Things to note when traveling to Switzerland

Things to note when traveling to Switzerland

Switzerland is a mountainous landlocked country located in south-central Europe. The following is a selection of things to note when traveling to Switzerland. You are welcome to read and refer to it.

Daily life

1. Switzerland has a high level of consumption and a wide variety of specialties. Therefore, when traveling to Switzerland, please prepare enough money. Generally speaking, Switzerland is not a A destination that is particularly suitable for budget travel!

2. Switzerland is small in area, but has four official languages, namely German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Living in such a country, the Swiss people have good language skills and will not encounter many problems when speaking English.

3. Switzerland is a country rich in natural resources. People here respect nature and have a strong awareness of environmental protection. Therefore, when traveling here, please do as the Romans do, do not disturb any wild animals, do not break flowers, and don’t forget to put away all kinds of garbage and cigarette butts after picnics and rest. Easy to take away!

4. Tap water can be drunk directly. Mineral water can be purchased in supermarkets and newsstands. A 500ml bottle of ordinary mineral water usually costs about 3-4 Swiss francs at newsstands, and is slightly cheaper in supermarkets.

Like other countries in Europe, drinking water in Switzerland is also divided into carbonated and non-carbonated water. You can choose according to your personal preferences, and don’t forget to confirm when ordering.

5. Even if you travel to Switzerland in summer, don’t forget to bring a jacket, it’s very cold on the snow-capped mountains!

6. Switzerland is a paradise for outdoor sports enthusiasts. Whether you are mountaineering, skiing or hiking in the mountains, this is the best choice, but when doing the above sports, please be sure to pay attention to safety. In addition to choosing comfortable professional equipment as much as possible, please strictly follow the road signs and delineated routes. You know, in the rainy season, some sections of the road will become very dangerous!

7. The Swiss are very particular about keeping time and are "as punctual as a Swiss watch."

Etiquette

Switzerland is a country where "it is not surprising if many people are polite". People are polite to each other and often say "hello" and "thank you". On the trails in the mountains, even people who don't know each other will greet each other with "hello"

Restaurant etiquette

Restaurant seating

In the restaurant Usually you have to wait for the service staff to arrange seats. Sometimes you can choose your seat at stations, department store restaurants, or outdoor balcony seats. At this time, just indicate to the service staff that you want to take this seat.

Menu

Sit at your seat and the service staff will bring you the menu (sometimes it has been placed on the table). If the waiter does not take the menu, you can say "Die Speisekarte, bitte" in the German area, and "La carte SVP" in the French area. "Menu" in the French area means dinner, so if you ask for "Menu" sometimes It can be mistaken for a meal, so be careful.

Drinks

When dining in Switzerland, you usually order both a meal and a drink. Although you can order it all at once, you can usually order an appetizing drink first and then slowly consider the food you want to order while sipping it. Another thing to note is that the drink menu and the main meal menu are usually separate. Wine can be ordered by cup, bottle or deciliter (dl), with 1 deciliter (dl) being roughly the size of a glass. When talking about mineral water in Switzerland, it usually refers to drinks containing carbonated gas. If you don't want carbonated drinks, you must say "No Gas".

Recommendation of the day

When you are hesitant because you don’t know what to order, you can choose the recommendation menu of the day. Although the lunch and evening menus are different, the simple set meals are about 20 to 35 Swiss francs. You can click "Tagesmenu" in the German area, "Menu" in the French area, and "Today's menu" in the English area to order.

Billing

In Switzerland, unlike in China, you pay your bill at the cashier. Instead, you usually pay at the dining table. Say "Zahlen, bitte" in the German-speaking area, and "L'addition SVP" in the French-speaking area and the service staff will send you the bill. Restaurants generally include service charges, so no special tipping is required.

Meal time

In Europe, people tend to eat slowly, so ordering or service is slower. Lunch usually takes 1 hour. If you don't have time, it would be better to use a cafeteria or a simple buffet.

Shopping tax refund

Chinese tourists who spend more than 300 Swiss francs in one purchase at Global Blue stores can enjoy a tax refund of approximately 7.6%. The procedures need to be completed at the airport or at the Swiss customs where you pass when taking the bus before leaving Switzerland.

Leaving by plane

Taking the airport as an example, after you complete the check-in procedures and go through customs with your passport, you will find "ZOLL" and "CUSTOMS" " or "EXPORTDOCUMENTS" "marked kiosk or counter: Find the customs staff to handle the matter. If it is an automatic counter, you need to stand at the counter, then select the language to use and follow the on-screen instructions to operate easily. If you spend a large amount, you may be asked to show the physical items you purchased. Therefore, if you buy expensive items that require a tax refund, it is best not to put them in your checked baggage in order to prepare for inspection during tax refund. After the staff has reviewed the order, you can stamp it under the small machine next to it. During busy times, there will be staff at the operating desk to assist you. After stamping, you may have two kinds of orders in your hand, which need to be processed separately:

1. Some large watch and gift shops provide special on-the-spot tax deduction services for foreign tourists who enjoy tax refunds. In the store, the refundable tax will be deducted from your purchase price. However, you still have to complete the above procedures before leaving Switzerland, but you only need to submit the stamped documents to the customs, please don’t forget!

2. Guests who do not enjoy on-site tax refund will need to complete the procedures before leaving Switzerland. After completing the above stamping procedure, take the receipt to the nearby "CASH REFUND" counter to get your tax refund. As for the currency type, you can choose between US dollars and Swiss francs, just declare it to the staff. When shopping at a store with the TAX FREE logo or a TAX FREE member, if you are too late to go to the CASH REFUND counter to receive your tax refund after stamping, you can also go to any CASH REFUND in other European countries or in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. Collect the tax refund at the counter or agency point, but be sure to stamp the documents at Swiss Customs!

Leave by bus

If you will take the bus to a surrounding country to continue your journey, please Drivers are reminded to stop at the customs establishment on the Swiss border so that passengers can get stamped by customs. There are also tax refund collection offices in some border cities to facilitate tax refunds for tourists.

Leaving by train

If you will take a train to a neighboring country to continue your journey, the following two situations will arise. Please ask the ticket inspector for the location of the customs personnel on the train:

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1. If you take the TGV from Geneva to France, you will go through customs in Geneva. At the customs office, you will find the Global Refund mailbox. Please put the tax refund form and shopping invoice into the mailbox. After it is stamped, Global Blue will refund the tax refund directly to your credit card.

2. If you take the TGV or other trains to leave Switzerland from Bern or Lausanne, in 40% of cases there will be customs officials checking your passport on the train and you can show them a tax refund form;

If it is confirmed that there are no customs staff on board the train, you need to ask the conductor on the train to sign the date, train number and your destination on the front of the tax refund document, and please write down your credit card number or bank account number or details clearly address. During your journey, you will need to send the original signed documents and tickets to the address marked on the envelope.

3. If you shop at a BUCHERER store in Switzerland and will leave the country by train, and if it is confirmed that there are no customs staff on board the car, please send the tax refund receipt for the duty-free goods back to the merchant. Attach a copy of the train ticket and seat reservation document, indicating the time, train number and border point of departure from Switzerland. The merchant will contact the customs. After verifying that there are no customs personnel on this train, the customs will stamp your tax refund document to complete the tax refund procedure. You can ask the store staff for tax refund procedures.

According to customs regulations, customers are responsible for submitting tax refund documents for duty-free goods to the customs before leaving the country.

Safety Information

Switzerland, which has always been known for its beautiful natural scenery and safe tourist destination, attracts tourists from all over the world. Based on two major indicators: crime rate and social stability, several major cities in Switzerland are on the list of "the safest cities in the world". However, we remind tourists not to relax their vigilance and still need to increase their safety awareness during the trip.

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