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9 Things You Need to Know when Visiting Switzerland

9 Things You Need to Know when Visiting Switzerland

1. Weather, seasons, and good times to visit

Switzerland has four seasons: spring, summer, winter and autumn. Like many European countries with a variety of different topography The weather in each region is different as well. Overall, the weather in Switzerland is cool. In the summer it’s not so hot. There are often rainy days alternating with sunny days and clear skies.

As for winter, it’s cold. Especially in the Alps there is heavy and thick snow. Therefore, having fun in Switzerland should follow the forecast in advance which some days may be sunny rain overcast sky Which is something that everyone doesn’t like, right? Knowing this, we can change our goals in time. Including as information in deciding whether we are going to go up the mountain or not. Because if the weather is not good and the clouds cover us, we won’t be able to see the peaks and beautiful views. Weather is now easy to track. with applications available on every smartphone I can tell you the information on an hourly basis.

2. Visa

For Tourists who want to travel to Switzerland or other European countries, Visa must be submitted before departure. To travel to Switzerland alone or the longest stay in Switzerland on that trip It is best to apply for a Schengen visa from the Swiss Embassy.

Once the visa has been obtained, we can travel to Switzerland and other countries in the Schengen visa group up to 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Latvia. Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Slovakia Spain Sweden Norway Iceland Switzerland and Liechtenstein It also allows multiple entry Schengen visa holders to travel to Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia, whether by train.

Airbuses to other Schengen countries will not have passports for visas checked at immigration. until traveling outside of these countries And whether to re-enter or not depends on the conditions in the visa. If it’s a single visa, it can only go in and out once, but if it’s a multiple visa, it can go in and out many times within the period specified on the visa.

3. Accommodation

Accommodation in Switzerland In terms of price, it seems to be more expensive than accommodation in neighboring countries. According to the cost of living, which is considered to be expensive in Switzerland, so book accommodation in advance for a long time. Before traveling is something that should be done. In addition to getting a cheaper price than a tight booking, You can also choose a good location as well. If planning a trip by Swiss train It’s best to find a hotel located near the main train station of each city, within 5-10 minutes, or on a bus route.

Planning a trip to Switzerland does not require frequent changes of accommodation. It’s best to stay in just a few big cities, whether it’s Zurich, Lucerne, Bern or Lausanne. which these big cities can easily travel to neighboring cities on a day trip Some days you may be able to visit several small towns, but if you want to change the atmosphere of accommodation in smaller towns, you can do so, such as Interlaken or Zermatt.

You can also choose to stay in towns or in rural villages to immerse yourself in nature up close. Most Swiss hotels in the room rate include a buffet breakfast, which includes tea and coffee with bread, butter, jam, boiled eggs, ham, sausage and cheese, as well as a breakfast of cereal and fruit. Make arrangements before leaving the accommodation. Because in the morning the restaurant outside is usually not open yet.

4. Money

Switzerland uses its own franc (CHF, SFr.) currency. But the euro can be used in large stores. It is recommended to exchange Swiss Francs from Thailand as it will be easier. Will get a better exchange rate. 1 CHF is approximately 33-34 baht. Credit cards can be used without problems. Whether paying for hotels, fares, food expenses, or shopping in department stores. Supermarkets. In addition, ATM cards with the Plus or Cirrus sign can easily withdraw cash in francs from a kiosk. But there will be a service fee of 100-150 baht per time.

5. Electricity

Switzerland uses 220 volts. But most plugs are 2 round pins, sometimes have 3 holes, 2 round pin plugs can be used at all. If your electrical appliance is a different type of plug, you need to prepare a converter as well.

6. Drinking water

If you’re going to buy bottled water, it’s recommended to buy it from the supermarket, it’s cheaper than buying it from a street vendor or from a vending machine. However, the water from the hotel If there is no prohibition sign, you can drink it. You can make coffee and tea. including public springs that are commonly seen in various cities It is a well that has been eaten since ancient times with safety. So while traveling, you can bring your water bottle and refill it from the well.

In addition to drinking water from natural sources that flow down from mountain peaks or lakes. It also saves a lot of money in the pocket ever. The Swiss himself said with certainty that he had never bought bottled water.

7. Bathroom

Toilets in Switzerland are not difficult to find. There are both available for free, such as at tourist attractions, museums, toilets on Swiss trains are considered clean and can be comfortably used in major stations. Usually this is a paid bathroom. small station Most of them will be available for free. There are some that are coin-operated. Charge about 1-2 francs in general. Swiss toilets are reliable in terms of cleanliness.

8. Food, supermarket

buying food rice appliances to beverages from the supermarket It’s a way to save a lot of money. There are two major Swiss supermarket brands in Switzerland that can be found at train stations. The city center of the community is COOP and MIGROG, which usually have a ready-to-eat/semi-finished food department, such as bread, sandwiches, burgers, salads, boxed meals, baked chicken, sausages, etc., or if you buy ingredients to cook yourself, there are fresh food.

Dried fruits, vegetables, ingredients, and ingredients are very easy to find. There is also a vending machine. Most of them sell snacks and drinks. It can be seen in the train platform area. Considered as a helper when suddenly hungry. After shopping for food, you may find a seat at the park or lakeside where there are often lawns along the way. I got the atmosphere too.

9. Phone/SIM Card

The fixed line operator in Switzerland is SWISSCOM. Public phone booths are almost no longer used because they all use smartphones. Then Swisscom turned to opening the Swisscom Shop, providing integrated communication services. both SIM card and internet If you stay in Switzerland for a long time, you can use this network service. However, nowadays Mobile operators in Thailand All have SIM cards that can be used in Switzerland and other European countries, such as Sim2Fly, TravelSIM, and GOinter.

Choose whichever one will work well. And also share the signal for travel companions to use as well. Save a lot, about 50 baht per day. Better than renting a Poket WI-FI, but there is a downside to the limited number of GBs you can use. Therefore, it is suitable for those who do not use the Internet very much. But if you want to be online all the time, it is recommended to use Poket WI-FI.