Switzerland Country & Tourist Information

Location
Western Europe.

Area
41,284 sq km (15,940 sq miles).

Population
7.5 million (2006 estimate).

Population Density
181.7 per sq km.

Capital
Bern.
Population: 127,000 (2005).

Government
Federal Republic since 1848.

Language
German in central and eastern areas, French in the west and Italian in the south. Raeto-Romansch is spoken in the southeast. English is spoken by many. Overlapping cultural influences characterize the country.

Religion
Roman Catholic (43%) and Protestant (47%).

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of State
President Micheline Calmy-Rey since 2007.

Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 41. Phonecards are available for use in payphones.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet
Internet access is available in Internet cafes and phone booths operated by Swisscom. Charges are payable by phonecard or credit card.

Media
The main broadcaster in Switzerland is the public Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. It operates seven TV networks and 18 radio stations. Most of its funding comes from license fee revenues, while a smaller proportion comes from TV advertising. Private TV and radio stations operate in the regions. Television stations from France, Germany and Italy are widely available, thanks in part to the very high take-up of multi-channel cable and satellite TV. Some German commercial broadcasters provide tailored versions of their channels for the Swiss market. Switzerland’s press operates to a large extent along regional lines which reflect the country’s linguistic divisions.

Post
Airmail within Europe takes three days. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1345-1830. Saturday closing is at 1100 except in major cities.

Press
The high level of interest in local politics throughout Switzerland hasled to a large number of regional newspapers. However, the most populardailies are Corriere del Ticino (Lugano-based), Le Temps (Geneva-based), La Tribune de Geneve (Geneva-based), Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Zurich-based), and Tages-Anzeiger Zürich (Zurich-based). European and international newspapers in English, including The Herald Tribune and USA Today, are also widely available.

Radio
In addition to the Swiss public broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, there is SF-DRS, a German-language public broadcaster that operates three channels; RTSI, an Italian-language public broadcaster with two channels; and TSR, a French-language public broadcaster that similarly operates two channels.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
2 Jan* Berchtold’s Day.
6 Apr* Good Friday.
9 Apr* Easter Monday.
17 May* Ascension.
28 May* Whit Monday.
1 Aug National Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
2 Jan* Berchtold’s Day.
21 Mar* Good Friday.
24 Mar* Easter Monday. 
1 May* Ascension. 
12 May* Whit Monday.
1 Aug National Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Note
(a) *These holidays may not be observed in certain cantons. (b) There are additional regional holidays which are observed in certain cantons only.

Contact Information:

Embassy of Switzerland in the UK
16-18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7616 6000 or 09065 508 909 (recorded visa information).
Website: www.swissembassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200 (for personal visa applications).

Switzerland Travel Center in the UK
1st Floor, 30 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ED, UK
Tel: 00800 1002 0030 (toll-free in Europe) or (020) 7420 4900.
Website: www.myswitzerland.com

Embassy of Switzerland in the USA
2900 Cathedral Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 745 7900.
Website: www.swissemb.org

Switzerland Tourism in the USA
608 5th Avenue, Swiss Center, New York, NY 10020, USA
Tel: (212) 757 5944 or 1 877 794 8037.
Website: www.myswitzerland.com


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