Ticket prices in Switzerland are set to increase again at the end of 2026, three years after the previous rise. Citing economic pressures and the need for investment, the strategic board of Alliance Swisspass has approved an average increase of … [Read more...]
News and Features
For the first time in Switzerland, people aged 65 and over outnumber those under 20
Provisional figures for 2025 from the Federal Statistical Office show a steadily ageing population. By the end of the year, Switzerland’s permanent resident population had reached 9.12m, up 0.8% (+73,300 people) on 2024. Those 65 and over now … [Read more...]
FILM: I SWEAR ***1/2 – true story of a man with Tourette Syndrome
10 April 2026 I SWEAR ***1/2 This is the true story of John Davidson, the man who grew up with Tourette Syndrome in 1980s Scotland, when that neurological disorder was neither known nor yet diagnosed. This film by Kirk Jones shows the heavy … [Read more...]
Federal Council will scrap imputed rental value from 2029
Six months after a decisive “yes” at the ballot box, the government has clarified how it will implement reforms to the taxation of residential property. It has consulted the Conference of Cantonal Finance Directors and concluded that cantons need … [Read more...]
Language requirements for Swiss citizenship and visas – what you need to know
Brought to you by Swiss French School. On 1 January 2019, Switzerland’s federal government tightened and harmonised the rules on language requirements to qualify for some residence permits, B and C permits in particular, and … [Read more...]
Guides
15 things you should know about Swiss health insurance
It's health insurance season. Average premiums are increasing in 2018. Compulsory basic Swiss health insurance can generally only be changed once a year. To change you must notify your current provider by 30 November. This article explains the basics … [Read More...]
Setting up a business in Switzerland – a guide
Brought to you by Winbiz online accounting for Swiss businesses. So you have decided to start a business. You have a business plan and are ready to get started. Before you launch you need a name and possibly a company. Broadly there are two options … [Read More...]
Activities
Why you should visit the Gianadda gallery in Martigny
Gianadda, that spectacular cultural centre in Martigny, specializes in exhibitions you want to wander round more than once. Its latest show – Hodler, Monet, Munch: painting the impossible (3 February to 11 June 2017) – also lives up to the … [Read more...]
Taking a trip back in time on a Swiss steam train
Trains run Saturdays and Sundays from 4 May until 27 October 2019. On 21 May 1966, the local rail company closed the line between the two small towns of Blonay and Chamby, in Switzerland’s Riviera region, on the eastern reaches of … [Read more...]
Swiss 2021 summer music festival Paléo cancelled
In April 2020, when Covid-19 was spreading across Europe, Paléo announced it was cancelling its 2020 summer music festival. Today, it announced it is cancelling its 2021 festival. In an announcement Paléo said: "the whole organising team kept … [Read more...]
