Kneel and beg. I am a student. I want to travel to Switzerland before I go to school. What should I do? Can I not go through the travel agency?

Switzerland is a Schengen country now, you just need to apply for Schengen.

First, the Schengen issue.

1985 On June 24th, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg signed the Schengen Agreement in the border town of Luxembourg. According to the agreement, its member countries issue visas in a unified format for short-term stays, that is, Schengen visas. Once an applicant obtains a visa from a certain country, he can travel freely in all Schengen member countries within the validity period and stay period of the visa, but he must report to the local area within three days from the second country. The Schengen Agreement also contains the following principles:

1. Schengen countries should adopt unified policies and regulations on the movement of people, especially visas;

2. Schengen countries decided to issue a unified visa that is generally valid in the Schengen area;

3. Short-term travel visas that allow one or two entry, provided that the total number of days of stay within six months after the first entry cannot exceed three months;

4. Before the Schengen visa is used, it is necessary to recognize the national visas of various countries;

According to the Schengen Agreement, travelers with valid residence permits of any Schengen Agreement member country can travel freely in Schengen area without a visa within three months. Passengers outside the Schengen area can travel to Schengen countries without a visa as long as they have a valid residence permit and passport. If the stay exceeds 90 days, the applicant must apply for a national visa according to the relevant laws and the purpose of stay;

6. The unified Schengen visa shall be issued by the diplomatic and consular departments of the agreement countries;

7. In principle, the country that issued the Schengen visa should be the main destination country of the visa holder, or the first Schengen country that the visa holder entered;

8. The validity period of travel documents must be longer than the validity period of visas, and the travel documents must ensure that foreigners outside the Schengen country can smoothly return to their own countries or enter countries outside the Schengen area;

9. Every country has the right to decide whether a person has the right to enter or is refused entry. Schengen visas issued by another country will be restricted to another Schengen country, but that country must inform other countries about the situation;

10.1On March 26th, 1995, the Schengen Agreement first came into effect in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, and seven countries began to implement Schengen visas. At the end of 1997, Italy, Greece and Austria successively implemented Schengen visas; From March 25th, 20001year, five countries, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark, began to issue Schengen visas. Schengen visa member countries have grown to 15 countries, namely Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece, Austria, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark.

Two. Types and application methods of Schengen visa:

1. Schengen visas are divided into entry and transit.

1) There are two kinds of entry visas: single entry and multiple entry. Visa holders can stay for 90 days at a time or not more than 3 months every six months. If you need to stay for a long time, you can apply to a member country for a national visa that is only used there;

2) Transit visa refers to a visa for transit to a country other than the agreed country. Generally, there are one or two kinds of transit visas, and multiple transit visas can be issued under special circumstances. Each transit time is generally 3 days, and the longest is 5 days;

2. The Schengen visas issued by Beijing are as follows:

1) If you just travel to a member country, you must apply for a visa for that country, that is, a "country visa". The "country visa" can only be valid in and out of the issuing country, and it is not allowed to enter the issuing country from other Schengen countries, otherwise you should apply for a "Schengen visa". The number of days of stay on the visa is only valid within the validity period of the visa;

2) When transiting a member country or several member countries to another member country, they should apply for a visa from another member country (country of entry);

3) To visit several member countries, you need to apply for the visa of the member country that mainly visits or stays for the longest time. If you can't determine the main country to visit, apply for a visa for the first country to visit;

4) Those who go to overseas territories or trust places of France, the Netherlands, Portugal and other countries should still apply for visas from their own countries;

5) When passing through or visiting several Schengen countries, you need to fill in the itinerary, that is, the details of the countries and routes visited and the schedule of stay, and provide invitations to visit the countries; To apply for a visa from any country, use the visa application form of that country. If necessary, the receiving country may request additional materials. Schengen countries sometimes issue their own visas and can only go to this country, but not to other Schengen countries; The number of days of stay on the visa is only valid within the validity period of the visa;

6) Long-term visas exceeding 90 days are still examined and issued by the host country. Persons who have already held a long-term residence permit in a member country can freely enter any member country without a visa with valid international travel documents, and the stay period shall not exceed 3 months;

7) You can only apply for a valid entry "Schengen visa", and you can only travel in Schengen countries within the validity period, and you can't transfer to non-Schengen countries and then return to Schengen countries;

8) The Schengen Agreement does not stipulate that permanent diplomatic and public officials should be handled by each country.

Three. Positive, Negative and Grey Lists in Schengen Agreement

The Schengen Agreement divides countries other than Schengen member countries into three categories: positive list, gray list and negative list:

1, the list refers to all Schengen member countries and other visa-free developed countries, ***30 countries;

2. The "grey list" refers to countries required by some member countries, while other countries do not need visas. There are ***20 countries, and it is up to each member state to decide whether to apply for visas to countries on the grey list.

3. Negative list countries refer to countries that must apply for visas, * * *130; Including China.

4. Schengen visa application fee

The Schengen visa fee is RMB in 600 yuan, but the embassy settled it in Euro (actually 60 Euro). With the recent appreciation of the euro exchange rate, applicants need to pay extra fees for the appreciation of the exchange rate, for example, 650 yuan RMB may be charged. According to industry insiders, the exchange rate is still high at present, and applicants should prepare more money when they go to the embassy.

Second, the Swiss tourism cost standard (taking Bern, the capital, as an example)

One liter and one bottle of mineral water: 1.2 Swiss francs

A bottle of 33 ml beer: 3-5 Swiss francs

& lt& lt Financial Times >> Newspaper: 3. 8 Swiss francs

36 exposed color films: 4.5-5.5 Swiss francs

City center bus ticket: 2.2 Swiss francs

Adult football ticket: 15-50 Swiss francs

Three-course menu with wine/beer: 45 Swiss francs

Third, transportation costs.

The Swiss Trave system is designed to provide passengers with convenient and comfortable travel. Switzerland's transportation system consists of trains, cars, ships and mountain cable cars. These modes of travel are interlocking, forming a transportation network covering the whole of Switzerland, bringing a charming Switzerland to tourists. The Swiss Pass is an individual joint ticket with four days, eight days, 15 days and 1 month. During the period, the holder can travel countless miles, take trains, postal trains and boats, and take buses and trams in 24 cities. When traveling in Switzerland, it is best to take with you the official Swiss transport timetable (Offizielle Schweizer Kursbuch) to check the frequency and time of all trains, ferries and mountain trains. This form is available in all travel agencies.

Swiss channel

The use of "Swiss Passage" is basically used to buy transportation tickets at a discount, and cardholders only need to pay half price. Visitors can not only choose one of the six legendary travel routes in Switzerland (Swiss federal railway, most private railways, lake cruise ships, long-distance buses, urban transportation systems and cable car tours to the top of the mountain), but also ask how to get to the railway station, bus station and ship station in Switzerland for free. In more than 30 cities in Switzerland, you can also learn about the traffic situation in Switzerland through the "Swiss Passage". The vehicles in the "Swiss Passage" are divided into first-class and second-class. You can travel continuously for 4 days to 1 month, or you can buy a Swiss Flexf pass and travel for 3 to 9 days in 1 month. If you travel with children aged 6 to 16, you can ask for a free Swiss family card to let your children use Swiss channels for free. If two overseas tourists (adults) travel together, the second tourist can enjoy a 60% discount when using the Swiss channel. Plane: Swissair and China International Airlines have weekly flights between Zurich and Beijing. Trains: Swiss trains are very popular with tourists because they are fast, reliable, comfortable and tidy. In fact, trains are also an important tool in Switzerland. There are large railway stations at the entry airports of Zurich and Geneva. Switzerland's railway system is 5000 kilometers long, which can be said to be the most dense railway transportation network in the world. There is a dining car or a mobile beverage cart in the carriage to meet the needs of guests.

Major cities in Switzerland basically guarantee a bus every hour. Cars: Swiss road transport routes extend in all directions, and the general speed limit of vehicles is: expressway per hour 120 km; Expressway has an average speed of 80 kilometers per hour; The speed of this town is 50 kilometers per hour. Expressway has a green indicator light for identification. Unless otherwise marked, drivers who drive on the right have the right of way. Drive from the right and overtake from the left. It is forbidden to overtake from the right. All vehicles and motorcycles using expressway have to pay a toll of 40 Swiss francs every year. "Postal Bus" allows passengers to reach various tourist attractions in Switzerland comfortably and conveniently. In Switzerland, you can cross the mountain pass by car and experience a travel experience that you can't experience elsewhere. It is very expensive to rent a taxi in Switzerland, and the fare is calculated differently in different places. If there are extra services (luggage, etc.). ), with a fixed fare increase, posted on the taxi. Usually the total fee includes tips. In Switzerland, in addition to renting a car, you can also rent a plane. Of course, tourists cannot be drivers. But rented helicopters can help tourists get to their destinations more conveniently.