Are you planning a trip to Switzerland? Whether you are going there for just a weekend or a long trip, planning a trip is always stressful at the beginning. To help you with it, here are 8 things to know when planning a trip to Switzerland.
Switzerland is without a doubt, a beautiful country. Located in the middle of the Alps it is a nature lover paradise. It has mountains as high as towers, beautiful turquoise lakes, lush green meadows, and beautiful towns and cities. What more can you ask for?
1. You don't need your passport to visit Switzerland (for EU citizens only)
Even though Switzerland is not an EU member, it is part of the Schengen border-free agreement. This means that European citizens can enter Switzerland with just their National ID card.
Unfortunately, if you are not a European citizen, you will need your passport. Please make sure that it has at least 6 months of validity. If you want to check whether you need a visa or not to enter Switzerland please check this website.
2. Currency is the Swiss Franc
The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc. Again Switzerland is not an EU member which also translates that Euros will not be very useful in this country.
In general, you will be able to pay mostly everywhere with your bank card. However, I recommend that you change at least some money. There are a few places like parking meters which are paid with coins, so having at least some cash will be quite useful.
3. If you're driving through Switzerland, you will need the vignette
If you’re going to be driving in Switzerland at some point or the other, you will be driving on one of the highways. This means you will have to buy the vignette sticker.
The vignette costs 40 CHF and you can buy it at gas stations, at the post office, or even when crossing the border. If you cross the border and you don’t have the vignette visible on your windscreen, you will get stopped. But don’t worry, they will just make you buy the vignette and let you keep going.
The vignette is valid for the whole current year. This means that if you buy it in January, it will be valid for a year but if you buy it in December, it will be valid for less than a month.
4. Roaming
Another inconvenience of Switzerland not being part of the EU, it’s that the price of your mobile data will not be the same as in your country. Remember to switch off your data before entering Switzerland unless you want to be paying super high prices for it!
If you are using your phone for navigation, Google Maps offers the possibility to download your map to be able to use it offline!
Another option is to buy a sim card once you are in Switzerland.
5. Best time to go
Switzerland is a fantastic country to visit all year round! Whether it is spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the country has many things to offer!
- Winter: The temperatures are quite cold but it is the perfect moment to practice winter sports! And what a better place to do this than in the Alps!
- Spring: The temperatures start to get higher and all the blossoms make Switzerland a perfect nature destination.
- Summer: Nothing beats summer in Switzerland! The days are long and quite warm. This means you can not only enjoy nature at its best but you can maybe even enjoy summer sports in the lakes!
- Autumn: The temperatures start going down and there is more chance of rain, but just imagine all the pretty autumn colors!
6. Switzerland is expensive
Switzerland is more expensive in comparison to other countries in Europe. This means you will have to consider a bigger budget when visiting this beautiful country. However, there are many things you can do to not empty your savings account.
- Drink tap water. Tap water is very good in Switzerland, so bring a reusable bottle!
- If the weather is good, Switzerland is the perfect place to get some food in the supermarket and have a picnic in nature!
- Enjoy the free activities in Switzerland. Switzerland will offer you the most beautiful hikes you can imagine! Enjoy nature for free and get some beautiful memories in return.
7. Don't forget to get insurance!
This one goes hand in hand with point number 6, Switzerland is expensive. You can never know what will happen when going hiking and being in the mountains so it is very important to have insurance.
Hopefully, you will never need to use your insurance but in case you do, you will not have to worry about astronomical bills.
8. Electricity
The last thing to consider when planning a trip to Switzerland is to bring a plug adaptor. Sockets in Switzerland are type C or J which are a bit different from the rest of Europe.
Some of your plugs may fit in a type C socket, but not all of them will. Better be safe and bring an adaptor to avoid bad surprises.
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