About Switzerland

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country occupies a part of western, central and southern Europe. It has 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the Head Quarter of the federal authorities. Switzerland shares its borders with Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 districts known as Cantons.
The Swiss climate changes between the cantons, from freezing conditions on the mountaintops to the often pleasing near Mediterranean climate at the southern tip. However there are areas in the southern part of Switzerland where some cold-hardy palm trees are found. Summers are normally warm and humid with periodic rainfall. This condition is ideal for pastures and grazing.
Swiss people talk in four languages of the neighbouring countries-: mainly German to the north; French to the west; and Italian in the south. The fourth national language, Romansh, is a local language spoken in the south eastern canton of Grisons.
Switzerland’s airports are popular launching points for travel within the European continent because of the location of the country. There are seven airports in Switzerland that serve domestic and international flights to and fro from Switzerland, plus a number of private Swiss airports. Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern are the main International Airports.
The Swiss franc (CHF) is the only official currency in Switzerland (and in Liechtenstein). The franc is the only currency accepted everywhere. Euros are accepted in many shops, hotels, rail stations and gas stations in Switzerland.
Switzerland has over 20 branches of various banks across the globe. UBS Group AG, Credit Suisse Group AG, Julius Baer Group AG, The Pictet Group, Bank Lombard Odier & Co, Raiffeisen (Switzerland), Post Finance to name a few of the top tier Swiss Banks.
Switzerland is one of the most popular tourist destinations across globe. It offers a rich cultural experience along with fun filled sports activities.
The Swiss Alps offers endless recreational activities, with hiking and walking top of the list in summer and snow sports in the winter. Other summer activities include open-air swimming, in-line skating, canoeing, mountain biking, horse riding, tennis, and golf. Winter season open the opportunities to enjoy ice skating, tobogganing, curling, or snowshoe hiking. There are also plenty of scenic train and boat trips for family vacations.
Switzerland hosts a number of major festivals such as the famous Montreux Jazz Festival, the Verbier Festival for classical music, and the 10-day Geneva festival which includes fireworks, fairground attractions, music and sports. Locarno hosts an annual international film festival at which the Golden Leopard is awarded. In German-speaking Switzerland, Zurich has a full programme of events and parades throughout the year including the summer Zurich Festival with cultural events including music, dance, theatre and opera. Zurich also has its own international film festival.
The Swiss public transport system is among the best in the world. Nearly every location can be reached by using Public Transport. The Swiss rail passes make traveling very easy and available very easily. Traveling by train is one of the biggest attractions in Switzerland. The train journey covers the scenic beauty of Switzerland across the cantons. Switzerland is small, but traveling times in the mountains should not be underestimated as many of the routes are closed during winters. Taking a motorway is useful during this time. Bike rides are also popular way of commutation within the city as bikes are easily available and it does not cost anything except a 20CHF deposit.