This document provides information about Switzerland, including its geography, history, culture, cities, and tourist attractions. It begins with details about traveling to Switzerland from Canada and transportation within the country. The rest of the document covers Switzerland's population, climate, terrain, languages spoken, religions practiced, cuisine, etiquette, music, major cities, and popular attractions in places like Geneva, Bern, Zurich, St. Moritz, Lugano, Lucerne, Interlaken, and Zermatt. In conclusion, it lists some travel restrictions and requirements for visiting Switzerland.

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SWITZERLAND
MAGGIE GRUBER & SARAH FAVREAU
Cultural and Tourist Attractions of Europe
414-KEU-AS Sect. 06234
LaSalle College
October 22nd, 2014

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Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (YUL) to Flughafen
Zürich (ZRH)
Flight time: 7 hours and 20 minutes
Airlines: Direct flights are offered by both Air
Canada and Swiss Air
Price: $1,275 (Economy)
Montreal, Canada to Zurich, Switzerland

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Transportation around Switzerland
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The Geography of Switzerland
 Population: 8.02 Million (2012)
 Climate: Temperate, however, it varies with altitude.
 Terrain: Mainly mountains (Alps in the South, Jura in the
Northwest) with rolling hills, plains and large lakes
 Total Size: 41,290 km2
 Geographical Low Point: Lake Maggiore (195 m)
 Geographical High Point: Dufourspitze (4,634 m)
 Continent: Europe
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Map of Switzerland
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Switzerland is a landlocked country. It borders
France, Italy, Germany and Austria.

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History of Switzerland
 Around 1500 BC Celtic Helvetian’s entered Switzerland and
colonized the land.
 By 58 BC the Romans took reign of the area and built a capital at
Aventicum (Avenches). In the Following centuries, the Romans
continued to build roads and other towns.
 However, the region was attacked by a tribe called Alemanii and
Switzerland never recovered. This resulted in the Romans
withdrawing their army from Switzerland altogether in 400AD
 Afterwards, the Germanic Tribes (Alamanii and Burgundians) took
rule of the area forcing the remaining Roman’s to retreat into the
mountains. Despite this, the area remained a part of the Holy
Roman Empire for many years afterwards.
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History of Switzerland
 In the 12th Century, the Dukes of Zahringen, A German nobel
family, were given authority over part of the Burgundy territories
(the western part of Switzerland) and were responsible for
founding many of Switzerland’s cities, such as Fribourg in 1157
and Bern in 1191.
 In 1291, the Unterwalden, Schwyz, and Uri families signed a
charter making Switzerland an independent country. However,
formal independence wasn’t acquired from the Holy Roman
Empire until 1499.
 Switzerland’s goal was to be a neutral country, meaning they
intended not to be involved in any wars. After the defeat of
Napolean when he invaded the country in 1797, the congress of
Vienna gave Switzerland in 1815, permanent armed neutrality,
which they maintained through both World Wars and the Cold War
despite being centrally located in the heart of Europe.
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The People of Switzerland
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 Languages: German (Official)
63.7%, French (Official) 20.4%,
Italian (Official) 6.5%, Romansh
(Official) 0.5%
 Nationality: Swiss, Suisse, Schweiz
 Religions: Roman Catholic 41.8%,
Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%,
Muslim 4.3%
 National Holiday: August 1st -
Founding of the Swiss Confederation
 National Anthem: Schweizerpsalm

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Language Division
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German Lesson
 Guten Morgen................................................Good Morning
 Gute Nacht...................................................... Good Night
 Guten Tag........................................................ Hello/Good Day
 Danke............................................................... Thank You
 Bitte.................................................................. Please
 Bitte Schön........................................................ You’re Welcome
 Ja / Nein............................................................ Yes / NO
 Das ist Gut......................................................... That is good
 Wunderbar........................................................ Wonderful
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Switzerland’s Economy
 Major Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles,
precision instruments
 Agriculture Products: grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs
 Natural Resources: Hydropower, potential, timber, salt
 Major Exports: Machinery, chemicals, metals, watches,
agricultural products
 Major Imports: Machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals,
agricultural products, textiles
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Swiss Money
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Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF)
1 Swiss Franc = 1.19 CAN $

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Swiss Cuisine
 Breakfast in Switzerland typically includes bread with butter or
margarine, marmalade or honey along with maybe some
cheese or cereal and milk, tea or coffee.
 For Lunch, the Swiss usually enjoy something small and
simple, such as birchemüesli or a sandwich.
 Dinner is typically the biggest meal of the day. However, if they
had a large lunch, dinner could simply consist of bread,
cheese, and dried or light meat.
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Traditional Foods
 Cheese Fondue: Bread cubes dipped in melted cheese
 Raclette: Melted cheese served with potatoes, pickles and onions
 Rösti: A flat, hot cake made of grated potatoes and friend in hot butter or
fat
 Birchermüesli: Out flakes, lemon juice, condensed milk, grated apples,
hazelnuts or almonds. Resembles oatmeal
 Veal Zurichoise: A veal dish, made with a cream sauce and mushrooms.
Often accompanied by rösti
 Swiss Cheese
 Swiss Chocolate
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Swiss Etiquette
 Meeting and Greeting –
 Shake hands with everyone present – men women and children at business or
social meetings. Shake hands when leaving.
 When greeting family, the Swiss give three kisses on the cheeks. Left, right then
left again.
 The Swiss take punctuality for business and social meetings very seriously. The
Swiss are always on time! So if you aren’t going to on time, you need to call with
an explanation.
 Dress –
 Appearance should always be clean and neat. The Swiss are known for
conservative and near attire.
 Dining and Entertainment –
 Cut potatoes, soft foods, and salads with a fork, not a knife
 Break bread with your hands if possible, not a knife.
 Beckon a waiter by saying Herr or Ober, and a waitress by saying Fräulein
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The Music of Switzerland
 Switzerland is known for its
traditional folklore music, although
nowadays pop and rock music are
more common among the Swiss
population. Traditional folklore
music was developed by the alpine
herdsmen. The music style can
include:
 The Aplhorn: An arcahaic 9ft long
instrument made from a carved out
wooden log.
 Yodeling: A singing style
characterized by frequent and rapid
shifts from normal voice to falsetto to
back again while using few
meningless syllables such as “yo-lollo-
dee-uhh.”
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Switzerland
Zurich, St. Moritz, Lugano, Luzern, Bern,
Interlaken, Zermatt, Lausanne, Geneva
Main
Attractions

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Geneva
 Gevena is the French speaking part of
Switzerland also known to be the
“smallest of big city" or “city of parks"
Geneva has 20% of its territory that
consists of natural parks
 One of Geneva's popular attractions is
the “Jet d'eau” situated on the Lake
Geneva, it's a bursting 140meter high
water fountain one of use worlds tallest
and symbolizes Geneva's hydraulic
power.
 Located towards the left and right side of
the fountain is 'The Promenades' filled
with cafe's, parks, street markets, lakes
cruises, amusement rides and lots of
water skiing
Switzerland

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Lausanne
 Lausanne is the second largest city on
the Lake Geneva, capital of the canton of
Vaud. it is also a French speaking
destination in Switzerland and home of
the Olympic committee since 1914.
 It is a lively destination for universities
and conventions.
 Lausanne is built on 3 hills, surrounded
by vineyard covered slopes and of
course the Lake Geneva
 The old town of Lausanne is largely car-free
and dominated by what is known to
be the most impressive piece of gothic
architecture: the Lausanne cathedral. It
began to be built in 1170 but completed
in 1235
A must see attraction that is also
surrounded by shopping streets,
Switzerland

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Bern
 The charming old town of Bern is a
UNESCO World Cultural heritage site,
surrounded by the Aare river, it offers
absolutely stunning view of the alps.
 A true gem of medieval architect in Europe,
limestone buildings, picturesque rooftops,
colorful figured renaissance fountains Bern
is a must see attraction and very
accessible by foot, by tram or by bus.
 Often called the “City of fountains,” more
than 140 years ago these magnificent
fountains once served as Bern's water
supply, a perfect meeting place where folks
gathered and gossiped, washed and drew
fresh clean water.
 In 1550 most Wooden fountains were
remodeled or were been replaced with
Hero's and historic events from the middle
age.
 There is over 100 fountains till this day
maintained that bring color to the streets
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Zurich
 Zurich is located in north-central
Switzerland at the northwestern tip of
Lake Zurich, and it is the largest city in
the country.
 With a population of approximately 400
thousand, Zurich is a hub for railways,
roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich airport
and railway station are the largest and
busiest in the country.
 The Polybahn funicular railway can be
found in the center of the city. The rail
line carries passengers up to the terrace
by the main building of ETH Zurich
University.
 Most of Zurich’s sites-to-see are located
on either side of the Limmat River
between the main rail station and Lake
Zurich. These sites include churches,
museums and parks.
Switzerland

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St. Moritz
 St. Moritz is known as a resort town
located in the Engadine valley of
Switzerland.
 Not far from the Piz Bernina, the highest
summit in the Eastern Alps, St. Moritz
was the host of the 1928 and 1948
Winter Olympics.
 It is a popular destination for upper class
travelers and international jet setters as it
is one of the most expensive ski resort in
the world.
 St. Moritz also has amazing weather
conditions with 300 days of sunshine per
year.
 Every winter a variety of activities take
place in St. Moritz, such as the “white
Turf” horse race over the frozen Lake St.
Moritz.
Switzerland

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What Am I?
Memory Game
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Lugano
 Lugano is the capital of bellinzona, it is
one of the biggest city in Ticino. It is the
Italian speaking part of the Switzerland
and location to the main base of the
Università della Svizzera Italiana.
 Lugano is a popular holiday destination
thanks to its milder climate compared to
most of Switzerland, due to its location
south of the alps and Villa del Balbianello
 Villa del Balbianello
 Built in 1787, was renovated in 1974 by
Guido Monzio whom had later filled the
villa with his rich collection of artifacts
from all his exhibitions, when he’d
passed away the villa was left in the
hands of the National Trust of Italy,
Switzerland

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Lucerne
 Lucerne has long been a destination for
tourists, ranked one of the prettiest cities
and most popular city in central
Switzerland,
 Lucerne is the capital of canton Lucerne,
with a population of around 76,200 and a
German speaking city
 Lake Lucerne in the past, until 1863 was
the only trade route to the Gotthard pass,
today it is no doubt an unforgettable
experience and a must see natural
attraction. With a steamer cruise visiting
the lake throughout all seasons visitors
will have a spectacular scenery to
appreciate.
Switzerland

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Interlaken
 Interlaken is a town and municipality in the
Interlaken-Oberhasil administrative district
in the Swiss Canton of Bern area.
 It is a well-known tourist destination located
in the Swiss Alps. It is the main transport
gateway to the mountains as well as the
lake of the region.
 Interlaken has a variety of beautiful
mountains such as the Jungfrau, the
Mönch and the Eiger. Although only directly
accessible to mountain climbers, you can
reach as high as the Jungfraujoch, a coll
between the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It is
the highest point in Europe accessible by
train and it offers the best view of the two
mountains.
 The Harder Kulm and schynige Platte are
also accessible by railway and offer
spectacular views of the higher mountains.
Switzerland

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Zermatt
 Zermatt is a municipality located in the
District of Visp in the canton of Valais in
Switzerland.
 Zermatt like St. Moritz, is a ski resort
destination and apart of the Swiss Alps.
 The ski village was discovered around the
mid-nineteenth-century by British
mountaineers. The Matterhorn was the last
of the alpine mountains to be conquered in
1865, however, it was not reached without
casualties. Only 3 of the 7 climbers
survived the descent.
 Skiers and hikers can access the
mountains in Zermatt, Klein Matterhorn
being the highest, by cable cars and chair
lifts.
 It’s possible to cross into Italy via the
cervinia cable car station as well as access
the Gornegrat summit through an amazing
rack railway line. Zermatt is also thw wester
terminus for the Glacier express connecting
to St. Moritz and the MGB (Matterhorn-
Gottard-Bahn)
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Travel Restrictions
Passport requirments
Canadians must present a passport which must be valid for at least three months beyond the
date of their expected departure
Visa’s are not required for stays up to 90 days
Crime
Petty crime has increased and occurs in most public areas, particularly in Berne, Zurich and
Geneva. Pickpockets are active in public places, such as airports and railway stations. Exercise
caution on trains, especially on overnight trips to neighbouring countries
Vaccination
Some countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination before allowing entry
Driving in Switzerland
You must be at least 18 years old to drive in Switzerland. You can drive with a Canadian driver’s
licence, but you are advised to obtain an International Driving permit in order to meet the
requirements of some car rental agencies.

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Travel Restrictions
Just like in Canada cell phones are prohibited while driving
Legal alcohol limit is 0.05 ,
It is compulsory for all vehicles to be equipped with a warning triangle in case of breakdown
Automated banking machines (ABMs) are known as Bancomat
In case of emergency
According to the travel government of Canada
For emergency assistance after hours, call the Embassy of Canada in Berne or, if you are in the
canton of Geneva, the Permanent Mission, and follow the instructions. You may also call the
Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa toll-free at 00 800 2326-6831.
Before traveling a visitor should visit the below link
http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/switzerland

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What Am I?
Memory Game
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Bibliography
 http://www.ducksters.com/geography/country.php?country=Swit
zerland
 http://www.about.ch/culture/food/index.html
 http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/typical-food.html
 http://swiss-music.all-about-switzerland.info/traditional-swiss-folklore-
music.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland
 http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/home.html
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