What is Switzerland like?

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Jean-Paul J

Hi there. Switzerland is a beautiful country (and I should know - I live here!)

The Currency is the Swiss Franc, whose value is around 1.1 Dollars to a Franc. A Franc is made of 100 Centimes (aka Rappen, in German). There are notes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1000 Francs.

Officially, the four national languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh, a language unique to Switzerland.

Weather in winter in Switzerland is usually sunny in the Mountains and cold/dry in the low-lying areas (note that "low-lying" in Switzerland is still a fair 400 m/1300 ft above sea level)

The Swiss Economy is strong-ish, and is faring better than some other Western economies in the current Financial Crisis. However the country's largest banks have had major stakes bought by the Government. Overall, the Swiss economy remains healthy. Swiss People are noted for the meticulous care of their funds..

In terms of food, there really is no "typical" Swiss meal â€“ most Swiss dishes are based around Cheese and Potato. Haute Nendaz is part of the canton of Valais, mostly known for its cheese dishes like Raclette (hot melted cheese on potato with pickle and pearl onion on the side), Fondue (melted cheese in a large communal pot in which bread must be dunked). Valais is also famous for its exquisite wines (especially whites), its pungent "Pain Seigle" (Rye Bread, which is to die for) and if you are not vegetarian you can try some of Valais' famous dried meats.

However Switzerland is also known for the Swiss German dish RÃ¶sti (grated potatoes which are then fried) which some consider THE national dish. In terms of alchol consumption, Switzerland offers a great selection of wines, beers and fruit liquors (Valais is also famous for its Apricot liquor). Please note that Swiss law forbids the sale of Wine and Beer to anyone under 16 and the Sale of stronger alcohol (e.g. Vodka) for those aged under 18.

I have been to Haute Nendaz and the skiing there is wonderful. The snow is not exposed for too long in the sun (because the slopes are North facing) and so you have a great crisp skiing experience. Do not forget that Haute Nendaz is part of the 4 VallÃ©es domain, which connects to such skiing areas as Veysonaz and the world-famous Verbier.

If you have any other questions, please contact me!

Hope this has helped,

JPJ

old know all

Currency - Swiss Franc. You can get it out of ATMs or from the bank (one thing Switzerland is never short of).
Languages. The largest group speak German (OK so it's not the German they speak in German and the people of Brig speak a language that even the other German speaking parts of Switzerland don't understand). Around Geneva they speak French. Around the lakes they speak Italian and there are also places where they speak Romansch - a Latin language similar to Catalan.
Crime - very little. There is always going to be the occasional criminal, but the Swiss are generally very law abiding. Don't drop litter - you can never be sure whether someone will jump out from behind a tree and pick it up, or shoot you, or both.
Economy - one of the strongest in the world (which is why there are plenty of banks and not much crime). OK They've had to bail out one of their banks - but just the one!
Food - possible not something that identifies the Swiss. The food tends to follow the language groups. If you like European cuisine - any European - you'll find it in Switzerland.
If you like lakes and mountains, it's a wonderful place. In December, it's good for winter sports, but you can't see so much of it. Try it in the summer too.

Dafydd

Switzerland is a lovely country. Languages are not a problem since most people speak at least 3 languages including English. The Swiss are generally very cosmopolitan in nature. If I have any criticism of the country it is that it is almost too perfect. Everything runs like clockwork and is very efficient. It can appear a bit sterile in some ways. The weather in summer is usually fine and can be quite hot at times. In the winter it is of course colder and in the Alps it is of course snowy and perfect for winter sports. The economy is strong as Switzeralnd is one of the richest countries in the world per capita. Crime is generally low. The food is excellent and typical Swiss dishes include Fondue, Raclette and Rosti. It's not expensive in the countryside. I've been many times to Switzerland, both on holiday and business. I would always go again and recommend it.

Andrei Grigorovich

It'll be cold, mountainous, but lovely. I have heard that it is one of the best places to go skiing in Switzerland. I have been to Lucerne, where they speak Swiss German, but I believe that in Haute Nendaz the main language will be French. Some languages also spoken in Switzerland are English, Italian, Arpitan, and Romansch. They use the Swiss Franc, which has a pretty good exchange rate with the dollar. The food is pretty good. Whenever I was there we were fed for a "traditional swiss meal" some burgers from McDonalds...I mean it was some kind of meat (I want to say it was ham but it seemed so much like Turkey) with a gravy, with some vegetables.

Although I went during the summer...I would DEFINATELY go back to Switzerland, in fact, can you take me with you?

Go Cubs Go

They speak French, German, Swiss and English. Food is a variation of a lot of things. Weather is coolish.
Economy is great because they don't spend a lot on the military on other countries like the USA. They are a preaceful country. No one bothers them and they bother no one. THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE.

Red Trooper

Cold and Beautiful..

I'm sure there are Web-sites out there, that will tell you all there is to know, just google it.

Veronica Alicia

A typical Swiss meal might be a Cheese supper.
A large bowl of small potatoes steamed in their jackets, a large cheese board with quite a few different cheeses, bowls of salads and bowls of pickles, a bowl of Continental butter.
Diners have their own dinner plate and help themselves to potatoes, salads pickles, etc. They also have their own individual small cheese board (like a side plate) and put their choice of cheese onto this, using their own cheese knife.
It's a good and easy way to entertain.
We've found Switzerland to be very clean, well run and "correct".
I've stayed in both the French-speaking and German-speaking areas and husband has worked in all three.

It's okay if you like clocks. And chocolate. Or chocolate clocks.

Swiss love their cows so expect fine beef and a German influence. The currency is the Swiss Franc, it is a stale economy and one of the safest banking systems in the world. It has the highest personal rate of gun ownership in the world, and one of the lowest rates of gun crime.

Mostly German speaking "Schweizerdeutsch" dialect, but some French, and some Italian.

Wildlife : You are going to a high, cold country in central Europe, you won't encounter lions or poisonous snakes!

Judy Teen

My experience of Switzerland is that is so damn boring. Nice place, people can be a bit snobby sometimes towards foreigners, clean, food ummm I tended to eat out a lot and found steakhouses were quite popular and I love the fondues! But night life is...well...I'm not sure where you're going but I was in geneva and Basel and what a waste of time !

B. O. B.

Its probably quite expensive!

There are lots of mountains and wee touristy places. I've stayed in the Sheraton in Zurich which was very fancy. Interlaken was nice. There's a little mountain railway somewhere and a revolving restaurant on top of a mountain! The Eiger (big mountain!) is there I think.

There are cattle with cowbells.

Ever watched Heidi!?!??!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9_HLnQgPHE&feature=related

plus the ice cream deserts were cery good!

there's the ice palace but its probably melted by now!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es7vBqEcyeg&feature=related

Liam B

Bleh

their chocolate is amazing!!!!

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