A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

Summer will soon be here! Finally! I'm sure many people here in Switzerland would agree after this long winter and pretty rainy spring season. People will walk around in t-shirts and shorts again (whether that's always a good thing is up to you) and public pools and beaches around our lakes will be overflowing with families and children playing in and around the water. Indeed, it is time to go outside to enjoy the beautiful Swiss Summer because it will be gone soon enough. Summer - rupert illek  / pixelio.de  A few years ago, I wrote a post about fun things to do in Zurich on a summer day  with 10 fun and cheap activities to do around Zurich in good weather. Now, I would like to share another 10 fun outdoor activities but this time with ideas that apply to pretty much all of Switzerland and possibly other countries as well! 10 Fun Things to Do on a Sunny Day in Switzerland Go hiking : Hiking is one of Switzerland's most popular sports. You basically need a pai...

Hiking in the mountains - berggeist007  / pixelio.de  While other parts of the world are still struggling to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, Switzerland is on it's way back to normality. While the lockdown in Switzerland never has been as severe as in other countries, being forced to slow down, stay at home a lot and reduce social contacts hasn't been an easy thing for many people.  What saved many people from lockdown cabin fever was that there was never a general prohibition for outdoor activities . As long as you stuck to the safety recommendations it was perfectly fine to go for a walk in the forest with your family, ride your bike around Lake Zurich or hike one of the thousands of hiking trails in Switzerland . Definitely a smart decision! Hiking in Switzerland after Corona While you could always go hiking, it wasn't always easy or even possible to get to your desired hiking spot. Public transportation was limited and ALL mountain railways (including cable cars and ...

If you've ever been to Switzerland you probably know that Switzerland has one of the best public transportations networks . You can get almost anywhere - even a small mountain village - by bus, train, boat or cablecar. The most important components of this incredible network are the SBB (Swiss Federal Railway) and Postauto (Postal Busses) which cover a large part of Switzerland. There are also smaller bus and railway companies that mainly operate regional transportation but are fully incorporated into the network. Swiss public transportation shines with punctuality , flexibility and security . This means, for example, that busses and trains almost always leave and arrive right on time. It also means that once you bought your train ticket you can freely choose what time you want to start and end your journey. In addition, there are very few accidents and injuries caused by public transportation in Switzerland. However , the quality of public transportation comes at a cost. Tr...

Yellow trail markers - Joujou  / pixelio.de It's summer in Switzerland and that means the hiking season is upon us. If you've ever spent some time walking or cycling outside in Switzerland, you must have seen noticed the classic yellow markers showing you the direction, the time it takes to reach your destination and the type of trail you'll be hiking. These are part of a national network of hiking trails. Hiking Trails in Switzerland Thanks to a long and old tradition of hiking in the valleys and mountains (and the flatlands), an extensive network of hiking trails all over Switzerland was developed over the decades. Currently, there are over 60'000km of hiking trails cover all of Switzerland. Almost as many km as roads since Switzerland only counts with 71'400km of roads! Most of the hiking trails are located in the mountainous cantons of Grisons, Berne and Valais - including some challenging alpine hiking trails. However, there are always plenty of hik...

Winter can be hard on parents (I suppose). In summer kids keep themselves occupied outside, riding bikes and building tree forts. In winter, however, options can be a bit limited. Especially since in most parts of Switzerland snow is a passing occurrence and winter days are usually just gray, wet and cold. Activities for Kids in Swiss Winter I tried to remember what kind of activities my mom came up with while growing up and realized most things can still be done today. Have a look: Zoo : visit the zoo in Basel or Zurich . Some animals are even more active in winter such as penguins. Visiting Indoor housing is great for warming up! Alpamare : visit Switzerland's most popular water park . Slides, hot pools and more will keep you busy for a whole day! Sledding : Switzerland has great sledding slopes where you can take a train or gondola up the mountain and sled down at your own pace. Rigi and Bergün are my favourites! Public pool : almost every town in Switzerland has a...

Today, I would like to share with you my interest in and appreciation for another region of Switzerland: the Seeland (region of lakes). Switzerland's Lake Region Located (mostly) in the French part of Switzerland, the Seeland covers the region from Biel (or Bienne in French) to Yverdon and Morat (or Murten in German). It includes Lake Bienne, Lake Morat and Lake Neuchatel - which is in fact Switzerland's largest lake completely inside Swiss borders. Coming from the overcrowded, German speaking canton of Zurich to this comparatively loosely settled French speaking region feels like going on a trip abroad. That's the beauty of Switzerland - several totally different regions make one interesting country! 10 Fun Things to Do in Switzerland's Seeland Here are a few suggestions for fun things to do in the Seeland region: The obvious on a sunny and warm day: go swimming in one of the three lakes. Lake Neuchatel has beautiful beaches on its Western shore. Go water s...

Airplane - H.D.Volz  / pixelio.de The summer months are approaching quickly and with them coming closer Swiss citizens are getting ready for their yearly summer vacation. Many Swiss families make use of the relatively long summer school break to visit a sunnier and warmer country like Italy, Greece or Spain. However, quite a few Swiss people actually prefer to stay at home during their vacation or to travel and hike somewhere in Switzerland . Swiss German Vocabulary for Travelers Whatever your preferences for this summer, I thought you might wanted to polish your travel vocabulary in Swiss German. This (non conclusive) list of travel terms in Swiss German which I like to call Swiss German Travel Dictionary will provide you with a good start into this venture. If you believe some words or expressions are missing let me know so I can add them! Enjoy! Swiss German Travel Dictionary aacho (to arrive) Aakunft (arrival) abflüge (to takeoff) Abflug (takeoff) Abreise (depar...

William Tell Monument, Altdorf (UR) - at Swissminatur Last weekend, I spent a few days in Milano. It's a city worth seeing and as it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Zurich almost a must do for every expat in Switzerland. You can take a train to Milano as well which might save you the hassle of being stuck in traffic jam near the Gotthard tunnel. However, driving with your own car give you the options to see some sights along the scenic highway A2 that goes through Switzerland's Italian speaking part, the canton of Ticino. Swissminiatur - a Ticino Attraction One of the most popular attractions in the Ticino area is the Swissminiatur . As it's name already says, it is a miniature Switzerland . Over 100 miniature versions of famous Swiss buildings, institutions and installations have been built for this park.  Titlis Rotair, Engelberg (OW) A path leads through the park and the Swissminiatur guide book explains what each miniature is and where the building...

ZVV 9 o'Clock Pass I believe everyone would agree that the system of public transportation here in Switzerland is one of the best in the world. Busses and trains and even boats run regularly to almost any city, town and village - and mostly right on time. However, there is one major downside to the Swiss system of public transportation: the prices. Compared to most countries in the world it is ridiculously expensive to ride a bus, tram or a train. For example, the one hour train ride from Basel to Zurich costos more than 30 CHF. Prices do get more reasonable if you purchase a half price card (called Halbtax) or a yearly/monthly pass for a specific region or route. There are ways to save money on public transportation in Switzerland  but it still remains costly. Saving Money with the 9 o'Clock Pass In the Zurich area you have an additional option to travel cheaper: the 9 o'clock pass (called  9-Uhr-Pass  in German). This day pass allows you to travel freely on...

It's winter. It's cold. Very cold. You don't feel like going outside or being outside for more than a few minutes. Picking up your mail if just about the max you can handle. You are glad you are working in a well heated office and that your home is warm and cozy as well. Although I can definitely understand you, I think there are plenty of fun things you can do outside even in winter - especially, if there is snow. However, I can also think of fun indoor activities for all those who prefer to stay warm. 10 Fun Things to Do Inside in Winter Have fun at an indoor ropes course  - like this one in Grindelwald . Visit a thermal bath or spa  - there are many natural hot springs in Switzerland. One of the more famous thermal baths is in Vals .  Visit a water park - the Alpamare or the Aquaparc offer a great variety of slides and pools  Organize a Fondue or Raclette evening Go place the laser tag game  in Laser City Go body flying in Rümlang - i...

Snowman - Rolf Handke  / pixelio.de The last few days have been really cold in Switzerland. It's become a routine to put on warm winter boots, a warm hat, a scarf, a warm winter coat and mittens before leaving the house. Without them it probably would be rather unpleasant outside. However, the cold also has advantages. It's cold enough for the ghastly gray rain to turn into beautiful white snow. And when the sun breaks through the clouds the winter day is perfect for some fun activities outside. 10 Fun Things to Do Outside on a Snowy Winter Day Obviously, one of the main winter outdoor activities in Switzerland is skiing. Almost every Swiss child learns it from an early age. It's like learning to swim or to ride a bike - it's simply part of a Swiss childhood. Yet, there are many other fun things you can do outside on a snowy winter day in Switzerland. Here are some suggestions: Go skiing or snowboarding in one of the many ski resorts in Switzerland; if you ...

If you think about it, it is a bit strange that Switzerland is considered a nation of cyclists. Think about the topography of Switzerland: there aren't really any larger flat areas and what we Swiss call flat would be considered quite steep hills in other countries . Despite the obvious difficulties this causes for cyclists, almost every Swiss owns a bicycle and many people use it quite frequently, e.g. to go to work or to do their shopping. Personally, I am somewhat in between the frequent users and the 'sometimes users'. If it's sunny I'll ride my bike to work but if it rains I prefer to sit in a dry bus in the morning. Wouldn't you as well?! My bike  A Bike Ride Around Lake Zurich Today, I took my bicycle on a somewhat longer journey. Since it was warm and sunny outside I decided to use this chance and finally make a bicycle tour around Lake Zurich . Yes, I rode around all of the Untersee (the lower part of Lake Zurich between Rapperswil and Zurich...

Summer - Peter Heinrich  / pixelio.de Summer is finally here. And it's high time! After some mediocre summer weather sunny days have arrived. The whole next week is gonna be sunny and warm - up to 30 C! Many people are away on their summer vacations but for those sticking around Zurich like myself, here are some ideas to make use of this excellent weather. 10 Fun Things to Do on a Summer Day in Zurich Go swimming in Lake Zurich or the Limmat river . There are plenty of public baths, public pools or places you can go swimming fro free in and around Zurich.  Take a stroll through the Niederdorf and buy some cold and sweet ice cream at Dieci Gelati . Visit the Zoo  and observe the animals with an ice cold drink in hand. Go up Üetliberg . Enjoy the great view and the relaxing atmosphere on this hill overlooking Zurich. This is a great starting point for short hikes as well. Take a boat ride on Lake Zurich and get some wind to chill you. Rent a pedal boat  a...

Summer has arrived and the weather is warm enough to make Swiss people flock to the various rivers and lakes for a refreshing swim. Swimming in lakes and rivers is one of most popular (and definitely cheapest) pastimes here in Switzerland. Swiss swimmers can choose between ice cold mountain lakes, several bigger rivers, some creeks, and quite a number of large lakes (e.g. Lake Zurich, Lake Geneva, Lake Constance). Switzerland has no sea coast but in my opinion the lakes definitely make up for it. And fresh water is so much more refreshing than salt water! Swiss Paradise - daniel stricker  / pixelio.de Here in Switzerland, old and young swim in rivers and lakes. It's simply part of growing up and living here. There are also several public swimming events on Swiss lakes. The most famous is probably the crossing of Lake Zurich that takes place every year where hundreds of people swim together across the lake. This years event will take place on July 3rd 2019. So, if you are...

Rainy Day - Uschi Dreilucker / pixelio.de The weather has been so so these last few days and will remain rainy and rather cold. This is not unusual for Switzerland but nobody likes a bad weather forecast, right? This means no swimming in one of the many lakes of Switzerland, going on a nice bicycle ride or playing soccer outside unless you are willing to endure some heavy rain.  Some people actually like to be outdoors when it rains. I do sometimes as well. That's why I created this list of 10 Fun Things to Do Outdoors on a Rainy Day in Switzerland. For everyone else, please continue reading! 10 Fun Things to Do on a Rainy Day in Switzerland There are plenty of fun things to do in Switzerland even on rainy days. Here's the list of my current favourite rainy day activities: Alpamare : It's the biggest water park of Switzerland with dozens of water slides and pools. It's open all year round since most of the baths and slides are indoors. It is perfect for a ...

Alright. Fondue doesn't seem to be a warm weather dish. In winter it's nice and cozy to have the pot of cheese on your table heating up the room and filling everything with the smell of cheese. However, eating hot sticky cheese on bread may not seem very appealing if its hot outside. At least, that's what you probably think. Why Fondue also works in the Summer There is a small and friendly restaurant in Zurich that might be able to convince you otherwise. The Chäsalp is located on a hill outside of Zurich and its guests sit outside at large wooden tables with a great view of the surrounding hills (and the Mazoala hall of Zurich Zoo amongst other things). Pillows and woolen blankets assure comfort in this rustic Swiss atmosphere. With cowbells sounding in the background one generally has the impression of being near a cottage somewhere in the Alps rather than being 15 minutes outside of Zurich. Chäasalp outside tables 20 Types of Fondue in one Place In consi...

No Thieves in Switzerland - Dieter Schütz  / pixelio.de Switzerland recently has had the honors to be included in the top 10 of world's safest travel destinations by Travelers Digest (the site has gone inactive in 2015) . Although it is definitely nice living in a safe country where street crime is almost non-existent, I was a bit bummed that Switzerland didn't make any of the more attractive top 10 lists. I mean who wouldn't want his country to feature one of the Top 10 Adventures for Thrill Seekers Top 10 Best Airports of the world Top 10 Best Cities to Live In Top 10 Best City Skylines Top 10 Best Places to Watch Sunsets Top 10 Best Wildlife Viewing Top 10 Countries with the Most Beautiful Women The alps, great paragliding locations, bobsledding, snowboarding or river rafting in Switzerland are not considered thrilling enough I guess. I would claim though that Zurich Airport is one of the nicest and most organized airports in Europe. It's tough to...