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Mini-Guide To Switzerland

Famous for being "neutral", Switzerland is located in the centre of Europe and surrounded by several countries including Germany, France, Italy and Austria. Most people would mention Zurich and Geneva as the main cities in Switzerland - which they are - but Berne is the capital. The country has three main languages with French being spoken mainly in the Geneva region, German in the Zurich region and Italian in the Lugano region in the south of the country. Zurich is the banking capital of Switzerland with investment banks such as UBS and Credit Suisse being big employers in the region.

Or view the list of airports in Switzerland.

Switzerland has several famous mountains including the Matterhorn and Jungfrau and Alps. All of these are reachable by a mixture of trains and cable cars - with the Jungfrau round trip from Zurich possible in 1 day. Many of the mountain areas have a strong tourist industry with skiing and snow boarding extremely popular in winter months. In the summer months, hiking and cycling are popular across the whole of the country and its common to see roller bladers in the streets of the major cities. The currency of Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF). The cost of living in Switzerland is relatively high but it comes with a very good quality of life. Eating out is a similar price to eating out in London - with numerous restaurants catering for all tastes and cuisines. Shops are usually open from 9am to 6.30pm on weekdays and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays and many public holidays - so plan in advance if you need food. There are shops open at airports and the major railway stations on Sundays. Although Switzerland is a safe country with one of the lowest crime rates of any industrialised country, it does still have some crime and it is wise to keep an eye on hand bags, wallets and luggage in busy areas.