Switzerland destination information

All you need to know before visiting Switzerland

Switzerland summary

Switzerland is a small country with around 8M Swiss. Official languages are Italian, French, Romansh and German. Switzerland uses metric system (kilograms, centimeters, °C). Time zone is UTC+01:00 with daylight saving time. Currency used in Switzerland is Swiss Franc (CHF).

🎫 Border Rank #️⃣ 114
🗺️ Passport Rank #️⃣ 30

ATMs in Switzerland are Very common. Internet speed in Switzerland is on average 16.7 Mbps. In Switzerland you drive on the right side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).

🏙️ Zurich
🗣️ German French Italian
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 8M ☀️ ~6 °C 🌧 ~127 mm 👍 Developed 🚩 41k km2 (16k mi²)
🎫 Visa Exemption
🗺️ Passport Strength
🏥 Health regulation
🛃 Customs rules
🏛️ Embassies

General

Socket 🔌

Switzerland uses 230V, 50Hz with sockets and plugs Type C and Type J.

Languages 🗣️

  • German
  • French
  • Italian

Money

Currency 💱

1 CHF = 1 USD

Switzerland uses the Swiss franc (symbol: Fr), code CHF.Banknotes come in denominations of 1000, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 francs. Franc is subdivided into 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of 5, 2 and 1 francs and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.

ATM 🏧🏦

Very common

Automatic teller machines are very common in Switzerland. You can find them in both large & small cities, tourist areas etc.You do not need a chip & PIN card to use an ATM — your standard magnetic card will work fine.

Tipping 💁🏽

Not expected, but can leave extra tip

Tipping is usually not expected in Switzerland. However, if you are satisfied with the service provided you can show your appreciation by leaving a small ‘extra’ tip. Receipts usually include a service charge. If there is a service charge there is no need to tip.

Card 💳

Widely accepted

Credit cards are widely accepted within Switzerland (at hotels, shops, and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies etc.). Visa, MasterCard and Maestro are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common. Diners Club is pretty rare. Discover, JCB, UnionPay and RuPay are unknown.

Phone

Mobile Phone 📱

Switzerland uses GSM mobile networks GSM 900 and GSM 1800.

Roaming 🌐

If you don't want to buy SIM card in Switzerland upon arrival, make sure to check the roaming charges with your telecom provider before your departure so there are no surprises when you return home.

Emergency Calls 🚨

Police :

+1 671-475-8498

Calling ☎️

International

To call Switzerland, dial +, then 41 (the country code for Switzerland), then the area code (without the initial 0) and the local number.

Locally

For local calls within Switzerland, start with the area code (with the initial 0). In the case above area code is 21 .


international: + 41 21 1234567
calling local: 021 1234567

Internet connection

Internet Speed 💯

Internet speed in Switzerland is on average 16.7 Mbps.

Wifi 📡

WiFi coverage in Switzerland is very high. Most hotels, hostels, cafes, restaurants and bars have it.

SIM Card #️⃣

You can buy a SIM card for about 30.26 CHF, which includes 1 GB of data plan. You can choose from 3 telecoms: Salt, Sunrise or Swisscom.

Driving

Rules 🚗

In Switzerland you drive on the right side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).

Limits 🚦

Unless otherwise posted, the speed limits for cars and motorcycles are as follows: 120 km/h (74 mph) on motorways, 120 km/h (74 mph) on expressways, 30 km/h (18 mph) in residential areas, 50 km/h (31 mph) in all built-up areas and 80-100 km/h (49-62 mph) on undivided highways.

Weather

Temperature 🌡️

Rainfall ☔

Countries nearby Switzerland


More on Switzerland travel and visa information

All the informations you need to schedule your trip to Switzerland.

🎫

Visa Exemption

Check who can come to Switzerland without visa requirement.

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Passport Strength

Check countries nationals of Switzerland can visit without visa.

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Health regulation

Want to visit Switzerland ? Check health regulation !

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Customs rules

Want to visit Switzerland ? Check customs regulation !

🏳️‍🌈

LGBT Destination info

Check if Switzerland is LGBT friendly for travel.

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Swiss embassies

Check list of Switzerland embassies around the globe !