Switzerland has been ranked as the most livable country in the world and people have extremely high standards of life . Swiss watch, chocolate, fondues, scenic train rides and spectacular scenery makes this country so special. Switzerland has three official languages: German, French and Italian. Numerous United Nations Branches and International Organizations are located in this beautiful country. Switzerland has wonderful high-speed train network in the whole country, so connecting to all neighbor European countries.

Must Do

1. Buy the Swiss Travel Pass: Free unlimited traveling for 3, 4, 8 or 15 consecutive days. It also includes free trains, buses, boats and city transit (Super Deal if you plan to stay in Switzerland for several days). You may visit 2 or 3 cities within the same day.

2. Buy cooked foods (BBC chicken €7) from grocery stores rather than restaurants. Fast food restaurants are very pricy (e.g., Asian style fast food about €20, McDonalds Regular combo meal: €15).

3. Take advantage of the tourism offices in Switzerland and get all free resources of maps and information.

4. When you visit Zurich, visit The Polyterrasse between the ETH and University offers top views over Zurich's old Town.

5. Stay at old hotels for low price in Switzerland. Hotels are expensive in Switzerland. Comparing to expensive Scandinavian countries, Switzerland has much more cheaper options if you are willing to stay at some older hotels.

6. Airbnb has much lower price than hotels in Switzerland. Book Airbnb from the link below will save you $62 CAD/$43 USD/€41 instantly for your first stay anywhere around the world

https://www.airbnb.ca/c/weic3807?currency=CAD

7. When you visit Lugano, please try cheap eat pasta restaurant - Pasta e Pesto (down the hill from the train station).

8. Visit The Three Castles of Bellinzona (UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000).

9. I recommend tourists to visit and explore German and French speaking regions of Switzerland. You will see nice lakes, mountains and cities. Lugano's (Southern Italian speaking region of Switzerland's) landscape is similar to Gulin in China, but Gulin has much nicer scenery.

Avoid

Search Results

Web resulAvoid

1. Avoid buying swiss watches in Switzerland. You can pay much less in other European countries duty free shops.

2. Avoid buying international train tickets from SBB. Check other countries' website first (e.g., the same train from Zurich to Milan: SBB sells for CHF 24; Trenitalia only sells for €9).

3. Avoid flying to Switzerland directly. I found the flights to Swiss never on sale. You may fly to Switzerland's neighbor countries, such as France, Germany or Italy, then take the train heading to Switzerland.

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Trip Highlights (2013, 2017)

Salzburg to Zurich by train

We started our Switzerland trip in Zurich

Zurich is ranked as world's most livable city for many years

Beautiful Zurich Lake

Grossmunster, a nice church was built in 1220

Beautiful Lucerne

Many tourists stop in Lucerne and use it as hub to visit other cities in Switzerland

Lake Lucerne

In the morning, we traveled from Lucerne to Interlaken.

Stunning View of Interlaken

Beautiful Switzerland

I love Switzerland

We had a nice walk in Interlaken

Bern is the capital city of Switzerland. We traveled from Interlaken to Bern by train

Bern's Renaissance-style Bundeshaus (Parliament Building) stands on the edge of the high ground above the Aare River.

Bundeshaus (Parliament Building) in Bern

Bundeshaus (Parliament Building)

Bern is my favourite city in Switzerland

Bern

Bern Street

Berner Munster (Bern Cathedral of St. Vincent) is the most famous building in Bern. The Cathedral is Switzerland's largest church from the late Middle Ages and played a vital role in the overall development of the city's architecture.

Berner Munster

The 800-year-old Clock Tower (Zytglogge) is one of the most famous of Bern's landmarks and it is above the Western Gate Tower in the old section of town, this 23-meter tower is decorated with an immense astronomical clock. Beginning at just three minutes before every hour, a circus of mechanical creatures (The Fool, The Knight, The Rooster, The Piper and more) come out to put on a little show.

Clock Tower

Olympic Museum in Lausanne

Lake Geneva is so breathtaking! No wonder why IOC picked this beautiful city.

Lausanne

Lake Geneva in Lausanne

I wish that I could live in Lausanne forever

Castles of Bellinzona (UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000)

Lugano Street

We used Bellinzona as a base to visit Lugano

Lugano

Locarno

Ascona

1 comment:

Sienna Brown22 February 2022 at 23:08
Wonderful post! The informative tips and pictures of Switzerland that you shared in your blog might just come in handy when I start preparing my travel itinerary for Switzerland. I recently got my Switzerland visa and I will be visiting this charming country next month. Hoping to create some beautiful memories for life.