A bunch of brainy students at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (Einstein was a student there) designed a prototype of a passenger pod that might one day carry commuters through a vacuum tube in magnetically levitating cars at more than 1,000 km/h. At this speed a trip between Zürich and Geneva could take 15 […]
Archives for 2017
World’s biggest space cake lands in Zurich train station
On Sunday, the company Zuya unveiled a 15-metre cake at Zurich’s main train station, described by the company as the world’s biggest space cake. The company said more than 2,000 people turned out to see and eat their cake. According to 20 minuten, there were only 1,850 slices, so some might have missed out on […]
Swimming in winter water – Geneva’s Christmas cup
For the last 79 years swimmers have thrown themselves into Lake Geneva’s icy waters roughly a week before Christmas to complete a 120m sprint. The event started in 1934 after local swimmer Monsieur Doria was inspired by a similar race he saw in the river Seine in Paris. The water temperature was around 6 degrees for […]
How much more you need to earn in Switzerland to breakeven
Recently published international price comparison numbers show just how expensive life is in Switzerland. The price of a standard basket of items, including food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare, transport, education and other regular expenses, was far higher in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe. In 2016, life in Switzerland was 68% more expensive than the […]
5 tips for winter fun in Switzerland’s capital
Longer winter nights mean bright lights and festive gatherings. Our supposedly quiet little capital city in Switzerland is no place to hibernate. Mulled Wine The heart-warming elixir for cold outdoor Holiday shopping is mulled wine, that hot mess of steaming red wine and spices. Herewith, some cauldrons around town recommended by Bern Tourism. Christmas Markets Christmas […]
Women in Switzerland do far more housework than men, particularly in three areas
Recent statistics on unremunerated work in Switzerland show a slight shift towards a more equal spit of domestic chores, however men still lag substantially behind women in three areas. In 2016, 7.1 billion hours were invested in unpaid domestic work, a little less than the 7.9 billion hours dedicated to paid work. In 2010, an […]
Rotating carriages keep passengers upright on world’s steepest funicular
Over the weekend, Swiss president Doris Leuthard officially opened the world’s steepest funicular railway. The track, which runs from Schywz to the Alpine resort of Stoos in central Switzerland, has a gradient of 111% at its steepest point, according to the company ABB which built the motors. This is 48 degrees, 90 degrees being vertical. […]
Swiss tourism – sharp rises and falls from some countries over the summer
The number of visitors to Switzerland rose 6% this summer, but this headline figure hides some steep rises and falls. From May to October 2017, 11 million people holidayed in Switzerland, 644,000 more than the over same period in 2016. Swiss made up close to half the total (4.9 million), followed by Germans (950k), Americans […]
Switzerland continues to suffer a shortage of childcare, says report
Across the country there is less than one childcare place for every three preschool-aged children, according to a recent OFAS report. There are wide regional variations. French-speaking cantons have the highest numbers of nursery places. In Geneva, there are 29 full-time places for every 100 preschool-aged children. Neuchâtel (27) and Vaud (26) are next. Cantons […]
More Swiss marrying foreigners
About one in four residents of Switzerland is an immigrant, and the country welcomes them – as long as they are willing to integrate into Swiss culture. Perhaps one measure of integration success is the rising number of internationally mixed marriages. In 2016, there were 15,100 mixed marriages in Switzerland, 36% of all marriages. Over […]
