Practical Information for visiting Switzerland

The currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). Switzerland is not in the eurozone, though euros are accepted at many tourist businesses, stations and hotels — at a poor rate, with change given in francs.

Cards and mobile payment are accepted almost everywhere, including on buses and at mountain huts, and the country is largely cashless in practice. Keep a little cash for small mountain restaurants, honesty stalls selling cheese and fruit at the roadside, and public toilets.

ATMs are plentiful and reliable. Exchange offices at stations are convenient and rarely the best rate.

Tipping is not expected. Service is included by law and prices shown are what you pay; rounding up or leaving a few francs for good service is normal and entirely optional.

Switzerland is expensive across the board, and restaurant prices in particular are a shock. Supermarket lunches, the Coop and Migros cafeterias, and the standard menu of the day at lunchtime are the ordinary ways to manage it.

Coverage for mobile networks is among the best in Europe, with 5G in the cities and along the main valleys and 4G in almost every inhabited place. Signal reaches a surprising number of summits, because the cable car stations carry it, and drops in the deeper side valleys and on high traverses.

Switzerland is not in the EU, so EU roaming rules do not apply and charges can be high — check before arriving. Local prepaid SIMs from Swisscom, Salt and Sunrise are sold at stations and supermarkets, and eSIMs are widely supported.

Free Wi-Fi is available at stations, on most intercity trains, and in hotels and cafes. Speeds are high nationally.

If you are walking in the mountains, download offline maps and note the emergency number 1414 for Rega, the air rescue service, which works from any phone with signal.

Switzerland is among the safest countries in the world. Violent crime is rare, public transport is safe at any hour, and solo travel is straightforward. The genuine risks here are almost entirely in the mountains.

Alpine hazards cause the great majority of visitor deaths and injuries: falls on exposed paths, weather that turns within an hour, altitude, crevasses on glaciers, and rockfall from thawing permafrost. In high-altitude zones conditions can change rapidly even in summer. Check forecasts, be equipped for the worst case rather than the forecast, carry a map, compass, GPS and a charged phone, tell someone your route, do not go alone, and turn back when the conditions say so.

Avalanches are a risk particularly during heavy snow, and people die every season. Off-piste skiing is very dangerous for exactly this reason. Carry search equipment: an avalanche beacon is the most common device and, used properly, the fastest way of locating a buried person — the advice is to carry one for any snow or mountain sport, not only for touring.

Insurance is part of the safety equipment. For skiing, potholing and mountaineering, and for anything classed as particularly dangerous — off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding, BASE jumping — the policy must cover emergency rescue and repatriation. Mountain rescue here is excellent and expensive.

Cold water. Alpine lakes and rivers stay very cold all summer, and the Aare and the Rhine have strong currents. River swimming is a national pastime and drownings happen every year.

Pickpocketing occurs in Zurich and Geneva stations, at Basel carnival and in crowded tourist spots, and is about the extent of urban crime a visitor will meet.

Swiss healthcare is among the best in the world and correspondingly expensive. EU and UK visitors are covered for necessary treatment with a valid EHIC or GHIC; everyone else pays privately, and costs are high, so insurance including helicopter rescue and repatriation matters here more than in most of Europe.

Vaccinations: routine cover is sufficient. Tick-borne encephalitis is the one worth considering — ticks are present in forest and long grass below about fifteen hundred metres and are a genuine risk from spring to autumn. Vaccination is recommended for anyone spending time outdoors, and checking for ticks after a walk is standard practice here.

Altitude. Cable cars deliver people to three thousand metres and above within minutes, and mild altitude sickness is common at the Jungfraujoch and similar. Take it slowly, drink water, and descend if symptoms are more than a headache.

Sun. UV at altitude is far stronger than at sea level and reflects off snow and ice. High-factor sunscreen and sunglasses are not optional above two thousand metres, in any season.

Tap water is excellent and drinkable everywhere, including from the public fountains in most towns unless marked otherwise.

Punctuality is a courtesy, not a preference. Arriving late without warning is genuinely rude, and trains leave to the second.

Quiet hours are enforced. Most buildings and communes have rules restricting noise at night and on Sundays — no drilling, mowing or loud music, and in some apartment blocks no washing machines. Sunday is quiet by law in much of the country.

Recycling is strict. Glass by colour, PET, aluminium, paper and batteries are separated, and in many communes household rubbish must go in an official taxed bag. Putting the wrong thing out is an offence people are fined for.

Greet people. Say Grüezi or bonjour on entering a shop, a lift or a small restaurant, and greet everyone you pass on a mountain path. Handshakes are standard; three kisses among friends in the French-speaking part.

Jaywalking is not done, even on an empty street at midnight, and doing it in front of children attracts disapproval.

Illegal drugs, cannabis included, carry severe penalties. Expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling — including when you are only transiting through the airport. Swiss trains have designated quiet carriages, and people use them properly.

Emergency numbers: 112 works for everything and is the one to remember. Nationally, 117 is police, 118 fire, 144 ambulance, 1414 is Rega, the Swiss air rescue service, and 140 is roadside assistance.

Rega operates helicopter rescue across the country and will fly in conditions most services will not. It is the number for anyone in trouble in the mountains.

On the road. If you are involved in a car accident, use the orange emergency phones on the motorway network to ask for help.

Medical. Cantonal hospitals in every region are of a very high standard, and university hospitals in Zurich, Bern, Basel, Geneva and Lausanne handle complex cases. Pharmacies operate an out-of-hours rota posted on the door.

Mountain safety. Check the weather forecast and, in winter, the avalanche bulletin, and make sure you are equipped for the worst case rather than the forecast. Carry a map, compass, GPS and a charged phone outside the towns, do not go alone, consider a guide, and leave your route with someone. The SAC hut network is staffed in season and the huts are refuges as well as accommodation.