SWITZERLAND: Prime Travel Data.

NEED TO KNOW

So here you are in Switzerland and you need to know some elementary stuff — like how to make a phone call, get local money, or contact the American Embassy to report your stolen passport. Here is a convenient source for that information, plus a bit more.

This web page originally appeared in the first editon of my book How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook in a section titled "Country Data Sheets" over thirty years ago. I've updated and improved it for 2016.

Important information about this data sheet.
Native name	Schweiz German Suisse French Swizzera Italian
Capital	Bern
Postal code	CH
Telephone code	+41 See chapter 19, Telephoning to, from, and within Europe.
Language	German, French, Itallian, Romansch
Currency	Frank See The Euro and Other Currencies.
European Union	Not a Member. See chapter 25, Customs Duty, USA and Europe.
Schengen Agreement	Member. See chapter 3, Passport and Visas.
Time zone	GMT+1 See chapter 28, European Dates and Time Zones.
Electricity	220 volts, 50 Hz. See chapter 11, European Electricity: Travel Voltage Fundamentals..

Date	Holiday	Feiertag (German names only)
Jan 1	New Year's Day	Neujahrstag
Jan 2		Brezelistag
	Good Friday	Karfreitag
	Easter Monday	Ostermontag
	Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt
	Whit Monday	Pfingstmontag
Aug 1	National Holiday	Bundesfeiertag
Dec 25	Christmas	Weihnachten
Dec 26	St. Stephen's Day	2. Weihnachtstag

Swiss Offices in the USA
Embassy	Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008 T 202-745-7900 F 202-387-2564
Consulates	Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
Tourist Office	Swiss National Tourist Office 608 Fifth Avenue, Suite 408 New York, NY 10020 T 212-757-5944

American Offices in Switzerland
Embassy	Embassy of the United States, Bern Jubilaeumstrasse 93 CH-3005 Bern T 031-357-7011 F 031-357-7344
Consulates	Geneva, Zurich

Recommended books for further information:

There are hundreds of books on Switzerland. Michelin Red and Green guides are my favorites but there are many other good ones.

The books that you see listed here are those that I have personally used and am satisfied with, and/or are from publishers whose other travel books are reliable. I am a consumer when it comes to travel guides, and a critical one. Notice that I do not recommend any Frommers, Dummies, Steves, or other inferior guides. For some of the reasons please go to the hoi polloi.

As one example of a substandard guide, a 1,384 page book titled Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2013 has about 50 pages on Switzerland. However, there is not a single word on Zurich, Geneva, Lugano, and scores of other well known places. That's like leaving Chicago, New Orleans, and Newport Beach out of a USA travel guide. Instead the 50 Swiss pages are on Gimmelwald (NOT Grindelwald) and surroundings. So what's with Gimmelwald? Steves says "For some travelers, there's little to see in the village. Others (like me) enjoy a fascinating day sitting on a bench and learning why they say 'If heaven isn't what it's cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald.'" What a choke. Steves recommends that you spend thousands of dollars to go sit on a bench and stare at the sky at some unknown crossroads? There is more. This "best" book did include enough pages to promote his ridicuously expensive whirlwind guided bus tours, videos, backpacks, sink stoppers (I'm not making this up!), and Steves' other branded products. Huckster Steves is strong on self promotion but weak on meaningful content.

For the good stuff, the links below take you directly to a page at Amazon.com. That page details the book or map, and in some cases includes readers' comments and sample pages from the book.You then have the opportunity to add the book to your shopping cart and buy it. Amazon.com pays a small commission to Enjoy-Europe.com when you click a title here and then order the book.

Note: emphasis in the titles is mine -- to help you in finding the information you need. Don't worry too much about publication dates. Many books are updated every three to six years. The monuments and cathedrals haven't moved in 500 years!