planning a trip to
Switzerland
Here is what you need to know:
Switzerland is a land of Wonders. It is one of our favourite country to be with nature.
It has stunning lakes, beautiful mountains, huge and dark forests. And on top of everything, the border is only 2h driving from our place in France.
If you are a solo traveller, a family, a couple and so on. Switzerland will have options for you.
Mountains are breath-taking for hikes and most of them offer cablecars to help you get there. Well, the hiking trail is also right there.
About
Switzerland is a small land-locked country in middle of Europe. It is home to 8.5 million people standing over 41 285 km² of land.
It is made of 26 Cantons (regions)
Since 1648, Switzerland has its independence from the Holy Roman empire.
Also the country is not a part of EU, at any level and even managed to stay neutral during the 2 World War. Well, it’s hard to get pass the Alps! Plus Most of the citizen are themselves soldiers.
The flag of Switzerland is a square flag displaying a white cross in the centre of a red field. The white cross is known as the Swiss cross and represent the Christian cross and the old Confederacy. The red color is the color of the war flag.
There are 4 official languages in Switzerland: French, German, Italian and Romansh.
French on the west part, German which is the biggest part in the center, Italian to the south and Romansh there and there.
Edelweiss, Queen of Flowers. The Edelweiss grow high in the Alps and is regarded in Switzerland as a national symbol. Its scientific name is Leontopodium alpinum literally “alpine lion’s tooth”
The Swiss Army Knifeis a multi-tool pocketknife manufactured by Victorinox. The term “Swiss Army knife” was invented by American soldiers after WWII due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the german name”Offiziersmesser”.
This knife is your best Friend while hiking and travelling.
What to expect?
Language: The official language is French, German, Italian and Romansh. Each part of the country speaks its own languages. But most speak English as well and would understand the others official one.
Food: Switzerland is most famous for its local cheese freshly made from the Alps pastures.
Transportation: Train is the main transportation between cities, buses is the one in the city. Road Trip are one of the best things to do as Switzerland stands in the Alps.
Money: The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc CHF. Rates changes, but at the time we were there 1€ was worth 1.08 CHF. Most places accept credit card and many ATM can be found around.
Plugs: The plugs in Switzerland are type C. The standard voltage is 220V with a frequency of 50hz.
Safety: Switzerland is a pretty safe country for all type of travellers. It’s most probably one of the safest country on earth. Making it really enjoyable.
