The Gotthard pass, one of the key routes linking northern and southern Switzerland is often opened in mid-May. Last year, it was open by now. However, this year there is too much snow, reported SRF. Opening the pass before the second long weekend in May brings relief to many weary travellers. The pass provides drivers […]
Swiss has no plan to end flights between Geneva and Zurich
Airlines are under pressure to cut short flights between locations that are well connected by rail. The logic being that trains have lower emissions that planes. Regular flights between Geneva and Zurich have long been criticised by environmentalists. However, this week, Swiss said it has no plans to cut flights between Switzerland’s two main cities, […]
Number of Swiss abroad continues to rise
At the end of 2023, there were 813,400 Swiss citizens living outside Switzerland, more than 11% of the total – 6.5 million citizens lived in Switzerland in 2022. The number of Swiss abroad rose by 13,400 or 1.7% during 2023. Most of the 813,400 lived in Europe (64%), with 26% of total citizens abroad living […]
Swiss town wants to stop tandem base jumping
The town of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, wants tandem base jump tourism stopped. The Swiss Base Association (SBA) is also against the practice, reported SRF. Base jumping, where people leap from high places and land with a parachute, was once a fringe sport. Although it is now far from mainstream, it has become increasingly […]
Swiss prefer to holiday close to home
Passing through a Swiss airport during peak holiday season might give an impression Swiss like holiday in far away places. However, a survey by the Swiss Bankers, a company that provides holiday related financial services, shows most like to stay close to home. In 2023, 25.9% of total holiday spending was made in Switzerland, followed […]
Work, housing, crime, culture – Switzerland’s best and worst cities
Recently published data from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) rank Switzerland’s cities on various aspects related to quality of life, reported RTS. Quality of life depends on what someone finds important. So the survey does not attempt to come up with a single rating. Instead it ranks Switzerland’s cities across a number of categories. The […]
Skiers are going faster on Swiss slopes
Skiers in Switzerland are travelling faster. A significant number are now clocking speeds in excess of 100 kilometres an hour, reported RTS. Over a quarter of the Swiss population engages in winter sports annually. Unfortunately, around 33,000 employees are injured a year at a cost of CHF 307 million, according to accident insurer Suva. One […]
Swiss winter holidays – hotel association calls on cantons to avoid clashes
Most Swiss do not ski. Only a third of the population regularly takes to the snow in winter. One deterrent is school holiday planning. Many years ago, the typically two week break over Christmas fell during the prime ski season, a period with abundant snow. Now this period is hit and miss. Beyond this, most […]
Swiss Rail launches a new pass
The previously announced half price plus rail pass, which has some of the features of an annual pass, will be available from mid-December 2023, reported Swiss Rail this week. The pass comes in three flavours: Half-Fare travelcard PLUS 1000, Half-Fare travelcard PLUS 2000 and Half-Fare travelcard PLUS 3000. They all work the same. You essentially […]
US company buys another Swiss ski resort
After Andermatt, the US ski resort operator Vail Resorts is to buy the Swiss mountain resort of Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais. The US company will buy 84% of the lift company, reported SRF. Tourism director Bruno Huggler welcomes the deal. With Vail Resorts we have a new owner who really comes from this […]
