Switzerland’s push to meet its climate targets is colliding with a severe housing shortage. In French-speaking regions, large-scale evictions linked to energy renovations are becoming more common, leaving hundreds of tenants scrambling for new homes, … [Read more...]
News and Features
FILM: EN TERRAIN NEUTRE **** a film about Swiss neutrality
1 May 2026 There are too many releases this week, so I’ll try to make these reviews as short as possible. Two excellent films to catch and two English-language ones to avoid - saving both your money and your sanity. EN TERRAIN NEUTRE **** (vo … [Read more...]
New EU employment rules could be costly for Switzerland
A planned overhaul of unemployment rules for cross-border workers in the European Union could prove costly for Switzerland. Ambassadors from EU member states have backed a change that would shift responsibility for unemployment benefits from a … [Read more...]
A plan to tax flights to fund trains
A new Swiss initiative seeks to tilt travel away from planes and towards rail. Launched by actif-trafiC and backed by a coalition of campaign groups and political parties, it proposes a levy on airline tickets and private jet travel to fund public … [Read more...]
A new proposal to make it easier to become Swiss reaches parliament
A proposal to ease Switzerland’s naturalisation rules has reached the Swiss National Council, Switzerland's parliament. The so-called Democracy Initiative has already cleared the first hurdle. Backers gathered 104,782 valid … [Read more...]
Guides
8-step guide to hiring a nanny in Switzerland
Brought to you by quitt.ch - No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland. 1. What do nannies cost in Switzerland? Nannies are expensive in Switzerland. Average monthly salaries range from CHF 3,300 to … [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...]
Activities
Chaplin’s World – enter the home and life of a comic genius
Film legend Charlie Chaplin spent 24 years living in the Manoir de Ban, a grand old mansion above Vevey in Switzerland. In 2016, his charming former home and grounds were cleverly and artfully transformed into Chaplin’s World and opened to the … [Read more...]
The Rhaetian Railway – probably Switzerland’s best train journey
Rounding another curve on the Bernina Express, sometimes we glimpse something – an ancient stone hut, a cliff naturally carved with a quizzical face, a shimmering snow-covered village – then wonder later if it was really there. Sitting … [Read more...]
Lake Geneva’s beautiful paddlewheel boats – getting there is way more than half the fun
They say that “getting there is half the fun”. But sometimes it’s more. A lot more. For example: a Lake Geneva cruise on a grand historic paddlewheel steamboat. Destination? Who cares? On a recent gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I, your intrepid … [Read more...]
