Switzerland Travel Facts & Tips

ATM Availability	Available

Captial City	Bern

Dialing Code	(00) 41

Emergency Numbers	Ambulance 144 , police 177, fire 118

Weather	The weather in Switzerland varies greatly depending on where you are. Rochers de Nave, a mountain near Montreux, receives the highest precipitation (approximately 260 cm per year). Generally, precipitation is higher in Switzerland’s west - clouds often come in from the Atlantic coast. If you’re staying somewhere south of the Alps you are also likely to get a bit of rain. Lugano for example receives about 175 cm per year. North of the Alps you usually get dry and warm weather although often combined with heavy winds . Switzerland’s average amount of sunshine per year is approximately 1700 hours, although some villages in the canton Valais claim that they get about 2300 hours of sunshine.

Tourist Board website	http://www.myswitzerland.com

Most Famous For	the Matterhorn, cheese, clocks

Useful Phrases	Gruezi (hello), adieu (goodbye), merci (thank you)

Accommodation	In most of Switzerland’s tourist areas you’ll find a tourist office where you can call and have them book a hotel or hostel for you (for a small fee). Generally, each town has a list of hotels and links to hostels, etc. on their web site. Calling the various hotels/hostels to make a reservation is often easier than making an online reservation. Many hotels will ask you fax or email them your credit card information to secure your reservation. Particularly in popular ski resorts, staying in a hotel in Switzerland can get quite expensive so a hostel would be a cheaper alternative (e.g. via the hostel network for students). Other types of accomodation are also available such as historic/traditional hotels, inns in the countryside, spas as well as bed and breakfasts.

Business Hours	Banks are open Monday - Friday 08.00-12.00, and then again from 14.00-17.00. Shops' normal opening hours are Monday - Friday 08.00-12.00, then from 13.30-18.30, Saturday 08.00-12.00, and then 13.30-16.00. Standard shops aren't open on Sundays.

Visas	Visas are not required for citizens of the EU. Passport holders of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa do not require a visa for stays up to three months, but must obtain one for longer trips. Other nationalities must obtain passports for all stays.

Tipping	In restaurants the menu prices will include a service charge. However, it's quite common to round up amounts when paying the waiter or waitress if you're happy with the service you received e.g. 33.50 may be rounded to 35.00. If you're paying by credit card, you can tip the waiter by giving him/her 5% of the price in cash. In Zurich's taxis the service charge is included in cab fares, however that is not the case in most other parts of the country. Here you can also simply add 5%where you're happy with the service you've received.

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