| Home > Switzerland Country > Tourist Information |
| Tourist Information |
| Climate : Spring
is wet and cool, April is well known for fast and often changing weather
conditions. Summer is supposed to be warm and dry.The temperature depends
primarily on the elevation. Fall is usually dry, but cool. The temperature
will drop significantly in September or October. Winter is supposed to
be cold and dry. The temperature may drop below 0?C everywhere in Switzerland,
especially at night. In the alps, they usually get a lot of snow, but
even at lower elevations, there is a good chance that they will get a
foot of snow every now and then. Time : GMT/UTC plus one hour Electricity : 220 volts, 50Hz Weights & Measures : Metric Health Risks : Altitude sickness, hypothermia & sunburn Visas : Citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and the USA do not require a visa. A maximum stay of three months applies though passports are rarely stamped When to Go : You can visit Switzerland any time throughout the year. Summer lasts roughly from June to September, and offers the most pleasant climate for outdoor pursuits. Unfortunately, you won't be the only tourist during this period, so prices can be high, accommodation hard to find and the mainstream sights crowded. You'll find much better deals and fewer crowds in the shoulder seasons of April-May and late-September-October. If you're keen on winter sports, resorts in the Alps begin operating in late-November, move into full swing around Christmas, and close down when the snow begins to melt in April. Getting There & Away : The main entry points for international flights are Z?rich and Geneva. Basel, Bern and Lugarno airports also receive international flights. There is no departure tax when flying out of Switzerland. Trains are a popular and convenient way to travel to Switzerland, and European rail passes make train travel affordable. Buses tend to be slower and less comfortable, though sometimes cheaper. Getting to Switzerland by road is simple, since there are fast, well-maintained motorways through all surrounding countries. If you have time and money, it's possible to get to Switzerland by boat along the Rhine all the way from Amsterdam. Switzerland can also be reached by lake steamer ferries from Germany via Lake Constance, from Italy via Lake Maggiore and from France via Lake Geneva. Events : February is carnival time, or Fasnacht, in many towns, but Basel really funks it up with elaborate parades beginning at a bleary 4 am. In the lower Valais, from March to October, cows battle it out in the Combat de Reines (cow fighting) to see which beast is most suited to lead the herd up to the summer pastures. The world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival takes place in July. National Day (August 1) is celebrated with fireworks throughout the country, and Swiss wrestling in the Emmenthal area east of Bern. On the fourth Monday in November, Bern hosts its famous onion market (Zibelmarit), where traders take over the whole town centre and many a tear is shed. Food : Food, ingredients and the way to prepare it varies greatly all over the country. Generally speaking, basic food items include a huge selection of bred (white, whole wheat etc.), dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter and - of course - a great variety of the world famous Swiss cheese. Also important are vegetables including beans, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, spinach etc. Sausages and meat - mainly veal, beef, pork, chicken or turkey - are served in many different ways: grilled, cooked, sliced or cut. Side dishes include French fries, rice, potatoes and different types of pasta. Fruits are available from all over the world, locally grown fruits include apples, pears, grapes and different types of berries, such as black berries, blueberries, raspberries, red currants and strawberries. Finally, there are a lot of sweets, including the second type of food that Switzerland is world famous for: Swiss chocolate. What do people eat and drink : In Switzerland, breakfast typically includes bred, butter or margarine, marmalade or honey, maybe some cheese or cereals, plus milk, cold or hot chocolate, tea or coffee. Lunch may be as simple as a sandwich or a bircherm?esli or it could be a complete meal. Depending on what people had for lunch, dinner can be a full main course or just some bred, cheese, maybe some dried meat or any other light meal. Drinks range from plain water, over different types of soft drinks including most internationally well known brands plus some local products, to a great variety of beers and wines. Hot drinks include many different flavors of tea and coffee. Going out to eat : There are many different places to go out to eat in Switzerland. It starts with fast food, such as burger, fish and chips etc., continues with self service restaurants and what people in the U.S. use to call a family restaurant where you get all the regular menus and ends with spectacular (and very expensive) restaurants, where to eat is supposed to be an "experience". Food is quite expensive in Switzerland, at least compared to most European countries and especially compared to the U.S. If you go to a fast food place, you may easily spend up to CHF 10 for a burger, a soft drink and a coffee. In a family restaurant, a menu will cost somewhere between CHF 15 and 50, self service restaurants are somewhat less expensive. At a more fancy restaurant, one can spend as much as CHF 1000 just for a bottle of wine. Common menus include a great variety of pasta, potatoes prepared in many different ways, vegetables, meat (veal, beef, pork, chicken and even horse), fish (mainly fresh water fish), but also sea food. Vegetarian menus have become more popular during the last few years, most restaurants provide at least one vegetarian menu as a main course. In addition, salad is very popular as well. The most important part of course is desert. This includes cheese, but even more important any flavor of cakes or cookies. Activities : The mountains and lakes of Switzerland are a natural playground. There are dozens of ski resorts throughout the Alps, the Pre-Alps and the Jura. Zermatt and Verbier have the best combination of slopes, scenery and nightlife. Hiking is the number-one activity in the country, with 50,000km of designated footpaths and regular refreshment stops en route. There are well-established mountaineering schools in Pontresina and Meiringen, though Zermatt is perhaps the most famous destination for experienced mountaineers. Ski mountaineering is popular along the Haute Route in Valais. Many of the resorts also offer paragliding and hang-gliding and hire out the gear. Water-skiing, sailing and windsurfing are common on most lakes. Rafting is possible on many alpine rivers, including the Rhine and the Saane. Canoeing is mainly centred on the Muota in Schwyz canton and on the Doubs River in the Jura. |
| >> Featured Hotel Partners << |
Priority
Search Engine Submission © February 1st, 2008 E-Biz Travel Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Central Reservation Office, Bangkok operating hours : Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (GMT+07:00) Office Close on Sunday & Thailand Public Holidays Bangkok Office : 31 Phyathai Building, 9th Floor, Room No. 916, Phyathai Road, Phyathai, Ratchthevi, Bangkok, Thailand 10400 Tel : +66 2246-1400 to 2 Fax : +66 2246-1403 USA Number : +1 603-821-4556 Please contact us for any suggestions or comments |