Area: 41,290 sq km
Population: 7.31 million
Capital City: Bern
People: 65% German, 18% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, 6% other
Language: German, French, Italian, Raeto-Romance
Religion: 46.1% Roman Catholic, 40% Protestant, 5% other, 8.9% other.
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. Time Zone:
GMT/UTC +1
Dialling Code: 41
Electricity: 230V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
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.
Events
Zurich Marathon 2009, Sunday, 26 April
The start of the Zurich Marathon is on the motorway in Zurich Manegg. The route leads through the new Uetliberg tunnel for the first time this year. After the turning point, the race route leads back through the tunnel, via Allmendstrasse, ...
Baselworld 26 Mar - 1 Apr 2009
Basel has an international reputation for producing some of the best watches in the world, so it's no surprise that the city hosts the world's finest watch and jewellery fair, Baselworld, at its exhibition centre, Messezentrum Basel.
Around 2300 ...
WHITE TURF
Welcome to the International Horse Races of St. Moritz on the Sundays of 8th, 15th and 22nd February 2009, to White Turf, the modern-day horse racing meeting that is renowned far beyond the Swiss borders. Staged since 1907 in its firmly established ...
UNWTO to host second Climate Change and Tourism meet in Davos
After the success of the first ?International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism? in Djerba, Tunisia in 2003, the United National World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is getting ready for a second meet in Davos, Switzerland this October. (Hotel ...
February is carnival time, or Fasnacht, in many towns, but
Basel really funks it up with elaborate parades beginning at a bleary 4am.
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. |
