Prepare your trip to Switzerland

You will find below all information about Switzerland, living 5 minutes from the border, we go there very often!

General information

Population: 8,372 millions (2016)
Area: 41,285 km²
Spoken languages (cantons): French (Neuchâtel, Geneva, Jura, Valais), Italian (Ticino), Swiss-German (Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Aargau, Basel-Country, Basel-Stadt, Glarus, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Schwyz, Thurgau, Uri, Zug, Zurich) French-German (Friborg, Valais, Bern) German-Italian-Romansh (Graubünden)
Currency: Swiss Franc

Entering the country

Visa : Visas are not required for residents of EU states member and the Schengen area, you just need an identity card or passport up to date.
For other countries you will find more information on the website of the Swiss Confederation

Pets : Any dog ​​or cat traveling in the European Union must be identified (chip and / or tattoo), validly vaccinated against rabies and accompanied by a European passport provided and completed by a veterinarian before being transported. More information here.

Customs: Arriving from a neighboring country, there is no systematic border control, however if you want to be in good standing you must respect the following points.

• To avoid VAT charges, the total value of the goods must not exceed 300CHF (personal effects are not counted in this calculation)
• Alcohol <18% 5l / person / day, Alcohol> 18% 1l / person / day
• Cigarettes 250 / person / day
• Meat 1kg / person / day, because meat is expensive in Switzerland, people are tempted to go shopping in the border countries and buy it in large quantities …

More information on the site of the Swiss authorities.

Security: The country is in the top 10 safest countries in the world (on 160), even if you don’t risk much, you must remain attentive to possible thefts in tourist places.

If you have any problem, as in each country of the European Union, you must dial the 112 to reach the emergency services.
You can communicate with them in the local language or in English.

Tourism

Main course: Fondue, Raclette, Rostï
Cheese: Gruyère, Emmental, Vacherin
Desserts:: Birchermüesli, chocolate <3
Drinks: Wines, Absinthe, Rivella (based on lactic serum)
Tipping: Tipping is not mandatory as it is included in the price.If you are satisfied with the service received it is always nice to leave something but it is up to you to see.
Payment : In addition to cash, the credit card is widespread throughout Switzerland, logos are displayed at the entrance of restaurants and shops indicating the accepted cards. Pay attention to the fees charged by your bank in addition to the exchange rate for a payment in a foreign currency.

Driving in Switzerland

• You must drive with the headlights on even during the day
• The speed is limited to 120 km/h on the highways, 80 km/h on the main roads and 50 km/h in the city.
• The maximum blood alcohol level allowed is 0.25mg/l or 0.5%.
• A car sticker that cost 40CHF is required to travel on the Swiss highways, it is valid during the year of purchased.
  There is unfortunately no monthly or daily sticker, it can be purchased in euro or Swiss francs at border posts, service stations or police stations.
• To drive in Switzerland, it is necessary that the categories of authorized vehicles are written in Latin characters on the license of the holder, if not it will be necessary to get an international driving license.

Drone regulation for recreational use

• The drone must weigh less than 30kg
• You can’t fly over people or groups of people if your drone weight more than 500g.
• If your drone weight more than 500g, a civil insurance is mandatory.
• Keep the drone in sight
• There is no restriction around buildings, houses or roads, only above military area and wildlife parks. The restricted area are listed on this map here.
• Stay at a distance of 5km from the airports

All these information are given for information only and in a general way, search more precisely depending on where you going to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

If you think of additional information that could help travelers or if some information is no longer correct, please leave us a comment below 🙂

The information in this article comes from the following sites:
https://www.sem.admin.ch
https://www.ch.ch/
https://safearound.com/fr/danger-rankings/
http://www.routard.com/guide/code_dest/suisse.htm
https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/fr/home/bonasavoir/drones-et-modeles-reduits/regles-informations-drones.html