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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Five tips to help you make the most out of life in Switzerland

Whether you’re in Switzerland for a short time or you’ve committed to the country for the long haul, here are five tips to make your time in Switzerland count.

Five tips to help you make the most out of life in Switzerland
5 tips for how to make the most of life in Switzerland Photo by Tran Mau Tri Tam ✪ on Unsplash

Head to your Gemeinde

The fastest way to feel at home away from home and make sure you don’t miss out on key events is to get to know your immediate surroundings. In Switzerland, your municipality is your best bet if you want to find out the who’s who and what’s what in your area.

Feel free to arm yourself with a notebook and ask your Gemeinde to provide you with a list of your municipality’s societies, associations, sports, and social clubs, as well as events you can join and partake. Some city administrations will be kind enough to include important information on neighbouring municipalities too.

Join a Verein

The Swiss are known to be reserved, quiet people who nurture early childhood friendships for life. While sweet, this can make finding friends in Switzerland a challenge for new arrivals – but it needn’t be so hard. One great way of befriending locals and feel more part of Swiss everyday life is to sign up to so-called Vereins (clubs) which are frequented by the Swiss on the regular. The good thing?

You can pick any one interest you have, be it an orchestra Verein, a Vespa Verein or even a Verein for new parents, and foster your language skills by discussing topics you have a keen interest in with like-minded people.

You can find a list of clubs here.

Use Swiss-backed apps to plan your day

Living in Switzerland means the great outdoors are always just a stone’s throw away, but despite the many – and carefully planned – hiking trails, it is prudent you stay safe even in a country renowned for its safety. One app the Swiss love to rely on for safety outdoors is SwissAlert. The app not only lets you know of any weather and natural disasters in your area, but it will also inform you of their consequences as well as other important changes (such as disruptions to public transport).

Those looking to make the most out of their everyday life should also download the Swiss Post App to check post office opening times, track a parcel’s whereabouts and check if there’s anything waiting for you in the mail. Other handy apps are the SBB app to keep on top of any train information, and search.ch which acts as a phone book, weather forecast, map, and TV guide all in one.

Explore local favourites

Whether you’ve asked your local municipality, a Swiss friend or simply googled a few local tips, start to get to know your new home by exploring the best your town has to offer to make you feel that bit more positive about your relocation.

In Basel, the Hotel Drei Könige is rumoured to serve the city’s finest breakfast while you can enjoy the best coffee and croissants combo at the young Kult bakery at Riehentorstrasse 18 and Elsässerstrasse 43. In the evenings, crowds gather by the Rhine for drinks, food, and a merry time.

Those living in Zurich are well advised to grab a coffee at Café Boy. The modern café is a local favourite for a reason: its produce and meat are regionally sourced and always fresh. In wintertime, locals also love to spend time at one of the city’s top three saunas: Stadtbad Zürich, City Hallenbad, or Seebad Enge.

If you fancy yourself a quick bite in Lausanne, locals swear by the food trucks stationed at Place de la Riponne. For those not in the mood for international dishes, the Café de l’Eveché near the city’s cathedral offers classic Swiss cuisine such as rösti and fondue.

Meanwhile, Geneva’s Eaux-Vives is arguably the best area to wind down after a long day’s work with ample food and drink options right by the lake. Another insider tip perfect for a Friday night date is the Café Marius which serves outstanding organic wine coupled with a great atmosphere.

Getting around

If you’re looking to save money, time, and make the most of your life in Switzerland, it is essential you get well acquainted with the SBB CFF FFS, Switzerland’s railway company. Lucky for you, Switzerland’s SBB is recognised as one of Europe’s chief train operators and connects around 2,600 stations and stops across the country – making getting around a breeze!

With SBB CFF FFS, you can pay for “Sparbillette” – or so-called Supersaver tickets – and benefit from an up to 70 percent discount on the standard ticket price. Travellers can choose from one-way tickets to day passes but will be limited to a few select routes and times. The trick is to book as early as possible to snag the best deal.

For frequent travellers, SBB’s GA Travelcard at an annual cost of 3,860 francs for adults is your most cost-effective option by a landslide. The travelcard allows you to travel on public transport throughout Switzerland for “free” and you can even get 5 francs off on short-term bike rentals at 20 SBB stations.

If you don’t want to hand over quite that much money, a great way of reducing your transport cost is to purchase SBB’s Half Fare Travelcard. The travelcard costs 120 francs per year and gives you an up to 50 percent discount on all travel by train, bus, boat, and most mountain railways.

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ECONOMY

How the strengths and weaknesses of the Swiss economy will impact you

While the economies of many countries are struggling, Switzerland’s is doing well in comparison. What exactly are its strengths and weaknesses? And how will they impact you?

How the strengths and weaknesses of the Swiss economy will impact you

In its new analysis published on Tuesday, the Swiss Economic Institute (KOF) lays out the forecast for Switzerland’s economy.

Some of it is positive, and some less so.

On the whole, however, and given the difficult situation of the past two years, the outlook is promising (read more about this below).

Things are not always what they seem

Economists, like KOF’s director Jan-Egbert Sturm, point out that though the public’s perception of the current economic situation is skewed toward the negative, it is not necessarily so.

“The increase in prices in Switzerland was significantly lower than in neighbouring countries,” he said in an interview with Blick newspaper. 

So is inflation: even at its height in 2022, when it exceeded the 3-percent mark (a very high figure for Switzerland), it was still well below the EU average.

Today, the rate stands at below 2 percent — still lower than elsewhere in Europe

READ ALSO: Why Switzerland’s inflation rate has stayed low compared to elsewhere

 Another ‘misconception’ is that consumption habits in Switzerland have been impacted by inflation.

The general view is that “there is some reluctance to buy new, larger goods like washing machines or cars. But if we look at the figures closely, we see that consumption is evolving in a relatively stable manner,” Sturm said.

“The Swiss economy is generally quite solid,” he added.

Another plus: “the labour market remains robust, especially thanks to the services sector,” Sturm pointed out.

Companies are more reluctant to let employees go not only because there are not enough qualified workers to fill job vacancies, but also because employers “learned during the pandemic that they must be careful not to lay off workers too quickly,” so as not to create shortages when the crisis passes.  

Why does Swiss economy generally fare well in crises — and in general?

There are several reasons for that: 

Low unemployment / high employment

This dynamic fuels economic prosperity because it means that as people earn income, they not only spend more (thus boosting consumption), but they also pay taxes which fill up the government’s coffers.

And when that happens, everyone in Switzerland benefits: the cantons and their finances profit from the strength of the Swiss economy, as the federal government distributes some of its profits to cantons.

The government’s role

The Swiss are financially-savvy, which bodes well for the economy.

Take the debt brake, for instance.

According to the government, it is a mechanism designed to “prevent chronic deficits and keep federal debt from soaring”.

Just as it is for private spending, the government must be careful not to exceed the set ‘expenditure ceiling.’

“With a debt ratio of around 30 percent of gross domestic product, Switzerland remains in excellent shape by international standards,” the government pointed out. “The debt brake has not only significantly helped Switzerland to overcome multiple crises relatively well; it has also allowed for a considerable reduction in federal debt.”

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), “Switzerland’s public finances rank amongst the best in terms of solidity.”

READ ALSO : What is Switzerland’s debt brake and how does it affect residents?

All these factors combined have kept Switzerland’s afloat (or at least from drowning) during various global downturns, including the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which sparked spiralling inflation in many places. 

But there are weak points as well

One of them is the strong franc.

Actually, its strength vis-à-vis the euro and US dollar is a double-edged sword.

On the positive side it benefits the import industry and, ultimately, the consumer.

But it is quite the opposite for exports.

Switzerland relies heavily on trade with the EU, mainly Germany, but when the euro is weaker than the franc, Swiss goods are too expensive abroad — especially if countries concerned are in recession and simply can’t afford to buy from Switzerland.

For this reason, Swiss industries that depend on exports, usually feel the ‘crunch’ more than import-based sectors.

Also, the strong franc may very well enable Switzerland-based earners to enjoy numerous stays abroad, but it also makes holidays in Switzerland very pricy for overseas tourists. This, in turn, has a negative effect on the Swiss economy as well.

Therefore, the state of Switzerland’s economy is not entirely in its own hands, but depends on forces beyond its control.

As KOF puts it, “the sluggish global economy is slowing the growth of the Swiss economy” as well.

What can we expect ahead?

This is where the good news comes in.

“Real wage increases are expected following the declines of recent years,” KOF says. “This will boost purchasing power and, together with population growth, should support private consumption.

Therefore, “households’ spending is expected to increase in the coming year. This trend will be supported by a gradual levelling-​off of inflation and a sharper rise in disposable incomes.”

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