Discover Switzerland

Switzerland is small, landlocked and mountainous to a degree that organises everything else about it. It is a federal republic of 26 cantons — federated states with permanent constitutional status and a degree of independence well beyond that of most countries' regions — and it contains four principal linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh.

There is no capital, strictly speaking. Switzerland has no de jure capital at all. Bern is the federal city and the seat of the national government, chosen in 1848 partly for its closeness to the French-speaking area; Zurich is the largest city. If a quiz ever asks, that is the answer.

The land divides into three topographical areas: the Alps across the centre and south, about sixty per cent of the country; the Swiss Plateau, where most people live, open and hilly, part forest and part pasture, holding the large lakes and the biggest cities; and the Jura along the west. Forty-eight mountains reach 4,000 metres or more — Monte Rosa the highest at 4,634 metres, the Matterhorn the best known, both in the Pennine Alps in Valais on the Italian border. The Alpine glaciers cover 1,063 square kilometres, and from them rise the headwaters of the Rhine, the Rhône, the Ticino and the Inn, which leave in four directions and spread across Europe.

The confederation begins as a defensive and commercial alliance among valley communities of the central Alps; the Federal Charter of 1291 is treated as its founding document, sovereignty was recognised at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, and the modern federal state dates from 1848. Switzerland has held to armed neutrality since the sixteenth century and has not fought an international war since 1815. It joined the Council of Europe in 1964 and the United Nations only in 2002. It is the birthplace of the Red Cross and hosts the headquarters or offices of most of the major international institutions — the WTO, the WHO, the ILO, FIFA, the WEF and the UN among them.

Two curiosities of the map: Switzerland contains two enclaves belonging to other countries — Büsingen is German and Campione d'Italia Italian — and has no exclaves of its own.

Getting around is the easy part. The rail network is the densest in Europe and virtually all of it is electrified, and Swiss residents use it more heavily than any other Europeans. Start wherever you land; the timetable will do the rest.

What are the emergency numbers?

112 for anything. Otherwise 117 police, 144 medical, 118 fire, 1414 for Rega, the air rescue service, and 140 for roadside assistance.

Do I need a vignette to drive?

Yes, for any motorway, and no vignette means a heavy fine on the spot. One year's validity; buy it at a border crossing, petrol station, post office or tourist office, by phone on +800 1002 0030, or online.

What do I do if I have an accident?

Use the orange emergency phones on the motorway network.

What is the capital?

Strictly, there is none. Switzerland has no de jure capital; Bern is the federal city and the de facto seat of government, and Zurich is the largest city.

What language will people speak?

Four are official: German (62 per cent), French (23), Italian (8) and Romansh (0.5). Which one depends entirely on where you are standing.

Is it in the EU?

No. Switzerland is not a member, and the franc, not the euro, is the currency.

Can I take a dog into the national park?

No — not even on a lead. Nor may you leave the marked paths, camp, cycle, swim or pick anything up, and the fines are posted.