TOP 10 TOURIST MISTAKES TO AVOID IN SWITZERLAND: Travel Switzerland this summer like a local!

Hey guys! Hopefully this summer you’re planning a trip to Switzerland! If so, you’ll want to stay tuned and watch through for the top 10 tourist mistakes to avoid in Switzerland! This video will give you all the tips to see Switzerland like a Swiss local.
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Bienvenue & Willkommen! We are Lex & Louis – and together we are The Traveling Swiss. We’re an international couple (USA + Switzerland) who have recently moved from NYC to Switzerland. Come travel with us – we’ll give you tips and guides, and hopefully have a few laughs along the way. Our goal is to show you that borders are meant to be crossed!

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→ Email: thetravelingswiss@gmail.com

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xx Lex & Louis

Hey guys you saw it in the title in this video i’m gonna go through the top 10 tourist mistakes to avoid next time you are in switzerland hey guys welcome back to my channel thank you so much for tuning in and if you are new here please consider liking and

Subscribing and sticking around for travel content and all things living in switzerland so this video is really exciting because i co-created it with you all on instagram so if you don’t follow us now is your chance to follow us at the traveling swiss i ask a lot of

Questions and and you guys help me create this video by going through the top 10 things that you see taurus doing most often in switzerland that you think are just best to avoid so i think this video is really timely because it’s looking now like travel might finally be possible this summer

So if those of you are planning to come to europe who maybe haven’t been able to come in the last year and a half switzerland is a great place to visit but there’s a lot of mistakes that i see taurus making myself included in the time that i’ve lived

Here that i think would just be better if you avoid with a little bit planning so without further ado let’s get right into the list okay so the number one taurus mistake to avoid and a few of you actually said this and i think it was probably the top

Rated one when i was surveying instagram and some friends and family and that is not having swiss francs so you will probably see this come up a few times in this video where switzerland you might assume is similar with the rest of europe but switzerland is not in the eu

And they do a lot of things very differently than some of their neighboring countries so first things first they are not on the euro that’s not to say that you can’t use it but i would certainly not recommend that you use the euro because you will not get a good exchange rate

And that’s just not the currency that they use in switzerland so just save yourself some hassle go to an atm and take out some swiss francs make it really easy a lot of places do accept cards as well so if you have like a travel credit card or something that

Doesn’t have international exchange fees that’s a great option as well but if you have some extra euros and you’re coming from italy or france or something like that save yourself the hassle and just exchange those when you’re there or use them when you’re there don’t try to use them in in switzerland just

Just take out some swiss francs so the second one is almost a little bit similar in the sense of you might expect that this is the same everywhere in europe but it is not and that is bringing the wrong travel adapter i actually spoke about this in a

Culture shock video that i did about switzerland i’ll link it here um if you’re interested in watching that this is a mistake that i made the first time i came to switzerland and it was really really frustrating i brought that same kind of european plug adapter that is used in

Most of mainland europe and iceland most of europe except for the united kingdom and that is not what they use in switzerland it will not fit into the plug adapter they look kind of similar but the swiss one is a little bit smaller so put pictures on the screen to make

Sure you get the right adapter and this is so much easier to do before you get to switzerland so you can get them for a couple dollars on amazon if you’re buying them in the us but just make sure you have the right adapter if you’re coming from like germany france italy austria

Any of switzerland’s bordering countries they will all use the same plug type but switzerland is different so might be a little bit of a headache if you don’t have it and then you have to run into like the tourist drops and pay quite a bit more money so just something

Easy to avoid and get that right adapter okay so the next few tips are all going to be about swiss trains which if you are in switzerland for any amount of time i am sure you will be taking so let’s get right into it so the third thing to avoid doing in

Switzerland as a tourist mistake is getting the wrong train ticket so this can just be avoided with a little bit of planning but if you don’t know most of switzerland is on an honor system meaning that no one is going to check your ticket before you get on the train and it’s up

To you to buy the correct fare type class all of that and then get on the train with the right ticket if you get controlled on the train and you don’t have the correct ticket they don’t usually care if you’re a tourist or not you’re going to get a fine so

Just make sure that you’re kind of auto controlling yourself and you get the correct ticket so when you go to a machine i’ll show you what they look like you’re gonna have a few different options that we can go through one is the first or second class so

Second class is totally fine in switzerland but when you get that just make sure when you get on the train you get in a second class train and you’re not sitting in the wrong section and then also just make sure that you’re not buying the half fare

Card ticket unless you have a half fare card so the half fare is something a lot of people who live in switzerland buy which means that you pay 180 francs once a year and all of your tickets are half off some people who will come to switzerland

Have told me that they saw that and just thought it was like a discount for whatever reason when they’re buying it and then if you get controlled and you can’t show that you have that valid have fair card you will get a ticket so just make sure

You can do a little bit of research online the sbb has an app which is really helpful to buy tickets but just be careful when you’re buying the train tickets because it is your responsibility to buy the correct one and sit in the correct station you’re just gonna buy it

And get on the train so you have to just be a little bit more responsible for yourself for for these types of things okay the fourth thing and a few of you said this and people have said this to me all the time and that is

Don’t put your feet up on the seats on the trains this should be obvious but what i will say the way the trains are set up in switzerland is you have two seats facing two other seats so in like a little block of four and the distance is kind of perfect to

To naturally want to put your feet on them it is not only like kind of gross i don’t see any swiss people doing this only taurus but you can get a ticket if you do this someone can come over and find you for putting your feet up on the seat

It’s just don’t put your feet up on the seat it’s something that maybe people do it if you live in a city like new york and they’re like sprawled out on the subways or whatever but here nobody does it so just don’t put your feet up on the seat even though

I understand the inclination to want to do it based on the way the trains are laid out the fifth one applies to trains but it also applies to just any kind of public space you are in whether that be like a grocery store or a park or something like that and

I can say as an american but specifically as a new yorker i get in trouble with this a lot and that is speaking too loudly i think this is true in switzerland and quite a few other places in europe but their natural tone of speech and their volume of speech is just

Quieter it’s softer and americans i think tend to be really really loud i know that if you know i’m anywhere with the group of swiss people i’m usually the loudest one in the room and my husband has to tell me that like i’m screaming or to be quiet and just to me

That’s like my natural tone of voice i tend to be like easily excitable and just talk loudly i talk with my hands it’s just it’s just the way i am but i have certainly gotten dirty looks and trains and people sometimes actually can get like flustered and

Shush you so what i will say is just speak a little bit quieter read the room is is the best example so i think you know if you’re on a train and people are almost silent just just be quiet some cars on the trains are actually like totally silent cars so just

Be a little bit quieter than you’re used to and be respectful of the people around you it’s something that like i day-to-day i’ve lived in switzerland for almost a year now still catch myself or i’m being much louder than everyone around me so as americans i do think we have that

Stereotype of being really loud kind of obnoxious and i think i i kind of understand why now that i’m in switzerland and i see how loud i am compared to other people so just be a little bit quieter or else you know you’re gonna get

Dirty looks or like a sh no one’s gonna say anything to you but it’s it’s just easier to to be a little bit more respectful okay the next tourist mistake to avoid in switzerland is it kind of overarching and sweeping and that is not planning enough in advance and not budgeting appropriately

So this came up a few times and switzerland is very very expensive and you need to budget correctly and or plan in advance so i made a video before about ways to do switzerland on a budget i will link it here but in general i think you know to summarize that video

If you don’t want to watch it though there are some good tips in there is the best way to do switzerland on a budget is to plan it in advance you can get discounts on train tickets if you book them in advance and you can get better deals on

Hotels all kinds of things you just need to do a little bit of planning and just do all of this in advance and i think some people who are backpacking through europe and going to a few different countries like to do things quite spontaneously that’s a really really

Easy way in switzerland to just waste a ton of money so for example me and my husband just booked a ticket for a few weeks from now about four weekends from now to go from zurich to geneva and we got it um with the discount for 15 francs

And if we were buying it you know same day buying it for today that would be 45 or 50 francs you know with our half fare card so it’s just it’s a really significant kind of difference it would have been three times the price if we didn’t book it in advance so

It’s just a way to save save money it’s just planet advance so i understand the allure of just going to europe and figuring out when you’re there and going from country to country if you’re spending a couple of weeks here but switzerland is it’s a tough place to

Do that unless you have like quite a bit of disposable income and even if you do why waste money so my general tip here is just plant switzerland a little bit more carefully than you would be planning some other vacations it could be really really expensive so the seventh taurus mistake to avoid

In switzerland and again quite a few of you have said this and i know that i myself have had this experience a few times not just in switzerland but in in germany also when we went as recently as you know last october and that is planning to do your shopping

Or buying souvenirs or even food shopping on a sunday so in switzerland sunday is truly truly the the day of rest and you will not see people in cities and stores everything will be closed except for maybe like a gas station store or stores in the main trade station and they will be

Very crowded if they are open so just avoid the headache and plan to do your shopping on a different day so i think the the worst thing that i see here which is really such a bummer is if you go for a week and you’re flying out on a sunday or

Something like that and you just you want to save your souvenir shopping and do everything all at the end of your trip and then you go to a store and then you realize absolutely nothing is is open and that could be really frustrating and then you just need to you know

Buy some stuff in like the airport gift shop which is really a bummer so just be aware that in switzerland you will really not find much of anything open on sunday except for maybe a supermarket in a train station or like a gas station store things like that things in like the

Major train stations may be open but you will not have nearly the same amount of option to do the rest of the week so all that to say do a little bit more pre-planning don’t wait until sunday if it’s the last day of your trip to do your shopping

Because nothing will be open and you’ll be pretty disappointed okay so we’re getting towards the end but stay tuned because we have some more good tips the eighth taurus mistake that i want you to avoid in switzerland is not being aware of the languages when you’re going from region to region

If you are not aware and if you’ve watched my channel for a few videos i’ve i’ve spoken about this you know at length a few different times switzerland has four national languages none of them are english i will put it on the screen the map of it but depending where you are in

Switzerland they will either be speaking french italian a dialect of german called swiss german and this can even vary region to region the way the swiss german sounds or romance and i think it’s really appreciated if you at least have a few sayings in a local language like hello

Thank you but i think what may not be super appreciated is if you’re using for example and i think this happens a lot because people associate switzerland with a german-speaking country because two-thirds of it is german speaking which i totally understand if you’re somewhere like in geneva or

Lazan and you’re trying to use german there i think that will be you know not really appreciated and you’re gonna look like either rude and inconsiderate or just like you don’t know i think in that situation if you don’t speak french english is probably a better option in most places than

Than german will be but i would just say you know my general advice for anywhere you’re traveling is try to pick up you know at least hello goodbye thank you things like that that are going to help you just show you know the locals that you’re trying to be

You know as kind as possible or respectful of their culture but i think the main takeaway here is just be aware of the language of where you are speaking it’s kind of amazing how quickly you can cross between language borders in switzerland so you know if you go from geneva and you start

Driving into the alps at some point you’re going to switch right into the german-speaking region and it’s it’s kind of amazing how quickly it happened so it’s what’s honestly a little bit unique in that sense of how quickly the language has changed so just be aware of the region you’re in and try

To adapt to that language if at all possible or you know just just learn how to ask in the language if people speak english or if people speak whatever language you speak just have some of those those phrases but yeah to summarize switzerland is really unique you can cross language borders super

Super easily so not a big deal if you make a mistake but it is really appreciated if you know a little bit of the language of where you are at any given time and can use some of those terms and phrases okay we are getting towards the end the ninth

Tourist mistake i don’t want you to make in switzerland is only visiting the cities switzerland is so well connected it is so easy to get into the most remote parts of switzerland without a car but in general i think the reason that most people come to switzerland should be for the amazing

Nature it is absolutely beautiful the alps all times of year anyone who goes to switzerland i really really recommend that you go somewhere a little bit off the beaten path of course places like lucerne are are absolutely famous and beautiful and they are famous for a reason for tourism because lucerne

Really is a beautiful city and lovely place to explore so it was interlaken but there’s so much more to switzerland than some of these just you know really really popular touristy destinations so we have a whole playlist of travel videos you can go through there or you can do some searching um

You know based on where you’re flying in and out of but geneva and zurich are great places to you know start as a base and then explore some of these more remote parts of switzerland that are just absolutely stunning so that’s you know my biggest tip is not to spend all of

Your time and like lucerne and interlochen and some of these big places it’s to go into the alps really explore switzerland and make sure you see more than just those places that you see on instagram because switzerland is absolutely just an amazing place everywhere you go

The last tip is to not pack the correct clothes in switzerland this came up a few times and some people mentioned not packing the right shoes we see people hiking a lot of times and like sneakers on mud which is really really challenging but in general think about the trip you’re planning and

This goes back to my earlier tip as well about having a pre-planned itinerary a little bit more in switzerland switzerland has really dynamic altitude changes depending on where you’re visiting of course because of the mountains you can be visiting switzerland in in the summer and it can be really really warm you know

25 degrees celsius or upwards of that in the cities in the summer but if you’re gonna go do a hike at a few thousand meters of altitude it will get pretty chilly it will still be snow sometimes so just make sure you’re planning appropriately and you bring the correct

You know bring layers bring the correct hiking shoes switzerland in general has really really crazy weather patterns i think it can go from raining to sunny really really quickly and again if you’re changing altitudes it’s it’s the weather is going to change really dramatically so if you’re someone like me

That grew up in like a big city that’s at sea level and you didn’t have those experiences like taking a train and all of a sudden the villager and now is like 2 000 plus meters of altitude and the weather has changed quite a bit it’s just something that you might not

Be prepared for so switzerland in general is really important to just pack a little bit more diligently bring a raincoat bring hiking boots maybe bring snowshoes depending on where you’re coming and just be prepared for all those things because if you get to switzerland and you forgot

Clothes like that it’s going to be so unnecessarily expensive here you know likely more expensive than any other country in the world to just pack those things and bring them it’ll save yourself a headache and you’ll enjoy the trip so much more but all right guys that is it i hope you

Learned something from this video i really appreciate everyone’s support in growing this channel and just watching me talk to you about my experience in switzerland i have a good time i hope you’re having a good time too and i hope you’re learning something so if you were helped by this please

Leave me a comment message me on instagram but i look forward to seeing you in the next one bye guys hey guys thanks for watching thanks for watching if you want to see more videos like this please make sure to like and subscribe we’ll see you soon