Switzerland’s government plans to raise value-added tax (VAT) temporarily to finance a substantial increase in military and security spending. The Federal Council wants to raise an additional CHF 31bn over ten years through a 0.8-percentage-point … [Read more...]
News and Features
Swiss party seeks cap on primary school pupils not speaking language of instruction
Switzerland’s largest party, the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), wants to curb the number of pupils in primary school classes who do not speak the language of instruction, arguing that rising immigration is undermining primary education, reported … [Read more...]
How some Swiss struggle to integrate in Switzerland
Internal migration across Switzerland’s linguistic borders sometimes tests local integration. In the canton of Fribourg, growing numbers of French-speakers are settling in German-speaking municipalities, drawn by cheaper housing and proximity to the … [Read more...]
Swiss changes rules on flying with power banks
Passengers flying with Swiss or Edelweiss will need to rethink how they charge their devices. From January 15th 2026, both airlines prohibit the use of power banks on board. Only two may be carried per passenger, and only in hand luggage. Checked … [Read more...]
FILM: NUREMBERG ***
30 January 2026 NUREMBERG *** This film shows one of the first and most important of the 12 Nuremberg Military Tribunals after WWII. Important, as the trial it covers had some of the top men in Hitler’s inner circle. It included Rudolf Hess, … [Read more...]
Guides
8 things you must do if you’re running a Swiss business
Brought to you by Winbiz online accounting for Swiss businesses. Once a business is established, there are many ongoing administrative tasks required by law. The main ones are covered in this article. The first few relate to employees and … [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
4 best mountain spas in French-speaking Switzerland
ALL YEAR ROUND The Alps are synonymous with skiing but alpine geothermal springs and spas are sometimes overlooked. If the thought of lugging skis, poles and person to the ski lift to spend a day risking life and limb on snow isn’t appealing, … [Read more...]
Here’s why the Chateau de Chillon is Switzerland’s most-visited castle
The Chateau de Chillon is the most-visited historic building in Switzerland. There must be a reason, beyond the fact that it’s easy to get to on the edge of Lake Geneva near Montreux. You enter the Middle Ages as you cross the little castle’s … [Read more...]
Places to go for early season skiing in Switzerland
Mention skiing in November and it is likely to draw blank expressions, or comments like: "It’s too early, there will be no snow". While this is true for some resorts not all ski domains were created equal. A recent study shows that in 2015, snow … [Read more...]
