Discover Switzerland

FR

It's good to live in Switzerland. It is a cosmopolitan and multicultural country with three major communities :

• Norman Switzerland : French-speaking Switzerland
• Ticino : the Italian-speaking community
• German Switzerland : the German-speaking community

Although it is a purely luxurious destination, to reduce Switzerland to prestigious watch brands, chocolate and banks would be a waste. The Swiss Confederation is much more than that: it is a country known for a very rich and varied heritage, both natural and cultural. Take advantage of your stay in Switzerland to visit Geneva, a pleasant and cosmopolitan city with many job opportunities.

Clichés

• The Swiss would be maniacs for cleaning, punctuality and quality.
• They'd go it alone.
• Their motto would be: "One for all, all for one. ».

Languages in Switzerland

Switzerland's four national languages are: German (spoken by 63.7% of the Swiss population), French (20.4%), Italian (6.5%) and Romansh (0.5%). These languages can also be spoken in the world of business.

If you master one of them, you will have no problem communicating during your stay in Switzerland!

Politics and religion in Switzerland

Switzerland is a federal state, consisting of 26 cantons with their own constitutions, governments, parliaments and courts.

Like France, Switzerland does not have a state religion, but there are many religious communities :

• Catholics: 38.8%
• Protestants: 30.9%
• Muslims: 4.5%
• The Jews: 0.2%
• Others : 5.5%

Atheists make up about 20% of the Swiss population.

Cuisine in Switzerland

Swiss cuisine is a purely peasant cuisine, characterized by the proper use of seasonal ingredients.

However, we cannot speak of national dishes, as each canton has its own culinary specialities:

Norman Switzerland

• The fondue
• The raclette
• The cheese crust: slices of bread soaked in white wine and baked in the oven covered with ham or tomatoes and cheese.
• The longeole: a sausage made of pork and fennel meat
• Prune Tart

Ticino

• Risotto Alla Ticinese : a risotto with luganighe (Ticino sausages)
• La busecca: the Ticinese tripe soup
• Polenta: also called "poleinte" or "polente", it is a fine cornmeal.
• Osso-buco : it is a traditional dish of Milanese origin. It is made of stewed pieces of veal shank, braised in white wine and accompanied by vegetables.
• Minestrone: a soup of Italian origin made from vegetables, with rice or pasta.

German Switzerland

• Rösti: a potato pancake
• The Bölletünne: an onion tart with eggs, bacon and cumin
• Rhine salmon Basel-style
• BaslerLäckerlis: cakes made of honey, almonds and candied fruit, found in Basel.
• Zürcher Geschnetzeltes: Veal minced Zurich style

Don't forget that the country is also known for cheese and chocolate, so treat yourself!

Sex, drugs & Rock’n’roll in Switzerland

Cigarettes in Switzerland

The legal age for smoking is 16 in the cantons of :

• Aargau
• Appenzell Ausserrhoden
• Fribourg
• Glaris
• Graubünden
• Lucerne
• St. Gallen
• Solothurn
• Thurgau
• Uri
• Valais
• Zurich

In the other cantons, the legal smoking age is 18.

Smoking is prohibited in public places in all Swiss cantons.

Drug use in Switzerland

The use or possession of drugs is severely punished in Switzerland.

Alcohol in Switzerland

Minors under 16 years of age may only buy and consume beer and wine (except in Ticino). It should also be noted that young people under the age of 18 are not allowed to buy or consume alcohol in public places.

Prostitution en Suisse

Prostitution is legal in Switzerland.

Holidays

In Switzerland, each canton sets its own public holidays. The only public holidays common to the whole country are :

• New Year's Day : January 1st
• Labour Day : May 1
• National holiday : 1 August

The latter is celebrated with fireworks all over the country, and with wrestling competitions especially east of Bern. Nice!

Take note of these dates, you will need them during your stay in Switzerland !

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