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Readers tips: How to make friends in Switzerland

We asked our readers for advice on meeting new people in Switzerland. This is what you said.

Published: 24 September 2018 20:48 CEST
Readers tips: How to make friends in Switzerland
File photo: Depositphotos

Making friends in any new country is difficult enough. In Switzerland, where people are generally pretty reserved and extremely respectful of other people’s privacy and time, it can be ever harder – especially if social life tends to be a bit more spontaneous where you come from.

Recently we asked readers for advice on how to break the ice and make friends in Switzerland. Here are some of your tips.

1) Learn the language

It might sound like a no-brainer, but the best way to a person’s heart is often through their ears. Even though lots of people in Switzerland speak a decent level of English (and are pretty nifty with foreign languages in general), there is nothing like the sort of communication that comes to speaking to someone in their own language.

As The Local reader Ritchie told us on Facebook: “Start small but be persistent, stick to your broken, poorly-pronounced, badly-translated speech and it’ll pay off,” he added.

In terms of learning the language, there are all sorts of classes on offer. One reader, Carolyn, who did graduate studies in Switzerland pointed out her university had offered tandem language classes and she had met people that way: a great way of killing two birds with one stone.

Read also: 18 interesting facts about Switzerland’s fourth language, Romansh

“The benefits [of tandem classes] are huge,” Myriam Moraz, who manages the University of Lausanne’s tandem scheme told The Local last year.

“Along with practising oral skills, students learn a lot about the way of life in Switzerland. What they learn is much more effective than in a classroom, and it is a great way to make Swiss friends.” 

Of course, if you are learning Swiss German, there are a whole set of other issues. Here are some tips on learning the dialect from those who have.

2) …or learn another language

Language classes are a popular hobby in Switzerland, and if you want to meet Swiss people, doing a class in a popular foreign language (Spanish, for example) or another of the national languages (like Italian) is a great idea. 

Studying alongside Swiss people is also great because everyone is busy making mistakes and trying to make themselves understood – something that is not always the case in the rush of everyday Swiss life.

3) Join clubs!

Switzerland is the land of chocolate, cheese, cows…and clubs. Official figures show nearly six out of then people aged over 18 are members of a club, with four out of ten actively involved on a regular basis. It’s no surprise, then, that a number of readers suggested joining a club was a great way to meet people here.

Read also: The Local’s A–Z guide to essential Swiss culture

As reader Debbie told us on Facebook: “You like shooting there are shooting clubs, Tennis there are Tennis clubs, Hiking there are hiking clubs, you get the picture.”

Local town halls are a great place to start. There are also websites like this one which has an interactive map letting you select the canton you are interested in. You will be amazed by the variety on over.

4) Volunteer

Volunteering was another option suggested by a couple of readers,

As one of our readers, Hayat, told us: “The best way to make lots of wonderful friends in my opinion is to do volunteer in your area or different places!”

There are plenty of opportunities for volunteering in Switzerland. Try your local town hall for starters: Zurich, for example, has all sorts of options for English speakers ranging from tandem language classes to helping out elderly neighbours with things like shopping.

Read also: Nine things that are sure to surprise you about moving to Switzerland

In Basel, there is BaselConnect, which aims to promote collaboration between expats and locals, and in Geneva, there is Serve The City Geneva which links people wishing to volunteer with existing organizations.

Then there are nationwide organizations like Swiss Volunteers, which is always looking for people to assist with sports events, for example, or the charity Caritas, which offers volunteering possibilities ranging from running language classes for migrants to helping mountain farming families in need.

5) Have a positive attitude

Many of our readers stressed the importance of having an open mind and being open to new experiences.

“Say ‘yes’ to everything and put yourself outside of your comfort zone. You never know what gems you will meet!” was the advice of Local reader Jennifer.

Read also: 14 mistakes foreigners make on moving to Switzerland

Meanwhile, another reader, Shelby, stressed the importance of just getting out there, organizing activities and having a smile ready for people.

“Some people took a couple years before they opened up (my old neighbours who were very shy) but eventually everyone did and we became friends,” Shelby told us on Facebook.

“I think some can be a bit closed to making friends as they think you will be gone shortly so why bother, but in general people are happy to meet new people. You just need a bit of patience and energy,” she added.

6) Plan, plan…and plan

One of our readers, Megan, stressed the importance of learning about and respecting Swiss customs, including the fact that you, as a newcomer in a group or an apartment building, are the one who is supposed to make the initial introduction.

Respecting customs is also crucial when it comes to arranging to see people socially – as anyone who has tried repeatedly to catch up with a Swiss acquaintance only to be told ‘no’ on multiple occasions will appreciate.

“Dropping by and expecting to come in or calling up to spontaneously hang out also doesn’t work for a lot of Swiss people as it is customary to schedule things well in advance,” says Megan.

Swiss people tend to plan a long way ahead. File photo: Depositphotos

The lesson here is to get out your diary and schedule things a long way in advance. Often it’s the only surefire way to ensure you will actually manage to meet up.

“Politeness and respect are key to getting to the gooey warm centre of the sometimes hard, reserved exterior of the Swiss.”

Read also: 20 telltale signs you have gone native in Switzerland

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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Lost and found: where to look for your ‘missing’ items in Switzerland

In Switzerland, like in other countries, people sometimes lose their belongings in various places. Many ultimately find their way to their rightful owner.

Published: 19 April 2024 12:10 CEST
Lost and found: where to look for your ‘missing’ items in Switzerland

Unlike socks that disappear in the wash, never to see the light of day again (which is a global, rather than just Swiss phenomenon), many lost items often do reappear. 

The bigger the item is, the more chance there is of it being found.

But even smaller objects like keys are often returned to their owners — it all depends on who finds them and to what lengths these people are willing to go to ensure that lost items are returned to their owners.

(Human nature being what is it is, you have more chances of being reunited your keys than with your jewellery or a wallet that still has all its contents inside).

But you may be surprised to learn that cases of exemplary honesty still exist.

One such example, in 2022, involved an envelope containing 20,000 francs found lying on a sidewalk by passersby and returned to the man who dropped it while getting into his car. 

What are some of the more unusual things people leave behind?

Each year, Uber Switzerland publishes a list of things that passengers forget in cars. 

This year, among purses, cell phones, laptop computers, umbrellas, and pieces of jewellery, drivers found in the back seats items including a purple wig, carnival mask, coffee machine, and a spatula for crêpes.

The items found on trains are even stranger. 

They include, according to the national railway company SBB, taxidermy animals, an authentic samurai sword, and a prosthetic leg (it’s not clear whether this was a spare or whether the passenger had to hop off the train).

Where should you look for the items you lose in Switzerland?

It depends on where you think, or know, you left your belongings.

Public transport

If it’s on the train, file a lost property report here. 

For the PostBus, it’s here. 

Additionally, public transport companies in your community have their own ‘lost and found’ offices, as do local police stations.

Airports

Zurich 
Geneva 
Basel 

Additionally, to maximise your chances of being reunited with your lost property, report it here.

Through this site, you can also check whether your lost item has been found and handed in at one of the offices.

If your lost item is found, must you pay a ‘finder’s fee’?

Yes, Swiss legislation says so.

No exact amounts are specified, but “the reward should be appropriate in relation to the find,” according to Moneyland consumer platform.

In principle, “a finder’s fee equal to 10 percent of the amount returned to the owner is considered an appropriate reward.” 

Also, if the process of finding out who the lost object belongs to and returning it to you generates extra expenses for the finder (such as train fare or other travel costs, for example), you have to reimburse these expenses in addition to the reward.

(By the same token, if you find and return someone else’s belongings, you can expect the same compensation).

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