Switzerland is very small! Texas itself is 16 times the size of Switzerland. It is between Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. And no, Sweden is not the same thing. It always sounds crazy to me when people accidentally confuse Switzerland with Sweden. To me, those are two different worlds, but I can see how the names can get confusing!
More than half of Switzerland is in the Alps. With that, there is always something to do in nature. In winter there is skiing or snowboarding and in the summer the slopes get used as hiking trails. But even from the living room couch, the Alps give a spectacular view. The jungfrau-joch, which is 11,332 feet above sea level, is also called the “top of Europe“. It is the highest railway station in Europe and is located in the central part of Switzerland.
Switzerland is a relatively expensive country. Unlike a lot of European countries, we don‘t use euros. One Swiss Franc is about 1.20 US dollars. Grocery stores are definitely more expensive than here in the US.
Swiss German is a very uncommon language. Even though it is pretty similar to German, Swiss people will get mad if you consider them the same thing. There aren‘t any strict rules or grammar for Swiss German because it is not considered an official language. The part of Switzerland that is right next to France is the French part of the country. The most used language there is French. Switzerland also has an Italian part, where people speak Italian. Switzerland‘s fourth official language is Romansh. Only less than 1% of the Swiss population still knows that language.
Switzerland is very safe with very low crime rates. I can‘t think of a single time when I was scared or felt unsafe in Switzerland, public transportation included. Swiss people use trains and buses a lot. Due to the country‘s small size, it is very easy and fast to get from one city to another. There is not really a need for a car, especially for younger people. Unlike here in the US, to be able to drive, teenagers have to be 18. Even after that age, many don‘t get their license until they have a stable job, where they have to travel more.
The Swiss education system is a lot different than the one in the United States. There are a lot of elite universities and many people make use of them. Many Americans don‘t believe me when I tell them that education in Switzerland is free. There is no such thing as tuition, which makes studying a lot easier.
Many people get sick of Switzerland after living there for a long time. I think that is because everything is small and connected. But now that I have been away for a while, I know that it is a luxury country to live in.
In the last few years, Switzerland‘s tourism increased a lot in Switzerland and in my opinion rightly so. Even though it is a small country, it has a lot of different attractions to offer.
