Swiss Confederation
Area: 41,284 sq km
Population: 7,689,100
Population density: 181 per sq km
Capital: Berne
Area: 41,284 sq km
Population: 7,689,100
Population density: 181 per sq km
Capital: Berne
Switzerland country information
Passport & visa | Getting there | Cycling & maps | Cost of living | Accommodation | Food | Bike shops | Climate | Distances
Passport & Visa
| Visa Required? | |
|---|---|
| British | No |
| Australian | No |
| Canadian | No |
| USA | No |
| Other EU | No |
Passports
Passport valid for three
months after intended period of stay required
by all nationals referred to in the chart above
except:
1. nationals of the EU, except for Bulgaria and Romania, holding a valid national identity card, providing not taking up employment, for stays of up to three months;
2. nationals of Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain with normal passports, expired for up to five years, providing not taking up employment, for stays of up to three months;
3. nationals of Germany with passports expired for up to one year.
1. nationals of the EU, except for Bulgaria and Romania, holding a valid national identity card, providing not taking up employment, for stays of up to three months;
2. nationals of Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain with normal passports, expired for up to five years, providing not taking up employment, for stays of up to three months;
3. nationals of Germany with passports expired for up to one year.
Passport Note
Switzerland joined
the Schengen Agreement on 12
December 2008.
Regulations also apply to Liechtenstein (no border control between the two countries).
Passengers arriving at Basel or Geneva airports can enter either France or Switzerland, provided their documents for the country of entry are in order; both airports have two different exits, one to France and one to Switzerland. Therefore passengers can exit to the French part of the airport with a valid French or Schengen visa, if required.
The airport of Basel/Mulhouse is located on French territory.
Part of Geneva airport is located by convention in France and some flights between France and Geneva are considered as domestic flights while others are considered international flights. In this case, passengers must hold proper entry documents for either of the destination countries.
Regulations also apply to Liechtenstein (no border control between the two countries).
Passengers arriving at Basel or Geneva airports can enter either France or Switzerland, provided their documents for the country of entry are in order; both airports have two different exits, one to France and one to Switzerland. Therefore passengers can exit to the French part of the airport with a valid French or Schengen visa, if required.
The airport of Basel/Mulhouse is located on French territory.
Part of Geneva airport is located by convention in France and some flights between France and Geneva are considered as domestic flights while others are considered international flights. In this case, passengers must hold proper entry documents for either of the destination countries.
Visas
Not required
by all nationals referred to in the chart above
for stays of up to three months.
Visa Note
(a) Tourists
and business visitors who travel repeatedly to
Switzerland but stay less than three months each
time must apply for a residence permit if their
total stay exceeds six months within a period
of 12 months.
(b) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
(b) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
Getting there
Getting There by Air
The national airline is Swiss
(LX) (website:
www.swiss.com
).
Approximate Flight Times
From London
to Basle, Bern, Geneva or Zürich is 1 hour 50
minutes. From New York to
Geneva is 9 hours 45 minutes and to Zürich is
7 hours 20 minutes.
Main Airports
Zürich
(ZRH) (Kloten) (website:
www.zurich-airport.com
) is 11km (7 miles) from the city (journey time
- 20 minutes). To/from the airport:
Trains run 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 (journey
time - 15-30 minutes). Facilities:
Duty-free shops, restaurants/bars, banks, bureau
de change, nursery and car hire.
Geneva (GVA) (website: www.gva.ch ) is 5km (3 miles) north of the city. To/from the city: Taxis to the city are available. There is a regular train service to Geneva Cornavin Station (journey time - 6 minutes). Bus 10 runs from the airport to the city centre.
Bern (BRN) (Belp) (website: www.alpar.ch ) is 9km (5.5 miles) southeast of the city (journey time - 20-30 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus services are available to Bern station. A rail service runs from Bern to Zürich Airport. Taxis are also available.
Basel (BSL) (Basel-Mulhouse) (website: www.euroairport.com ) is 12km (7 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Bus 50 runs from the airport to Basel railway station. Taxis are also available.
Geneva (GVA) (website: www.gva.ch ) is 5km (3 miles) north of the city. To/from the city: Taxis to the city are available. There is a regular train service to Geneva Cornavin Station (journey time - 6 minutes). Bus 10 runs from the airport to the city centre.
Bern (BRN) (Belp) (website: www.alpar.ch ) is 9km (5.5 miles) southeast of the city (journey time - 20-30 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus services are available to Bern station. A rail service runs from Bern to Zürich Airport. Taxis are also available.
Basel (BSL) (Basel-Mulhouse) (website: www.euroairport.com ) is 12km (7 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Bus 50 runs from the airport to Basel railway station. Taxis are also available.
Departure Tax
None.
Getting There by Rail
Travelling
from the UK, the quickest way is to travel by
Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to
Paris (journey time - 2 hours 40 minutes)
and, from there, to Switzerland. For further information
and reservations contact Eurostar (tel:
0870 518 6186, in the UK or +44 1233
617 575, outside the UK; website:
www.eurostar.com
); or Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064,
in the UK; website:
www.raileurope.co.uk
).
Other connections from London via the main channel crossings are available (minimum journey time of about 14 to 15 hours to Basle and Lausanne, the main points of entry). There are also through trains from Spain, Italy and Germany.
Other connections from London via the main channel crossings are available (minimum journey time of about 14 to 15 hours to Basle and Lausanne, the main points of entry). There are also through trains from Spain, Italy and Germany.
Rail Passes
InterRail:
offers unlimited first- or second-class travel
in up to 30 European countries for European residents
of over six months with two pass options. The
Global Pass allows travel for
22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10
days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country
Pass offers travel for three, four, six or
eight days in one month in any of the countries
except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel
is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence.
Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction.
Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements
are required for some high-speed services, seat
reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered
on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available
from Rail Europe (website:
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail
).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group (website: www.eurail.com ).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group (website: www.eurail.com ).
Getting There by Road
Switzerland
can be reached by road from Austria, France, Germany,
Liechtenstein and Italy. Some approximate driving
times to Geneva and Zürich by the most direct
routes are: Calais-Geneva: 12 to 13 hours (747km/464
miles); Dunkirk-Geneva: 12 to 13 hours (732km/454
miles); Calais-Zürich: 13 to 14 hours (790km/490
miles); Dunkirk-Zürich: 14 to 15 hours (880km/
546 miles).
Coach: There are coach services to Switzerland as well as scheduled coach tour operators. Contact Switzerland Tourism for further details. Eurolines (tel: 0870 580 8080; website: www.eurolines.com ) serves Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Fribourg, Lausanne and Bern from most major European cities (journey time from London - approximately 18 hours).
Coach: There are coach services to Switzerland as well as scheduled coach tour operators. Contact Switzerland Tourism for further details. Eurolines (tel: 0870 580 8080; website: www.eurolines.com ) serves Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Fribourg, Lausanne and Bern from most major European cities (journey time from London - approximately 18 hours).
