Geography: Switzerland is bordered by France to the west, Germany to the north, Austria to the east and Italy to the south. It has the highest mountains in Europe, with waterfalls and lakes set amid green pastures. The highest peaks are Dufour Peak, 4634m (15,217ft), on the Italian border; the Dom, 4545m (14,912ft); the Matterhorn, 4478m (14,692ft); and the Jungfrau, 4166m (13,669ft).

Language: 65-70 per cent German in central and eastern areas, 19 per cent French in the west and eight per cent Italian in the south. Raeto-Romansch is spoken in the southeast by one per cent. English is spoken by many. Overlapping cultural influences characterise the country.

Religion: Roman Catholic (43 per cent) and Protestant (47 per cent).

Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Communications:
Telephone: Full IDD is available. Country code: 41. Outgoing international code: 00. Phonecards are available for use in payphones.

Mobile telephone: GSM 900/1800 networks cover the whole country. Single band networks also in Basle, Zurich and Geneva. Operators include Orange (website: www.orange.ch), Swiss GSM (website: www.swisscom.com) and Sunrise (website: www.sunrise.ch/de)

Fax: Facilities are available in all telegraph offices, most major hotels and post offices.

Internet: Internet access is available in phone booths operated by Swisscom. Charges are payable by phonecard or credit card. ISPs include SwissOnline (website: www.swissonline.ch).

Telegram: These can be sent from post offices and most hotels or arranged by dialling 110 on the telephone.

Post: Airmail within Europe takes three days. Poste Restante is available at all post offices. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1345-1830. Saturday closing is at 1100 except in major cities.

Press: The high level of interest in local politics throughout Switzerland has led to a large number of regional newspapers. However, the most popular dailies are Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Blick and Tages-Anzeiger Zürich. European and international newspapers in English, including The Herald Tribune and USA Today, are also widely available.

Money:
Currency: Swiss Franc (SFr) = 100 rappen or centimes. Notes are in denominations of SFr1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of SFr5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 centimes.

Eurocheques: Eurocheques are no longer guaranteed and can not be accepted for encashments but may be useable for payments wihtout the guarantee.

Currency exchange: Personal cheques within the Eurocheque system are accepted. ATMs provide a convenient means of obtaining Swiss Francs. There are Bureaux de Change at train stations and banks.

Credit & debit cards: MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are widely accepted. Check with your credit, or debit, card company for details of merchant acceptability and other facilities that may be available.

Travellers cheques: Pound Sterling, US Dollar, Euro or Swiss Franc cheques are accepted at airports, railway stations and banks. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars.

Currency restrictions: There are no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currencies.

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1630.

Public Holidays: Dec 25 2002 Christmas Day. Dec 26 St Stephen’s Day. Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Jan 2 Berchtold’s Day.* Apr 18 Good Friday.* Apr 21 Easter Monday.* May 29 Ascension.* Jun 9 Whit Monday.* Aug 1 National Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Dec 26 St Stephen’s Day. Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Jan 2 Berchtold’s Day.* Apr 9 Good Friday.* Apr 12 Easter Monday.* May 20 Ascension.* May 31 Whit Monday.* Aug 1 National Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Dec 26 St Stephen’s Day.
Note: * These holidays may not be observed in certain cantons. There are additional regional holidays which are observed in certain cantons only.

Health:
Special Precautions/Certificate Required:
Yellow Fever No/No
Cholera No/No
Typhoid and Polio No/N/A
Malaria No/N/A

Other risks: Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information see the Health appendix

Health care: Health insurance is essential. Medical facilities in Switzerland are among the best in Europe, but treatment is expensive. Various leaflets giving information on health spas and clinics are available from Switzerland Tourism (see Contact Addresses section).

Travel - Internal:
Air: All services are operated by SWISS. Domestic air travel is fast but expensive, and with the exception of the Geneva to Zürich flight (travel time – 45 minutes), many business people prefer to travel by rail or road.

Rail: Rail transport is particularly well developed in Switzerland, with excellent services provided by Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB) (website: www.sbb.ch) and many other operators. Use of the ‘Swiss Pass’ (see below) is a superb way to view the scenery, although mainline services are geared to the needs of the hurried business traveller. Trains run at least hourly from the major centres and there is a country-wide timetable of regular services. There are dining cars on many trains, and snacks and refreshments are widely available. Independent railways, such as the Rhätische Bahn in the Grisons and the Berner-Oberland-Bahn, provide services in certain parts of the country. The SBB has introduced specialised cars for disabled people using wheelchairs. Facilities include a lift for wheelchairs, a specially adapted WC and radios adapted for people with hearing difficulties.

There are also a large number of mountain railways which are sometimes the only means of access to winter resorts. Some of these are attractions in their own right: the Gornergrat-Bahn in Zermatt is one of the oldest mountain railways and climbs to a height of over 3000m above sea level, offering a spectacular panorama of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains. See www.rail.ch for more information.

Cheap fares: are available from Switzerland Tourism. The ‘Swiss Pass’ gives unlimited travel on rail services, those of other main regional operators, boats, an extensive network of buses and city trams, as well as reduced price travel on other mountain railways not included in the full scheme. Tickets can be purchased for four, eight, 15, 21 or 28 days. An STS family card allows children up to 16 years of age free travel when accompanied by parents. There are also regional tickets for unlimited travel in different parts of Switzerland at various rates. Other offers include a Swiss Transfer Ticket allowing return travel from a Swiss border or airport to a selected destination. A leaflet describing all the schemes is available from Switzerland Tourism. A comprehensive timetable for all Swiss public transport can also be purchased. Inter-Rail cards are valid.

Road: Traffic drives on the right. Road quality is generally good. Many mountain roads are winding and narrow, and often closed in heavy winter conditions; otherwise chains and snow tyres may be necessary. Rail is often more efficient than driving.

Bus: Postal motor coaches (website: www.post.ch) provide a service to even the remotest villages, but under the integrated national transport policy few long-distance coaches are allowed to operate.

Taxi: All taxis have meters for short and long trips, although it is advisable to agree the fare for longer distances out of town.

Car hire: Available in all towns from hotels and airports and at all manned rail stations. All major European companies are represented.

Regulations: The minimum driving age is 18. Seat-belts are obligatory and children under 12 years must travel in the back of the car. Dipped headlights are compulsory during the day. Drink-driving fines are heavy.

Speed limits: 80kph (50mph) on country lanes; max 120kph (75mph), min 60kph (37mph) on motorways; and 50kph (31mph) in towns.

Organisations: The AA and RAC in the UK are linked with TCS (Touring Club Suisse) (website: www.tcs.ch) and ACS (Automobil Club der Schweiz). Contact the Automobil Club der Schweiz (ACS), Wasserwerkgasse 39, 3000 Bern 13 (tel: (31) 328 3111; fax: (31) 311 0310; e-mail: acszv@acs.ch; website: www.acs.ch). In emergencies there is a breakdown service offering assistance (tel: 140) throughout Switzerland.

Motorway tax (vignette): An annual road tax of SFr40 is levied on all cars and motorbikes using Swiss motorways. An additional fee of SFr40 applies to trailers and caravans. The vignette (sticker) is valid between 1 December of the year preceding and 31 January of the one following the year printed on the vignette. These permits, which are available at border crossings, are valid for multiple re-entry into Switzerland within the duration of the licensed period. To avoid hold-ups at the frontier, however, it is advisable to purchase the vignette in advance: call the Swiss Centre (tel: (00800) 100 200 30) for more details.

Documentation: A national driving licence is sufficient. Green Card insurance is advised – ordinary domestic insurance policies are valid but do not provide full cover. The Green Card tops the cover up to the level provided by the visitor’s domestic policy.

Urban: Highly efficient and integrated urban public transport systems serve as a model for other countries. There are tramways and light rail services in Basle, Bern, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Zürich. These and a further dozen cities also have trolleybuses. Fares systems are generally automated with machines issuing single or multiple tickets at the roadside. Tickets are also available at enquiry offices. Fares are generally zonal. There is a day ticket for travel in one or more Swiss cities on any given day at a standard fare. Taxis are widely available and drivers expect a 15 per cent tip.

Travel times: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Zürich to other major cities/towns in Switzerland.

Air/Road/Rail:
Basle 0.30 1.10 1.05
Bern - 1.15 1.10
Geneva 0.40 2.45 2.55
Lugano 0.45 3.00 3.00

Travel - International:
Air: Switzerland’s national airline is Swiss (LX).

Approximate flight times: From Basle, Bern, Geneva or Zürich to London is 1 hour 50 minutes. From Geneva to Los Angeles is 17 hours and from Zürich is 14 hours 35 minutes. From Geneva to New York is 9 hours 45 minutes and from Zürich is 7 hours 20 minutes.

International airports: Zürich (ZRH) (Kloten) (website: www.zurich-airport.com) is 11km (7 miles) from the city (travel time – 20 minutes). Trains run every 10-15 minutes from under Terminal B. Regional and night buses are available. Passengers arriving in Switzerland by air can purchase a special Fly-Rail Luggage ticket from their airport of departure which will enable them to have their luggage delivered directly to a Swiss railway station. With the Fly-Rail Baggage service, passengers leaving Switzerland can check their bags in at the railway station up to 24 hours before their flight. Taxis to the city are available (travel time – 15-30 minutes).

Geneva (GVA) (website: www.gva.ch) is 5km (3 miles) north of the city. Taxis to the city are available. There is a regular train service to Geneva Cornavin Station (travel time – 6 minutes). The number 10 bus runs from the airport to the city centre.

Bern (BRN) (Belp) is 9km (5.5 miles) southeast of the city (travel time – 20-30 minutes). Bus services are available to Bern station. A rail service runs from Bern to Zürich Airport. Taxis are also available.

Basle (BSL) (Basel-Mulhouse) is 12km (7 miles) from the city. Bus runs to Basle SBB Luftreisebüro. Taxis are also available.

Departure tax: SFr40 from all the above airports.

Rail: Travelling from the UK, the quickest way is to travel by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to Paris (travel time – three hours) and, from there, to Switzerland. For further information and reservations contact Eurostar (tel: (0870) 0000 792(travel agents) or (08705 186 186 (public; within the UK) or (01233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK only); website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848; website: www.raileurope.co.uk). Travel agents can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar Trade Refunds, 2nd Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD. Complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar Customer Relations, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE (tel: (020) 7928 5163; e-mail: new.comments@eurostar.co.uk). General enquiries and information requests must be made by telephone. Other connections from London via the main channel crossings are available (minimum travel time of about 14-15 hours to Basle and Lausanne, the main points of entry). There are also through trains from many other European cities.

Road: Switzerland can be reached by road from Italy, Germany, France and Austria. Some approximate driving times to Geneva and Zürich by the most direct routes are: Calais–Geneva: 12/13 hours (747km/464 miles); Dunkirk–Geneva: 12/13 hours (732km/454 miles); Calais–Zürich: 13/14 hours (790km/490 miles); Dunkirk–Zürich: 14/15 hours (880km/546 miles).

Coach: There are coach services to Switzerland as well as scheduled coach tour operators. Contact Switzerland Tourism for further. In the UK, Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in Switzerland. For further information, contact Eurolines, 4 Cardiff Road, Luton LU1 1PP (tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; e-mail: welcome@eurolinesuk.co.uk; website: www.eurolines.co.uk).