Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 116 Transcript

What To Know Before Your First Trip To Switzerland

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Intro  

Are you dreaming of visiting Switzerland? Planning a trip to Switzerland is very exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you choose which of the many scenic cities, towns and villages to visit, which mountain top excursions should you take? And what’s the best way to get around Switzerland and of course, how much of the country can you realistically see within your time frame? If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, this is the podcast for you. This is the Holidays to Switzerland travel podcast. And in each episode, your host Carolyn Schönafinger chats with Swiss travel experts to answer your most commonly asked questions, provide practical tips and take you on a virtual visit to the most popular destinations, and, of course, some hidden gems to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. And you’ll hear plenty of conversations about Swiss cheese and chocolate too. Are you ready to plan your trip to Switzerland? Well, let’s get started. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Hi there, and welcome to this week’s episode of the podcast. There’s so much to learn before you visit a country for the very first time, from knowing the language that is spoken and the currency that is used to what time the shops open and what kind of cuisine you can expect, and in Switzerland’s case, some of the norms that you may be familiar with in other Central European countries don’t apply. So if you’ve traveled to countries like Germany or Italy or France previously, you may expect that like them, Switzerland uses the euro and only has one official language. But that’s not the case, as you’ll discover in this episode. Today I’m joined by Kathrin Spinnler. Kathrin grew up and studied in Switzerland before moving to the UK seven years ago. She now works as a content manager for a Swiss company called Rigby. As part of that, she runs the living in Switzerland podcast and newsletter. She’s also a book translator and a German and English teacher, so she’s very well qualified to share some essential info about Switzerland for first time visitors. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Hi, Kathrin, welcome back to the podcast.

Kathrin Spinnler  

Hi Carolyn, thanks for having me back.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Oh, it’s fantastic to have you here. I must say, when I decided to record an episode with interesting and helpful information for first time travelers to Switzerland, you were the first person that I thought of to share all this info as a Swiss national, you know the answers to all these questions I’ve got for you. So thank you very much for agreeing to share all that with everyone today. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, amazing. I’m looking forward to it. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Great. So I guess we could call this maybe a getting to know Switzerland episode. So the logical place to start would be with the history of the country. And in my sort of preparation for this interview, I did a bit of reading and found out that the land that we now know as Switzerland was first settled around 500 BC. So obviously a lot has changed in the past two and a half 1000 years. So when was Switzerland, as we know it today, actually founded? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, so actually, archeologists are finding new evidence all the time, and apparently the oldest traces of humans are about 400,000 years old in that area. But obviously back then, it wasn’t Switzerland at all. And then the first permanent settlements happened around 11,000 years ago, so in the stone and bronze ages, and these were just stilt houses on the shores of some of the Swiss lakes. And then, as you said, in the third or fourth century BC, Switzerland became part of the Roman Empire, and then this Roman rule ended in the fifth and sixth centuries AD. So then next came the Middle Ages, and like the rest of Europe, there was a lot of migration in sort of the Swiss area, and the Germanic peoples came, and Christianity was actually already established by the Romans, but it spread a lot more in this time, and the church became a really important land owner. And then in 1291, which is an important year for Switzerland, on the first of August that year, the three founding fathers of Switzerland signed the federal charter. So the Bundes belief, which is also called the Letter of Alliance, because they became allies against the Habsburg dynasty and some other powers in the area that were sort of overpowering these smaller states. And it’s not actually proven that this is historically accurate. It. So I believe there were many such letters signed, and this federal charter was just one of them, but still it’s a really important date and time for Switzerland. And this is still celebrated every year. So the first of August is considered the birthday of Switzerland. And then on 12 September, 1848 the Switzerland became a Federal Republic of autonomous cantons. So that’s also really important, because it’s still like this. There are cantons, so these are like maybe states in Switzerland, and they do still have really a lot of power to make their own decisions. So for example, they set their own taxes a lot of the time, and the education system can be completely different from one Canton to the other. So this republic of autonomous cantons is still very much a thing, and actually, Switzerland is still changing. So the newest development was the Canton of Euro split off from the Canton of Bern, and that was only in 1979 so not that long ago, we received a new Canton, and the borders of that are actually still being determined. We had to vote this year on allowing another part of Bern to become part of Europe, so the borders of Switzerland internally are still changing.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Wow. Okay, even though that Canton split way back in 1979

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yes, but I think it’s because it’s more French speaking and Bern is more German speaking, and then one area, a French speaking part of Bern would rather be part of Europe, and so they want to separate from Bern. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Yeah. Okay, yeah, that sounds reasonable. Now, one thing that confuses many people is the two letter country code of Switzerland, which is CH. So how did that come about? Why is it CH?

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, that’s an interesting one, isn’t it? I sometimes get people who are very confused by my email address, which ends in.ch and they think, I don’t know. I’m from China or something. So that stands for Confederacio Helvetica. And Confederacio, obviously, is Latin for Confederation. And then Helvetica is actually another name for Switzerland, after a Celtic tribe that used to live there. And another good thing about this, because Switzerland has four national languages, and so it’s a bit hard to find a name that works in all languages. And this Confederacio Helvetica is just Latin, so it’s quite neutral towards all the four languages.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Ah, okay, Switzerland does love its neutrality, that’s for sure. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

That’s right, yeah. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay, so can you tell us a bit about the Switzerland of today? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah. So the country is quite small. It covers an area of 41,285 kilometers squared. So that’s 15,940 square miles. And it’s got five neighboring countries, and they are France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Lichtenstein, Switzerland gets along really well with all of them, but Lichtenstein is kind of the closest ally. So that’s a tiny little country in the east of Switzerland, and they actually have the same currency and the transport system. So if you get a ticket for Swiss trains, sort of a regional pass or something, you can probably also go to Liechtenstein with it. And they also have exchange of workers and everything. It’s quite free the borders between Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay. And there’s quite a large portion of Switzerland that is made up of the Alps, isn’t there? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah. So Switzerland is split up into roughly three parts, and they go down almost like stripes from top to bottom, horizontal stripes. So at the top is the Jura mountains, and they’re about 11% of the total surface area, and they’re not as big as the Alps, but they’re also really picturesque, with nice meadows and little towns. And then comes the central plateau, which is about 31% of the area, and that’s where most people live, because it’s flatter, it’s more hospitable for building there. And then there’s the Alps, and that’s about 58% actually, of the surface area, so a large proportion, but not a lot of people live there. So of the population, which I think has just reached 9 million, more than two thirds live in the central plateau, 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Right. Okay. Now, I know there’s a bit of confusion. Sometimes people would assume that Zurich, being the largest city is the capital city of Switzerland, but that’s not the case, is it? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

That’s not the case? No. So Bern is considered the capital city, even though it’s a very small city. It has under 200,000 inhabitants. But the Federal Palace is located there, so it is a de facto capital. Zurich, though, is the biggest city, so there are over 400,000 people living in Zurich. And then in the general, sort of broader Zurich area, there’s over a million and this is followed by Geneva and Basel, which are. Also both quite larger cities, but yeah, Bern is located sort of in the heart of Switzerland, and is the capital. And then in terms of the cantons, there are 26 of them. And the languages, there are four, as I said, and the biggest one that the one that’s most spoken, is German and Swiss German. And then there’s also French, which is quite big about I think a little more than 20% of people in Switzerland speak French, and then Italian, about 8% in the south of Switzerland, close to the border with Italy. And then the smallest language is Romansh, which is less than 1% of the population speaks it in the very eastern areas, the remote mountainous areas of Switzerland. You might only encounter this if you’re in a little ski town where they speak it, but most Swiss people also don’t speak it. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay. And is that still being taught in schools in that region? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

I don’t know. I think probably, if you live in a town where it’s the main language, which is just maybe two or three, I don’t know a few towns in that, the Canton of Graubunden and Grisons, that’s where mainly it’s spoken. But it’s quite difficult also, because Romansh actually is four different dialects, and then they’ve created sort of a standardized version for language learning, but everybody speaks a different version of Romansh. So if you imagine only like what 60 or 70,000 people speaking, and then it’s still split up into four different dialects. Really, there aren’t very many speakers of each of those dialects at all. That’s why most people in Switzerland don’t actually learn it, because it’s just so limited it’s use. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay. I do have a couple of questions for you about Swiss German, though, because I’ve obviously heard this often when being spoken, when I’m in Switzerland, and I’ve chatted to a few people, asking them more about it, and I believe it’s not actually a written language. Is that right? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yes, so in schools, about a little bit over 60% or so of Swiss people speak German, and in those cantons where German is spoken, you learn standard German, the same language that’s spoken in Germany in schools. But when people go home and they speak among each other, with their families, with their friends, they speak a dialect or a regional language called Swiss German. And that is true that it’s not really a written language, although most young people write their version of Swiss German in text messages and informal communication. But you can kind of spell things like you want. There’s no standardized version of it, so some people use more of the umlauts, you know, the A or O with the dots at the top, and some people would tend to use more of the standard German spellings with maybe an E instead, but it’s really up to you. So no, there’s no standardized form. And also, the dialect varies greatly between the different cantons. So I’m from Bern, and I speak a very slow and measured version of Swiss German, because burn. Nice people tend to be, you know, they speak a little bit slower. The pace of life is slower. If you go to Zurich, they speed up a lot. Their dialect is a little bit more sort of rapid. And then if you go to a Canton like the valleys, they have a completely different dialect that most other Swiss speakers sort of struggle a little bit with. I struggle because I haven’t met that many people from there. So if I do meet someone, it’s a bit complicated to understand what they’re saying, because they speak so differently. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

And if one of those people was to send you a text message, you would probably have no idea what they had written. You would just have to assume, I guess. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, I might get a bit lost at first. So actually, I also run the living in Switzerland podcast, and we had a guest on who teaches Swiss German. There is actually someone who teaches it, even though it’s so varied. And she said often, what helps is to read it out loud, because if you hear it, because you’re so used to hearing the language, if you hear it, usually it’s easier than to understand.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, so for anyone who’s listening and thinking, oh my goodness, there’s four official languages, plus Swiss German, how am I going to get by when I visit Switzerland, we can assure them that a great percentage of the population actually speak English too, don’t they?

Kathrin Spinnler  

That’s right, yeah, so English is a really important language, even though it’s not an official language in Switzerland. So in schools in some cantons, you actually are taught English as a second language, and then in other cantons, it’s taught a little bit later as a third or so language. But like if you go to Zurich, all the students who went through the school system will have been taught English since maybe age nine or 10, so they would be quite competent speakers. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

That’s good to know for visitors to Switzerland, for sure. Now, I guess a lot of people will include a visit to Switzerland as part of perhaps a greater European. Um vacation. So they might be visiting other countries as well. Is Switzerland part of the EU?

Kathrin Spinnler  

No. So Switzerland is not part of the EU. Switzerland likes to be neutral and independent, but it is part of the Schengen area. So that’s an area where you can travel. It’s kind of border free, so you don’t usually need to show your passport, and that you know there are trains running through it, you can walk across the borders, but do bring your passport anyway, because occasionally there are sort of spot checks and passport control guards will sort of walk through trains, and if they they might pick some random people out to look at their passport. So do bring it, but you may not have to show it.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Right. So Switzerland’s not in the EU. What’s the currency? Is it euros, like in other European countries?

Kathrin Spinnler  

So Switzerland also has its own currency. It’s called the Swiss franc. So francs, one franc is about it’s, I think, a little bit more than a US dollar, about the same as a Euro, depending on the currency fluctuations. And then it’s got what we call rappen in German or centimes in French, which are like the cents. Euros and US Dollars are usually not accepted in normal shops. Sometimes euros are, but if you’re in a very touristy area, they might be but you might want to change some money into francs. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay, but if people were able to pay with euros, they would be given the change in Swiss franc. Is that correct? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

I believe so. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay, and while we’re on the subject of money, is tipping expected in Switzerland? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

So a lot of people will say that tipping is not expected in Switzerland, which is true, you don’t have to tip. But like my family living in Switzerland, we will, usually, if the service is good, if everything is nice, we will tip about 10% because I think it’s polite and it is appreciated. So yeah, if you feel like you had a really good experience, to tip about 10% you don’t have to go overboard, you know, because everybody’s paid a good wage anyway, but it’s polite if you feel like it was a good meal or yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay, very good. Now, although Switzerland is in the heart of Europe, there are a number of differences between Switzerland and some of the other European countries, even those five countries that you mentioned before that border Switzerland. So you’ve just told us that the currency is different. What are some of the other differences that visitors should be aware of before they come to Switzerland? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, so a few things. If you’re bringing electronic devices, you might have to bring an adapter, because Switzerland has two types of sockets. There are the type c1 with the two pins, and the type J ones with three pins. Usually other countries with these type C and type J pins are the same, but some of the type J sockets are like recessed into the wall. They’re sort of hexagonal. And then if you have a certain plug, it might not actually fit inside because of that sort of hole. So you might need to buy an adapter, just depending on what plug you already have.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

And they can be easily picked up, like from Amazon, or even at places within Switzerland, I’ve seen them available for sale as well. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean, if you’re coming by plane on at an airport, there definitely have them, even at train stations, just go into an electronics shop and they will be able to either sell them or point you in the right direction. So that should be okay. Mobile Phone roaming, it is on a different system to other European countries. I have this problem because I live in England and I have a nice abonnement or plan where in Europe I have a lot of data. But then as soon as I enter Switzerland, it’s a different system, so I can’t use any of my mobile data. So I think Carolyn, you know this really well with the e sim and how that works. Maybe you can tell us what you can do.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

So last time, when I was in Switzerland, I used an e sim, and I just made sure that it covered Switzerland as well as other European countries I have. I did notice some e sim plans that were available that didn’t cover Switzerland as well as other European countries. So that’s something that people should be aware of when they’re working out which e sim to buy, just to make sure that Switzerland is included with the other European countries, if you’re visiting those other countries as well.

Kathrin Spinnler  

Right? Yes, exactly. So I think an e-sim is probably the easiest if you do feel you need mobile data. But there are also quite a few places with WiFi. So you’re, if you’re in a hotel or an Airbnb, you’ll definitely have WiFi. Also in many coffee shops, you can ask for it. So either way, depending on your needs and how you like to operate, you might need a niece then, yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Yeah. And also, some phone companies have an international plan that you can activate when you’re heading overseas. So you would have to let your phone company know, or your phone provider know, that you’re visiting Switzerland, and then they would be able to offer you a plan for a data plan for Switzerland for the duration of your trip. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

And another thing about Switzerland is that it’s actually quite politically different. So there’s not one president like in many other countries, but instead, the power is shared between seven Federal Council members, and although each year, one of these is the official president, and then it rotates. Each year. They do share the power equally, and also, Swiss people have a lot of power. We vote at least three or four times a year on many different issues. It could be almost anything. So you receive a voting package, and with three or four issues at a time, and it could be, for example, a recent one was the expansion of the Swiss motorways, or where does your health care funding come from? Just anything, and this is very important to many Swiss so, of course, not everybody votes every time, because it is quite a lot of effort to read up on all these issues four times a year. But many people are actually quite involved. And so it’s nice just to know a little bit about that, because if you do talk to Swiss people, they might mention something about that, especially if a vote is coming up. And sometimes it can get quite heated, of course. And so yeah. And then, of course, what’s really interesting about Switzerland at the moment, in the last maybe 50 years, but even before, is the amazing diversity. So as we’ve already talked about, you have this diversity of languages, with the four national languages, and then each Canton has its own cultural celebrations and dishes and traditions, and also, now there’s such a high proportion of foreigners, so about 25 27% of people in Switzerland are actually born somewhere else or have roots somewhere else, and that’s much higher than in the neighboring countries. So really, Switzerland is a very diverse country.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay. It’s a real melting pot, that’s right. There’s a major difference also between the shopping hours in Switzerland and the shopping hours in countries like the United States and the UK and Australia. Can you tell our listeners what to expect in regards to the opening hours of shops, including supermarkets in Switzerland?

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yes, so there’s no shopping on Sundays, except at the major railway stations, and maybe there are a few other exceptions. So if you need groceries or anything, try to buy them before Saturday, so before the end of Saturday. But it’s okay, because if you do have an emergency, you can just go to your nearest large railway station. So for example, the big Bern or Zurich or Basel railway stations, they will have shops open, but it might be more of a hassle on a Sunday. So think of that when you plan your days or plan your picnics or anything like that. Public holidays, interestingly, in Switzerland, are considered Sundays. So instead of saying it’s a holiday, a Swiss person might say it’s a Sunday, even though the holiday might be on a Wednesday or something. And then also, interestingly, the day before is then shopping hours-wise, considered a Saturday, so shops may close earlier the day before a public holiday. Again, something to keep in mind if you’re visiting close to August, 1, close to Easter, close to Christmas, anything like that, you might run into that. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Ah, that’s good to know. I didn’t know that, so I’ll have to keep that in mind. So would you say that you need a car to get around Switzerland?

Kathrin Spinnler  

No, usually you don’t. So the public transport system is really good, and you can use a mobile app or get tickets at the station. There are still lots of ticket machines at the stations, but usually you need to buy your ticket before you enter the train or bus. There’s not usually any place inside the vehicle to buy anything. For a lot of travelers, it will just be easiest to get a Swiss Travel Pass, because then all the transport is included. And if you’re staying for three or more weeks, especially in the summer, there’s a special offer as well. It’s called a GA, or like a taster GA, a GA, GA being the general abonnement that allows you to go on every single mode of transport inside the country, like trains and buses and even some cable cars or railways, or you might get a discount on those. And this taster GA it’s really affordable. It’s valid for 30 days, I think, from when you take it out, and that would be a great way if you’re doing some. Slow travel, staying for longer on the trains. There are usually two classes, first and second class, and if you think you’re going to be traveling at rush hour a lot, it might be worth getting a first class ticket, but second class is also clean, safe and comfortable, so there’s absolutely no problem. Most Swiss people just travel second class, and that’s also a nice way to travel. You can also use the bike hire schemes, bike loan schemes. In the cities, there are taxis, but they are very expensive, so probably it’s easier to use public transport in most areas.

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Okay, you mentioned just before, when we were talking about the shopping hours, the public holidays. And I should have asked you, then, what are the main public holidays, or bank holidays, in Switzerland, that that people should be aware of, and are there, as well as the reduced shopping hours? Does public transport still operate on those days?

Kathrin Spinnler  

So the main one is the Swiss national day, August 1, which might be surprising for people who are visiting in the summer, because it’s not the same, obviously in other countries, and that’s the same in all regions. So all regions of Switzerland will have the day off on August 1. And then obviously the major holidays, like Christmas, New Year’s Day and Easter, that will be a day off. And then there are also loads of regional ones where people go off in different areas. So the average of in Switzerland, I think, is nine public holidays. But some regions, like Ticino have a lot more. They have like, 12 or 13 days off a year. So depending on which Canton you’re visiting, you might encounter different ones. Like Bern has an onion market in November, and many people take a half day off for that. Whole town is full of onion stands. And, you know, food stands, and it’s quite fun. And then Zurich has Labor Day on May. 1. Some other cantons as well, and Catholic cantons have their own holidays as well. Some are even more local at the municipality level, so not even the same in the entire Canton. So yeah, really variable. The shops, as mentioned, tend to close, but public transport still will operate, so you should be able to get anywhere. And on Swiss National Day, that’s actually a very nice day to visit, because there are all these farmers brunches, and it could be a really nice cultural experience as well. So, you know, the fireworks, the lanterns, yeah. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Absolutely. I was lucky enough to be in Switzerland on Swiss national day a couple of years ago, and it was, yeah, just fantastic.

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah. It is a lovely celebration, isn’t it? 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

It sure is. So what can visitors expect in terms of the different food options in Switzerland?

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, so I mean, nowadays, you can find many different types of restaurants and foods in Switzerland, especially in the cities. The Swiss traditional food is often very potato and milk or cheese based. So, you know, think rusty, which is grated potato pie and fondue and raclette, those cheese based dishes. But there are also lots of Italian restaurants. Actually, I did grow up with a lot of Italian restaurants around me, near Bern, and nowadays, obviously a lot of international cuisine as well, with all the migrants, vegan and vegetarian options are now really good as well. You can find a vegetarian dish in almost every restaurant, and you should also be able to find food for people with an allergy or intolerance. Just do let the staff know. Of course, one thing is that eating out can be quite pricey, because, as I said, all the stuff get paid really well, so you don’t necessarily need to tip but the base price of your food might be more than you’re used to, but there are very good supermarkets as well. If you want to reduce your cost, you can buy a snack or a packed lunch from a supermarket like the biggest ones being Coop and Migros. They also actually now do hot foods, like they have hot plates, and then you can grab a small pizza or a wrap, and they do nice salad bowls as well. So there’s lots of options for a little bit more affordable meals. There. Another thing I would definitely say is research the foods in the area that you’re visiting, because every region has its speciality. So even though there are some national dishes, like fondu that’s eaten all over Switzerland, it’s worth trying some of the local ones as well. Like in Basel, there’s a cheese and onion pie that’s very famous, especially during Carnival season in the early spring. In Vaud, one of my favorite desserts is called a carac, and it’s a little round pastry, and it’s got green icing on top and a brown.in the middle. And it’s from the Canton of Vaud, because it reflects the flag, which is green and white. So all these little things that you might get in one region or another are always nice, and maybe. One more thing about food is that lunch is about between 12 and two, so that might be earlier, like, for example, in the UK, people tend to eat lunch a little bit later, maybe at one. But Swiss people do tend to think of lunchtime as 12, and then dinner starts at six and often ends around nine or maybe a little later. In a lot of restaurants the warm kitchen, which is when food is served, and not just snacks, but proper warm food. It does close, especially when you’re in the small towns. Maybe eating at a more traditional place, you can’t really order a full lunch at three or four o’clock in the afternoon. So do be aware, if you do want to eat lunch, go at one o’clock or even a little bit earlier, because otherwise you might not be fed anymore. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

You might be heading straight to the supermarket to that’s one of those salad bowls. So are there any other things that you think a first time visitor to Switzerland should be aware of? 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Yeah, so a few things. Maybe air conditioning is not as common in Switzerland as it is in other countries, partly because the buildings the walls are really thick and well insulated. So in many buildings, you don’t need it. But if you’re used to having air conditioning and very consistent temperatures, you might need to pack accordingly. You know, pack some like clothing, various types of clothing, so that you’re not caught out in certain places, you may need to pay to use the toilet the bathroom, for example, at the train station, it can cost a franc or one franc 50 to enter that bathroom complex, which means that it’s usually really well maintained and really clean. There will be an attendant, but you do need to have some loose change for that. Water in restaurants is an interesting one. Some restaurants do offer tap water, but others don’t. If you order still water, you may have to pay for a bottle of it, because tap water is not always available. However, there are loads of fountains in all over Switzerland where you can fill up your water bottle, and that water is safe to drink as long as you take it directly from the tap of the fountain. Zurich has over 1200 of these fountains, so you’ll have a really good time going around Zurich, if you like, to fill up your water bottle. And many of them are also quite picturesque, so they’re nice to look at. And then maybe something to end on is that Switzerland is really safe compared to many other countries. Even for solo travelers, you shouldn’t have any issues, just make sure to be sensible. You know, maybe bring a zip up bag. Keep your stuff within sight, but enjoy it. I think you’ll have a great time. And yeah, welcome to Switzerland. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Absolutely Well, you’ve certainly given our listeners plenty of great advice there, and probably some interesting facts that they didn’t know, even a couple that I wasn’t aware of. So thank you for sharing all that with us. I’m sure it’ll be very helpful for everyone listening who is planning their first visit to Switzerland. For anyone who would like to connect with you or hear more about what you do, where can they look you up?

Kathrin Spinnler  

So the easiest way to get in touch with me is probably either through my LinkedIn page, which is my name, Kathrin Spinnler. You can search it or my website directly. kathrinspinnler.com, very easy. And then there’s a contact form. I also run the living in Switzerland podcast. So if you’re interested in potentially moving to Switzerland or delving a little bit deeper into some cultural things, you can give that a try. And I’m also a translator of books, usually from English to German. So I just translated a book by a Swiss Colombian author. And if you ever need any translation services, I can help with that. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Great, I’ll put the link to your website and to your LinkedIn profile in the show notes for this episode. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

Perfect. Thank you. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

Thank you again, Kathrin. It’s been lovely to chat to you again and to learn all that wonderful and fascinating information about Switzerland. 

Kathrin Spinnler  

All right. Thank you for having me. 

Carolyn Schönafinger  

If you enjoyed hearing all of Kathrin’s facts and useful information about Switzerland today, you might like to listen to my previous interview with her, we chatted about how to respect local customs and etiquette when you visit Switzerland. That was episode 98 which I’ll link to in the show notes. Also in the show notes, you’ll find the links to all the different ways you can connect with Kathrin. And you can also grab a copy of my free guide, 21 useful things to know before you visit Switzerland, and this is a great addition to what we’ve covered in today’s episode. As always, if you found the podcast helpful for your Swiss vacation planning or we’ve inspired you to visit a destination that wasn’t previous. In your itinerary, please leave a five star rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, it only takes a minute or two, but it really helps the podcast reach even more folks who are planning a trip to Switzerland, just like you. Thanks so much. Until next week. Tschüss.

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.