Switzerland

We have 4 official languages, all using the Latin script (alphabets).

• German (Majority - about 63%)
  • Beware there are multiple dialects, usually varying from Canton to Canton
  • Although a German (usually called 'High-German', from Germany) can mostly understand, it's not that easy even for native speakers
• French (2nd Majority - about 23%)
  • I'm no French expert but do find some difference between the French I usually hear in France and Geneva/Lausanne
• Italian (about 8%)
  • Usually spoken exclusively in the south east of Switzerland
• Romansch (about 0.5%)
  • Usually called Rätoromanisch, and is protected by law - for it's being at risk of extinction

Other useful resources:

• Omniglot language encyclopedia (free treasure for language lovers)
• A very nice video by Paul on languages of Switzerland
• Possibly a good source of knowledge on dialects
• Nice Linguistic map of Switzerland

Switzerland is a Christian country and all Christian holidays are observed. For the rest, we take cultural identity very seriously. Many festivals are conducted exactly how they used to happen since centuries.

It’s a really big deal. Given the regional importance, the dates and festivals change from Canton to Canton. Sometimes, it’s a holiday in one Canton whilst a working day in the neighbouring Canton.

Anyways, here are some very important ‘traditional’ festivals that are much cherished here:

• The Fasnachts (Carnivals): Between January and May, almost all cantons celebrate annual fest called “Fascnacht” (carnival). The major ones being:
  • Basler Fasnacht: From the canton of Basel. The biggest of Faschnachts and usually the last one to take place. It starts exactly at 0400 Hrs on the day of the festival and lasts 72 hours (precisely, in the land of the clocks). See some highlights from 2019
  • Züri Fäscht: From Canton of Zurich. Reasonably big one for obvious financial capital Zurich. In 2019, they replaced fireworks with drone light show, our wee bit for climate change and pollution. See some highlights from 2019
  • Carnivals from Lucern, St. Gallen and Lausanne
• Sechseläuten: (specific to Canton of Zurich) Similar to Pongal in Southern India. We burn an ice man (called Böög in local language) and the time he takes to burn sort of predicts our hopes for that summer (this video from 2013) or the one from 2018
• Knabenschiessen: Literally meaning “Boys Shooting (competetition)” happens mid Sep every year
• Yodelling festival of Grindelwald: People from around the world compete in this festival
• Désalpe: Traditional end of season festival to bring down the cattle from the mountains. Looks like this
• Schwing und Älperfest (Swiss national wrestling and Alpine festival): Happens every 3 years, the last one celebrated in 2019. This festival also identifies the strongman of Switzerland for the next 3 years. Reigning champion is Mr. Christian Stucki (2019), a really big strong man.

PS: This excludes the obvious Christian holidays. E.g. Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension day, Christmas.

Some useful resources:

• Elaborate information on Traditional swiss festivals
• Another good website on traditional Swiss festivals

You probably heard of a lot of delicacies from several regions of Switzerland already. Here are the most famous Swiss food preparations:

• Cheese Fondue (Chäsfondue): In the land famous for it’s cheese, this is probably the most often sought from majority if not all visitors to Switzerland. A simple recipe
• Raclette: Another simple cheese based dish. A simple recipe
• Rösti: Traditional Swiss potato dish. A simple recipe
• Birchermüesli: If you are into fitness, very likely you heard about this already. Müesli was first prepared by Swiss doctor Mr. Bircher-Benner (and therefore the preparation is called Bircher-Müesli, in his honor)
• Bündner Nusstorte: Pastry made of lot of chestnuts and honey (there are several cantonal variants as well
• Biberli (or Appenzell Bieberli): Ginger bread with honey/almond filling in the center
• Basler Läckerli: Sweet ginger bread with spices (cinnamon) and other ingredients
• Luxemburgerli: My favourite. A small cute sandwich of macrons with signature filling, invented by Sprüngli (a leading Swiss confectioner), one of the ‘must try’ from Switzerland.

So, whats the big deal about Swiss chocolates?

• Considered one of the best, if not the best chocolates of the world, there are lot of legends and their hardwork that resulted in this sweet reputation
• Switzerland produced chocolates until mid 1800s, just like their European competetitors
• A gentlemen named ‘Daniel Peter’ discovered the super combination formula of cocoa and a milk cream produced by ‘Henri Nestlé’. This resulted in an unbeatable texture and taste that basically established Swiss leadership in Chocolate industry.. Here’s a good read about the entire story

So, where do we go when we crave for a chocolate?

• Our local choices usually are Läderach, Sprüngli, Cailler, Lindt, Frey etc.
• If you have ever seen a shop with piles of mouth watering chocolates, you very likely entered a Läderach store. Bon appetit 🙂

Some useful resources:

• Taste Atlas of Switzerland
• Comprehensive Wiki page on Swiss cuisine

If you see a lake so clean you can see the bottom, hiked a mountain and haven’t found a piece of trash, or saw public transport working to the dot… very likely you are in Switzerland. One of the most beautifully preserved countries you’ll ever visit. Below are some insider tips for must see in Switzerland.

[tg_accordion icon="fa-tags" title="Zurich region" close="1"]

• Basel Old town: Strolling thru centuries old streets take you back to nostalgic settings of 19^th and 20^th century, if not older. Try the ‘Dreilandecke’, our local name for a three country corner (France, Germany and Switzerland)
• Rhine falls: Perhaps the Niagara of Switzerland, you can’t but surrender to the beauty of this mighty waterfalls. This is on the borders between Germany and Switzerland so you can try a Swiss lunch and German dinner.
• Zürich: There’s a lot to do in the most populous and busy city of Switzerland, an evening stroll on the Bahnhofstrasse (the station road) to begin with. Uetliberg (hilltop) view of lower Zurich region, Lindt Chocolate factory in Kilchberg, National museum next to main station, punky Limmatstrasse area, old town across the main station and boat taxi on Limmat (the small river from Lake Zurich)
• Abtei St. Gallen: The 1300 years old Abbey of St. Gallen, a must visit if you are interested in history, religion and ancient architecture. Don’t forget to visit the library next door and amazed by the endless paintings on the ceiling inside the main cathedral

[/tg_accordion]

[tg_accordion icon="fa-tags" title="Bern/Luzern region" close="1"]

• Jungfrau: Highest railway station in Europe and usually hot destination for tourists. Check the weather and wear good protection
• Matterhorn, Zermatt: Although the entire region welcomes you with enormous beautiful peaks, don’t miss the sight of Matterhorn. Check the weather to witness the romance between the clouds and the mountain peak
• Mount Pilatus and Rigi: Fancy a train that crawls up a steep mountain, try Pilatus (and Rigi). Dubbed locally as the male (rugged) and female (soft) mountains and holds lot of legends (and dragons) to their names
• Bern: The federal city of Switzerland (not capital city) offers some of the most relaxing places you'll ever find. Check for the lush green mountains of Bernese Oberlands (high lands), old town that witnessed passing of some of the most significant events in history and the horseshoe curve of river Aare
• Luzern: Considered beautiful by Swiss themselves, this is a must try on the menu. The 7 century old wooden bridge (Kapellbrücke) and the ‘Löwendenkmal’ (The lion monument) are just starters before you take a splendid 3 hours boat ride to Flüelen

[/tg_accordion]

[tg_accordion icon="fa-tags" title="Lugano region" close="1"]

• St. Moritz: Famous destination for the super-rich of the world, also affordable for normal people like us. If you go there in winter, do not miss “White-Turf”, horseracing on a frozen lake; Or take the Glacier express to Zermatt
• Lugano (Lake Como): Fabulous Lake shared by Italy and Switzerland. There are many villages that take your breath away, from which Varenna is my favourite
• Ascona: If you have a friend with a boat, this is definitely the place. Famous for its film festivals and blend of Italian-Swiss ways of life
• Gotthard tunnels: Take a train from Zurich to Milan, choose a window seat (right side if possible). After passing Zug, the train takes you thru countless bridges and tunnels (some say it’s more than 150 bridges and 50 tunnels) in what is considered one of the technological marvels of our time

[/tg_accordion]

[tg_accordion icon="fa-tags" title="Geneva region" close="1"]

• Lake Geneva: Biggest Lake in Switzerland, shared with France. Famous entry points are Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux (although I think it’s from the villages you really discover this beauty – Nyon, Pully, Saint-Saphorin, and Yvoire, just to name a few)
• Chateau de Chillon, Montreux: Historic castle by the lake of Geneva. Very close to Montreux and reachable both by bus and boat. It’s possible, try the stunning boat trip from Lausanne-Ouchy (lac) to Château de Chillon (lac)
• Peak walk: If you want to see Eiger, Jungfrau, Matterhorn and Mt. Blanc at the same time… then this is the place. Enjoy the ropeway as you say hello to many peak above 3000mts above sea-level
• Train Bern to Geneva: Take a train before noon from Bern to Geneva (via Lausanne), pick a left window and look for a small station called Puidox. The train takes a right curve after a small tunnel and blesses you with heavenly view of Lake Geneva brightened by the morning Sun. You’ll be also wished by the sprawling wine yards from neighbouring villages. If you are not in Bern, no problem, take a train to Bern 🙂

[/tg_accordion]

 And a lot lot more places...

PS: I have my travel notes from all these places for a smarter travel (i.e. how to travel, when to travel, what time of the day is best, safety, and other tips). Happy to share, but the catch is... you have to give something back to society. If you are busy or need some ideas, visit my 'Giving back to society' page or 'Donate -> Shop' page for some hints. If you have any questions, please contact me via 'Contact page'


Some useful resources:

• Official Swiss tourism website
• Regional tourism offices: Bern; Geneva; Lugano; Luzern; Zürich

Planning: Switzerland is very organized. Do your homework before travelling and expect everything to work exactly as planned (i.e. public transportation, tours, shops)

Getting around: You can buy one ticket for everything in Switzerland (i.e. same ticket for boat, bus, train and tram). Exceptions are ropeways and cable cars up the mountains. Almost all connections/tickets can be obtained online on Swiss railways website

• • Check for combined tickets (i.e. skiing + travel; cable car + travel)
  • If you are under 25, check for possible discounts
  • Stay informed about travel passes (especially in Summer for tourist train routes – Bernina Express, Golden Pass, Glacier Express etc.)
    
    

Safety: It’s a pretty safe country (you’ll see kindergarten kids going by themselves or young women walking alone at midnight). But do take precaution since you’re in a new country. Keep the emergency numbers handy (Police - 117; Ambulance – 144; Fire brigade – 118). Unless you are on a mountain peak, they usually arrive in minutes

Trivia: Shops usually close at 5 pm or 8 pm, on the dot. Do not forget to check timings of your destinations before you start

There are many (and much better) collections of famous Swiss people. These are just some I managed to do some research about and wanted to remember their contribution:

• Louis Chevrolet: Co-founder of Chevrolet auto corporation
• Hanny Christen: Travelled around Switzerland to collect forgotten music and songs. She gathered a stupendous collection of Ca. 12000 works in her life (available in the Library of University of Basel)
• Carl Gustav Jung (or Carl Jung): If you saw the movie ‘a dangerous method’ or ever used the words ‘extrovert’ or ‘introvert’, you need to thank him for his immense contribution towards psychoanalysis
• Le Corbusier: If are from India and heard of the city ‘Chandigarh’ or from anywhere and introduced to what is modern architecture, chances are very likely you met his genius already
• Bertrand Piccard: The first human to circle the globe on a non-stop balloon flight, and also the first solar powered flight around the globe
• Henri Nestle: One of the main reason why most of have chocolate in our pockets. Good chocolate, I forgot the mention
• Alfred Escher: The man who sculpted 19^th century Switzerland, mostly. Credit Suisse (once the biggest Swiss bank), Gotthard railway system (still an engineering marvel with longest railway tunnel), Swiss Life (leading Swiss insurer), ETH (one of the world’s best universities) were all his brainchilds
• Leonhard Euler: If you ever studied Math or Physics, or even played puzzles/games that require you to find the exit path with constraints, chances are likely you already benefited from his work
• Daniel Bernoulli: If you like aeroplanes like me, you should thank him for immense contribution to understanding wing pressure and lift
• Julia Steingruber: The first female gymnast to win ‘all-round’ title in European championships. Stellar example of hardwork, compassion and women who fought many odds to achieve what they achieved
• Henri Guisan: The famous Swiss General who was instrumental in safeguarding Switzerland during the bloody World War II. The road between Bürkliplatz and Rentenanstalt in Zürich is named after him, amongst many others
  
  

Some useful resources:

• Top 10 famous Swiss people, according to World Economic Forum
• A comprehensive list of famous Swiss people on Wikipedia
• Never ending list of famous Swiss people, according to Ranker
• List of famous Swiss, from the The Famous People