

Portions, timings and the position of the main meal in the day all vary from what you are used to. Ask what the kitchen is doing well today rather than reading down the menu, and order what the next table is eating.

Passport and visa

Current position: Schengen; ETIAS for visa-exempt visitors.

Most nationalities need a passport valid for six months beyond the date of entry, with at least two blank pages. Onward or return tickets are checked at the gate more often than at the border, and airlines apply the rule more strictly than immigration does.

• Check your own government’s travel advice as well as the destination’s rules — they update at different speeds.
• Where an e-visa or travel authorisation applies, apply through the official government portal. Search results are full of paid intermediaries.
• Keep a photo of your passport page and any approval separately from the documents themselves.

Money and costs

The currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). Card acceptance is normal in cities and patchy outside them; carry enough cash for two days of small purchases at all times.

Tipping

Rounding up is normal and welcomed; a set percentage is not universal. Check whether service is already on the bill before adding to it.

Health and safety

Standard travel advice applies: routine vaccinations up to date, comprehensive insurance that covers the activities you actually intend to do, and a pharmacy plan for the ordinary things rather than the dramatic ones.

• Carry oral rehydration salts. Most travel stomach upsets resolve in a day, and fluid loss is the part that causes trouble.
• Check whether your insurance covers altitude and trekking above 3,000m — many policies exclude it by default.
• Save the local emergency number to your phone on arrival, and note the nearest hospital to where you are staying.

Petty theft in busy tourist areas is the most common problem visitors report. Situational awareness handles nearly all of it.

Culture and etiquette

The official language is German, French, Italian. Learning six words — hello, please, thank you, yes, no, and the number two — changes how a trip goes far more than the effort suggests.

Dress modestly at religious sites, ask before photographing people, and follow the local lead on shoes indoors. Where you are unsure, the safe move is to do what the person nearest you is doing.