One nite in Zurich Switzerland

Travel Tips

Zurich: The Welcome 24 pass is now called the ZurichCard and costs CHF15.00 instead of CHF10.80. It gives free passage from the airport to the city, around the city using tram and bus, and the boat ride on the Zurichsee. It also gives free passes to almost all museums and attractions in Zurich.Mohamad Zolkipli, Malaysia (Aug 05)
Lots of tourists who arrive in Switzerland aren't aware that Switzerland isn't an EU member and, therefore, doesn't use Euro. Somehow in big hotels and department stores, you can usually pay in Euro, but they only accept banknotes and you will get your change in Swiss francs and the exchange rate is bad. Euro coins are worthless in Switzerland (except for the two-euro ones which you can use for making calls in some public telephone booths, but, then again, it's bad value). You should change all your Euro coins into notes before arriving in Switzerland and then change them into Swiss Francs at a bank as soon as you arrive in the country (since smaller shops, restaunts, taxis, buses and cinemas accept only Swiss francs).

Since 29th March 2002, even when making local calls, you must dial a city code first. For example, if you want to call a hotel in Lucerne from Lucerne's main railway station, you must dial Lucerne's city code 041 first and then the hotel's number. S. Ek Aramkun, Switzerland (Sep 02)

In your recent editions of "Switzerland" you've said that as of April 2001, the initial '0' in the phone numbers has been dropped. This isn't entirely true. With the deregulation, a lot of small businesses, especially if they had a webpage, switched to a company other than Swisscom. It is only Swisscom numbers that drop the initial '0'. Most large hotels and businesses, residential numbers, etc will take this change, but if readers complain that a number doesn't work, it probably still contains the first zero. Andrea McEneaney, Canada (Mar 02)

For many travellers from Down Under and Britain it's a pain to travel without vegemite or marmite. In Switzerland there's a substitute available that's called 'Cenovis'. I guess for travellers with kids this is something good to know. H. Friedl, Switzerland (Mar 01)

There is a free magazine available called "Swiss Backpacker News" which has listings of all the independent hostels in Switzerland as well as information on some places to visit. It comes out several times a year which is useful as it lists forthcoming local festivals. They have an Internet site at www.backpacker.ch.
You can actually "borrow" bikes for the day in both Geneva and Zurich for a deposit which is returned when you bring the bike back safely. There are several pick-up points in both Geneva and Zurich.
The walking in the Jungfrau region was awesome. A very useful map was the Schweizer Wanderwege 1:50 000 sheet "Interlaken" which covers Interlaken along the valleys to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and lakes Thun and Brienz. All the walking paths and mountain paths are clearly marked.
Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate Factory, Zurich: after cycling out to the factory, we found out that in actual fact, the museum is rarely open and you should always phone a few days in advance to find out whether it is going to be open or not. But we still got free chocolates from the person at reception, so it wasn't a complete loss. Jonathan Rodgers (Jun 00)


Don't use the train pass when you go to Mt Rigi in Luzern as you will only get a reduction of CHF10 and you wont be able to use the ticket for the mountain train to the top. Instead, if you buy the whole ticket (including the boat and train to the top) by showing your train pass, you can get a good discount and you'll get a free coupon which enables you to take a sleigh on the top or have some soup and bread for free. As the coupon is written in German, ask the crew on the boat. Yong Gyun Ghim, Korea (Apr 00)


Moving About
If you are travelling from Italy to Switzerland and have some spare time, it 's worthwhile changing the route: instead of the usual Milan-Chiasso-Lugano-(Luzern-wherever) take a train in the direction of Milan-Lecco-Tirano and then the Swiss local Rhaetishe Bahn up in the mountains to St. Moritz and down to Chur. You will be rewarded with beautiful scenery on the banks of Lago di Como (which takes the name Lago di Lecco) and with amazing views from the Swiss train, which climbs from 400 meters to 2200 meters. Jan Hruza, Czech Republic (Oct 00)


Gems, Highlights & Attractions
One has to visit the muenster in Basel including a visit of the tower. You have a fantastic view over the city and the tower climb is quite adventurous. It is just amazing how far up you can go there and you need to be free from giddiness. The 3CHF are worth it.Jutta Schaller, Switzerland (Oct 05)


St Gallen's OLMA festival in October is a week long exhibition in which all the farmers come to show off their livestock and buy their produce. There's a big parade at the start of the week, with local farmers and tradespeople from all over the region and beyond, weaving through the narrow streets on floats behind full brass bands. There's also a funfair and market in the area around Museum Strasse and the library. In the OLMA complex itself, about ten minutes walk east out of town on St. Jakob str., there are all kinds of exhibits, a chance to get to know some real Appenzell cows, taste some extra strong cheese and bet on the crowd pleasing pig races. The pig races are especially fun!

The 'old' new year celebration in the small town of Urnäsch, in the canton of Appenzell, is really worth going to see. Every January 13th (unless that's a Sunday, in which case it's the 12th)gangs of locals dressed up as 'ugly' and 'beautiful' sprites stomp through the snow to outlying farms banging huge cow bells and 'singing' in high pitched voices. The 'ugly' sprites look like big fir trees with twisted faces, the 'beautiful' ones wear handmade headdresses which depict scenes of happiness such as a wedding or good harvest. If you can squeeze yourself into a restaurant in the town itself you get treated to floor show after floor show as the various groups come into the bar to drive away the bad spirits and bring in the good.


There's a great place to swim in St Gallen, at the three lakes on the hill above the city. You can walk up the hill or take the mühleggbahn there, the tiny cable car which runs from just behind the cathedral to the top of the hill. You can swim for free in one of the lakes which have changing facilities and a little kiosk open in summer, or pay to get into the more maintained family pool further on. There's also a cheap restaurant up there with great views over the city and towards Lake Constance. Christian Lisseman, Switzerland (Mar 02)


The small Swiss German towns surrounding the Ara River between Zurich and Bern have (I think) the best location, as you are only an hour (at the most) from either city, the German border, and some great skiing in the Alps. Plus the biking is amazing, with waterfalls, campsites and great bars all over the area. Amanda Fay Szumutku, Canada (Apr 01)

I have some information about a wonderful musuem in Hergiswil, Kanton Luzern. Glasi Hergiswil is the oldest glass factory in Switzerland, founded in 1817. It includes a recorded tour (available in English and German) through an exhibition about the history of glass and the factory itself. I really enjoyed the well though out exhibition with its syncronized lighting, sound and video recordings.


The best part of the whole attraction is the factory itself. From a platform above the 10 or so glass makers I had a great view of them moulding and blowing the glass into shape. It was fascinating! Their handmade glass products are sold all over Switzerland and entry is free. It's open 9am to noon then 1.30pm to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm on Saturday. Melissa Bowtell, Australia (Feb 01)


A great way to see some of the back woods in Switzerland is to take the slow train from Interlaken to Lucerne. It is only a little bit slower than going to Bern and switching, but has some great views. It winds its way up into the mountains; you stop at some really tiny stations where there is still snow in late May and go past lots of small traditional houses and farms. An incredibly relaxing trip. Andrea McEneaney, Canada (Apr 00)

If you're visiting Switzerland and want to get off-the-beaten-track, head to the Valle de Joux. It's a quick 45 minute drive up and over a mountain pass from either Geneva or Lausanne and may be easily reached by train.
We were fortunate enough to live in one of the five tiny villages surrounding the Lac de Joux and we both believe it is truly a hidden gem. If you like wind surfing, sailing, cycling, hiking or cross-country skiing, this is the place for you. It's so off-the-beaten-track that even most Swiss will look at you with blank looks when you mention the place.


If you want to catch a glimpse of some of the finest watch making facilities in the world - most of the big names are head quartered here - or take a step back in time and wonder what the country was like 40 years ago - this is the place for you. There are hotels and pensions available as well as two camping grounds. Don't miss a side trip to the Grottes des Vallorbes to see some magnificent cave formations.