The official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh. 65% of the population speak German in the various Schwyzerdütschen dialect forms (eastern, northern and central Switzerland); 22.6% French (western and south-western Switzerland); 8.3% Italian (Canton Ticino/Ticino) and 0.5% Romansh (Canton Graubünden/Grisons). 6% speak other languages.
Idioms
= Ça va bien Wednesday = Mercredi Monday = Lundi Tomorrow = Demain No = Non Nine = Neuf Ninety = Quatre-vingt dix Open = Ouvert Restaurant = Restaurant Saturday = Samedi Six = Six Sixty = Soixante Seven = Sept Seventy = Soixante-dix Sunday = Dimanche menu = Menu Do you speak German/English? = Est-ce que vous parlez allemand/anglais? Toilets = Toilets Four = Quatre Forty = Quarante Wine = Vin How are you? = Comment ça va? How much is it? = Combien est-ce que ça coûte? Where is …? = Où est …? Ten = Dix Twenty = Vingt Two = Deux Saturday = Samedi Six = Six Sixty = Soixante Seven = Sept Seventy = Soixante-dix Sunday = Dimanche Menu = Menu Do you speak German/English? = Est-ce que vous parlez allemand/anglais? Toilets = Toilets Four = Quatre Forty = Quarante Wine = Vin How are you? = Comment ça va? How much is it? = Combien est-ce que ça coûte? Where is …? = Où est …? Ten = Dix Twenty = Vingt Two = Deux Saturday = Samedi Six = Six Sixty = Soixante Seven = Sept Seventy = Soixante-dix Sunday = Dimanche Menu = Menu Do you speak German/English? = Est-ce que vous parlez allemand/anglais? Toilets = Toilets Four = Quatre Forty = Quarante Wine = Vin How are you? = Comment ça va? How much is it? = Combien est-ce que ça coûte? Where is …? = Où est …? Ten = Dix Twenty = Vingt Two = Deux Wine = Vin How are you? = Comment ça va? How much is it? = Combien est-ce que ça coûte? Where is …? = Où est …? Ten = Dix Twenty = Vingt Two = Deux Wine = Vin How are you? = Comment ça va? How much is it? = Combien est-ce que ça coûte? Where is …? = Où est …? Ten = Dix Twenty = Vingt Two = Deux
[*] These public holidays are not observed in some cantons.
There are other public holidays (half or full days) in various cantons.
Duty free shopping
Overview
The following items can be imported duty-free into Switzerland: 250 cigarettes/cigars or 250 g of other tobacco products (persons aged 17 and over). 5 liters of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of up to 18% and 1 liter of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 18% (persons aged 17 and over); 1 kg of meat (excluding game and fish) (only imports from EU countries and Norway allowed); 1 kg butter/cream; 5 kg oils, fats, margarine. All imported goods may not exceed the value of 300 CHF.
Prohibited Imports
narcotics, absinthe. Strict regulations exist for importing meat and meat products, butter, food, poisons, firearms and ammunition, soil, plants and plant material. The import of souvenirs made from endangered animals and plants (e.g. furs, ivory, etc.) is prohibited. The import of all food of animal origin from non-EU countries is prohibited in tourist traffic. This import ban applies to all types of meat and meat products, milk and milk products (cheese, butter), eggs, honey and products in hermetically sealed containers (preserves). The import of self-caught fish and game killed by hunters is only possible under conditions for commercial import. More information is available from Countryaah.com.
Contact addresses
Embassy of the Swiss Confederation
Honorary consulates in Bregenz, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg.
Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 9 a
Wien
Austria
+43 (1) 795 05.
http://www.eda.admin.ch/wien
http://www.eda.admin.ch/wien
Consular Center: Mon-Fri 09.00-12.00. Afternoon by appointment.
Embassy of the Swiss Confederation
Consulates General in Frankfurt/M., Munich and Stuttgart. Honorary consulates in Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Emmendingen near Freiburg i. Br., Erfurt, Hamburg, Nuremberg.
Mon-Fri 09.00-12.00. Afternoon by prior arrangement.
consular section of the embassy
Honorary consulates in Bregenz, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg.
Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 9 a
Wien
Austria
+43 (1) 795 05.
http://www.eda.admin.ch/wien
http://www.eda.admin.ch/wien
Mon-Fri 09.00-12.00. Afternoon by appointment.
Business
Business etiquette
Business cards are common.
Opening hours
Business hours are usually Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. In Geneva, the working day usually starts an hour earlier.
Business contacts
Communication
Phone
According to Abbreviationfinder.org, the country code is 0041. There are no longer any public telephones in Switzerland. Emergency numbers are: police 117, ambulance 144 and fire brigade 118.
Mobile phone
3G and 4G. The main network operators are Swisscom and Orange. International roaming agreements exist. The network quality and coverage is excellent and is also getting better and better in rural areas. Mobile phones are called Natel in Switzerland. Local SIM cards are usually sold in newsagents and kiosks. Salt offers, among other things, prepaid SIM cards.
Internet
Internet providers include Swisscom, Monzoon and UPC. They offer paid WiFi through numerous hotspots. Internet cafes are everywhere. Numerous train stations and airports, large ski areas (Davos Klosters, Laax, Saas-Fee, St. Moritz and Zermatt) as well as many hotels, pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and other companies offer free Wi-Fi after registration. SBB FreeSurf can be used on all SBB long-distance trains within Switzerland. Foreign travelers can surf the Internet free of charge using a SIM card from a mobile phone provider participating in SBB FreeSurf. Mobile surfing on the Internet is also made possible by the chargeable Goodspeed Wi-Fi hotspots and Travelers Wi-Fi.
Post office
Letters can take up to 3 days to arrive. Poste restante items can be sent to all post offices. Post office opening hours: Mon-Fri 07.30-12.00 and 13.45-18.30. Post offices close at 11am on Saturday.
Radio
Numerous radio stations from Germany and Austria can be received via Astra satellites or via the Internet in Switzerland.
