Embassy of Switzerland in Greece 2 Iasiou 11521 Athens Phone: +30 210 7230364-6 Fax: + 30 210 7249209 vertretung@ath.rep.admin.ch
Organizing your trip
Means of transport recommended in town
Recommendation
Switzerland has a very efficient and modern urban public transport system. There are tramways and light rail services in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Zürich. These and a further dozen cities also have trolleybuses.
Fare systems are generally automated with machines issuing single or multiple tickets at the roadside. There is a day ticket for travel in one or more Swiss cities on any given day at a standard fare.
Taxis are widely available and drivers expect a 15% tip.
Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country
Recommendation
Domestic air travel is fast but expensive. Most people prefer to travel by train or road.
Rail transport is well developed across the country. The Swiss railway company Schweizerische Bundesbahnen(SBB) and many other rail operators provide excellent services. Use of the SwissPass(Visit: Swiss Travel System website is a superb way to view the scenery.
The condition of roads is generally good. Postal motor coaches provide bus services even the remotest villages. However under the integrated national transport policy, few long-distance coaches are allowed to operate.
One aircraft company operates direct flight from Athens to Zurich : Swiss Air. To find out air connections from Greece to Switzerland click here
Traveling by yourself
Recommendation
The car registration sticker is compulsory in order to use Swiss highways. It is available at border posts, post offices, police stations. It is imperative to use snow tyres as soon as the weather requires it. In the event of an accident, call the police. The car insurance is compulsory. It is better to subscribe a good insurance policy since car repairs are very expensive.
Zürich (Switzerland's largest city) has many monuments to visit. One should definetly visit the gothicFraumünster with its stained-glass windows by Chagall; the imposing twin-towered Grossmünster cathedral; and the Swiss National Museum.
Visit the Horological Museum and watch-making factories at La-Chaux-de-Fonds In the elegant ancient city cenre of St Gallen, enjoy the baroque cathedral and famous Abbey Library (Stiftsbibliothek) in the old Benedictine monastery (incunabula and illuminated manuscripts), named a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO.
Some other important historical places to visit in the country are:
There are many beautiful lakes in Switzerland which could be visited by a lake cruise or ferry trip. These include Lake Zürich, Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and the picturesque Vierwaltstättersee at Luzern.
Also visit Berner Oberland, a major tourist area that includes spectacular scenery including famous peaks (Jungfrau, Mönch andEiger), mountain lakes, alpine streams and wild flowers.
One should not miss to visit one of Switzerland's most photogenic villages, Gruyères, home to the nation's most famous cheese, to explore its castle and various cheese factories.
Religious
In the ancient city of St Gallen, one can visit the baroque cathedral and famous Abbey Library (Stiftsbibliothek)in the old Benedictine monastery (incunabula and illuminated manuscripts), named a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO.
Thermal
Switzerland's has many thermal spa resorts. The Graubünden resorts of Arosa, Davos, Klosters and St Moritz are renowned the world over. Interlaken, near Bern, is another celebrated health resort and the gateway to the Berner Oberland.
Beach
There are no sea beaches in Switzerland.
Winter sports
These include skiing, ice climbing, ski touring, snowboarding, heli-skiing and glacier walking. Top ski areas include Portes du Soleil, Davos, Klosters, Zermatt, Verbier, Saas Fee and glamorous St Moritz.
Outdoor activities
Hiking is a favorite Swiss pastime.There are over 5,000km (31,070 miles) of marked trails. Hiking times are given on the signposts, and trails are colour-coded according to difficulty .
Cycling is another big outdoor activity. There are 3,300km (2,046 miles) of well-marked interlinked trails, and most of them offer easy cycling. Many railway stations offer bike hire (return it to any other station at the end of the tour) .
Shopping
Some of the traditional Swiss items one can shop for inlcude embroidery and linen, Bernese woodcarving, chocolate, cheese, Swiss army knives and luxury handmade clocks and watches. Zürich is the shopping capital. It has luxury boutiques and department stores of the reputed Bahnhofstrasse.
Switzerland is commonly associated with chocolate and cheese Fondues, but also has a rich and varied culinary tradition inspired by French, German and Italian cultures with some uniquely Swiss additions.
Traditional Swiss Fondues are a blend of Emmental and Gruyere cheeses, nutmeg, garlic, cornflour and Kirsch (Swiss Schnapps) all melted in a ceramic Fondue Pot into which diners dip small cubes of bread, and served with pickled gherkins and onions.
Some of the other national specialties are:
Viande sèchée (dried beef or pork) from Valais and the Grisons (where it is calledBündnerfleisch),served with pickled onions.
Pieds de porc (pigs' trotters).
Rösti (shredded fried potatoes).
Fondue Bourguignonne (cubed meat with various sauces).
Leckerli(spiced honey cakes topped with icing sugar), decorated in Bern with a white sugar bear.
Drinks
Tea, coffee and hot chocolate are the most common beverages, although tea tends to be drunk with a slice of lemon rather than milk. Lager beers such as Hurliman are drunk more in the German Cantons, with wine being drunk in the Italian and French Cantons.
Dietary restrictions
There are no culinary restrictions in Switzerland.
Paying
Domestic currency
Swiss Franc
ISO Code
CHF
To obtain domestic currency
There are ‘bureaux de change’ at train stations and banks.
Possible means of payment
Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs : American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. ATMs are widely available.
Traveller's Cheques: Pound Sterling, US Dollar, Euro or Swiss Franc cheques are accepted at airports, railway stations and banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, visitors are advised to take traveller's cheques in Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars.
Exchange rate on
Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)
To find out the locations of ATMs in in Switzerland, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express
Speaking
Official language
Switzerland has three official languages: German, french and Italian and four national languages: German, french, Italian and Romansch.
Do you accept the credit card? = Akzeptieren Sie Kreditkarten? Nehmen Sie Kreditkarten?
Where is...? = Wo ist?
Airport = der Flughafen
Train station = der Bahnhof
Post office = die Post
bank = die Bank
Police station = Polizeiwache
Pharmacy = die Apotheke
One ticket to. please = Eine Fahrkarte nach,
Would you have any available rooms for tonight ? = Haben Sie noch ein Zimmer frei?.
Free translation tools
Eurodicautom - The European Union Dictionary (12 languages available) Babel Fish - Free English-German-English translator of texts and web pages Leo - German-English-German dictionary with over 300,000 entries Babel Fish - Free French-English-French translation of texts and web pages Grand dictionnaire terminologique - Free French-English-French dictionary with 3 million terms Lexicool - Free Greek-French-Greek translator Babel Fish - Free Greek-French-Greek translator Lexilogo - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
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