https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ weekly 1.0 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/about monthly 0.8 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/contact monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog weekly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-mythos weekly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/cities weekly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/compare weekly 0.8 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/product monthly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/coconut monthly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/books monthly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/books/how-to-crack-the-coconut monthly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/books/ultimate-50-tips-to-settle-in-switzerland monthly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/books/print-edition monthly 0.8 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/album monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/media monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli 2026-10-17 weekly 0.8 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/building 2026-10-17 monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes 2026-10-17 weekly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/game 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/rulebook 2026-10-17 monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/swiss-words 2026-10-17 monthly 0.8 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/shop 2026-10-17 monthly 0.5 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/swiss-starter-pack monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/services monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/services/permits monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/services/insurance monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/services/tax-accounting monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/services/housing monthly 0.6 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/services/chinese-expats monthly 0.5 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/privacy-policy yearly 0.3 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/terms-of-service yearly 0.3 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/how-to-register-address-zurich-anmeldung monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-german-phrases-grocery-shopping monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/news 2026-10-15 weekly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/masterclass monthly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/guides weekly 0.9 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/childcare monthly 0.8 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/laundry-on-sunday 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep01.jpg Can you do laundry on Sunday in Switzerland? Usually not. In most Swiss apartment buildings the shared laundry room is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The house rules set the hours, typically Monday to Saturday, 7:00 to 21:00. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep01.mp4 64 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/flush-toilet-at-night 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep02.jpg Can you flush the toilet at night in Switzerland? Yes. No Swiss law forbids flushing the toilet at night; the famous ban is a myth. What is real are the quiet hours: in Zurich, 22:00 to 07:00. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep02.mp4 61 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/why-switzerland-is-expensive 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep03.jpg Why is Switzerland so expensive? Because wages and prices are both high. Swiss prices were 58.8 percent above the EU average in 2024, and housing and energy more than twice as high, while the median full-time wage is CHF 7,024 a month. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep03.mp4 58 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/one-guinea-pig 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep04.jpg Is it illegal to own one guinea pig in Switzerland? Yes. Swiss animal welfare law says guinea pigs may not be kept alone: you need at least two. A human or a rabbit does not count as company. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep04.mp4 49 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/swiss-bunkers 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep05.jpg Why do Swiss homes have bunkers? Because Switzerland aims to have a shelter place for every resident. There are about 370,000 private and public shelters, and the goal is almost reached. In peacetime a shelter may be used as a storeroom, but it must be ready within five days. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep05.mp4 52 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/change-the-constitution 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep06.jpg Can anyone change the Swiss constitution? Swiss voters can. With a popular initiative, a Volksinitiative, 100,000 valid signatures collected within 18 months force a national vote on a change to the federal constitution. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep06.mp4 76 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/making-friends 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep07.jpg Why is it so hard to make friends in Switzerland? It is slow, and the numbers agree: in the Expat Insider 2026 survey, expats ranked Switzerland 28th of 31 countries for making local friends. The classic way in is a Verein, a club: join one and keep showing up. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep07.mp4 56 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/swiss-punctuality 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep08.jpg Are Swiss people always on time? Mostly, and the trains prove it. In 2025 a record 94.1 percent of SBB trains arrived on time, and SBB counts a train as on time when it arrives less than three minutes late. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep08.mp4 54 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/register-when-you-move 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep09.jpg Do you have to register when you move to Switzerland? Yes. You register with the commune where you now live, in general within 14 days of moving. If you move within Switzerland, you also tell your old commune that you are leaving. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep09.mp4 61 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/what-is-znueni 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep10.jpg What is Znüni in Switzerland? Znüni is the Swiss mid-morning snack, eaten at about nine. The word comes from “zu nüni”, at nine; the Duden calls it a second breakfast. Its afternoon partner is the Zvieri, at about four. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep10.mp4 72 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/benis-gspaenli 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep11.jpg Can a guinea pig live alone in Switzerland? No. When one of two guinea pigs dies, the other may not stay alone under Swiss animal welfare rules. Near Zurich, a woman became known for renting out guinea pigs for exactly this. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep11.mp4 49 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/sausage-vote 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep12.jpg Did Switzerland really vote on sausages? In a way, yes. On 22 September 2013 Switzerland voted on a change to the Labour Act that lets shops on motorway service areas and busy main roads sell their whole range all night. It was accepted with 55.8 percent. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep12.mp4 66 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/cow-horn-vote 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep13.jpg Did Switzerland really vote on cow horns? Yes. On 25 November 2018 Switzerland voted on the cow-horn initiative, which wanted to support farmers who let their cows keep their horns. It was rejected with 54.7 percent no. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep13.mp4 55 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/who-runs-switzerland 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep14.jpg Who runs Switzerland? Seven people, together: the Federal Council. Parliament elects its seven members for four years, and each December it elects one of them as President of the Confederation for one year, first among equals. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep14.mp4 62 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/switch-health-insurance 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep15.jpg Swiss health insurance: when can you switch? Every year for 1 January: your cancellation letter must reach your current insurer by 30 November. Basic insurance covers the same at every insurer, and every insurer must accept you. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep15.mp4 68 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/swiss-neutrality 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep16.jpg Why is Switzerland neutral? Swiss neutrality was formally recognised by the international community in 1815, at the Congress of Vienna. Switzerland is in neither the EU nor NATO, and it joined the UN only in 2002, after a popular vote. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep16.mp4 46 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/rubbish-bag-fee 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep17.jpg Why does the rubbish bag cost money in Switzerland? Because the bag is the fee. Household rubbish goes into an official fee bag, the Gebührensack, and part of its price pays for disposal. In Zurich, a 35-litre Züri-Sack carries a city fee of CHF 1.30. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep17.mp4 60 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/win-an-apartment 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep18.jpg How do you win a Swiss apartment? With a complete application, sent fast. Landlords often ask for an extract from the debt collection register, the Betreibungsauszug, to see that you pay your bills. You order it from the debt collection office; it usually costs CHF 17 plus postage. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep18.mp4 53 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/swiss-german-vs-german 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep19.jpg Swiss German vs German: can you understand it? Reading, yes; listening, often not at first. In German-speaking Switzerland people speak Swiss German but write Standard German, and the gap between the two is large. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep19.mp4 70 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/health-insurance-three-months 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep20.jpg Do you need health insurance in Switzerland? Yes. Anyone who settles in Switzerland must take out health insurance within three months of taking up residence. If you do, cover goes back to the day you arrived. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep20.mp4 57 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/samichlaus 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep21.jpg Who is Samichlaus? 6 December in Switzerland The Samichlaus is the Swiss Santa Claus. On 6 December he visits children, who recite a little poem, a Versli, and he gives out mandarins, nuts and chocolate. He comes with his helper, Schmutzli. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep21.mp4 56 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/du-or-sie 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep22.jpg Du or Sie at a Swiss office? Traditionally Sie, until the more senior person offers the Du. That is changing: more and more Swiss companies use Du for everyone. When the Du is offered, the Swiss call it Duzis machen. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep22.mp4 65 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/office-apero 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep23.jpg The Swiss office apéro: what are the rules? An apéro is drinks and snacks, usually standing, often among colleagues after work. If there is a speech, the custom is to wait: usually nobody touches the food until it is over. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep23.mp4 55 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/feierabend 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep24.jpg When does the workday end in Switzerland? When your contracted hours are done: that is Feierabend. The law caps the working week at 45 hours for office staff, and overtime beyond your contract is paid with at least 25 percent extra unless your written contract says otherwise. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep24.mp4 61 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/13th-salary 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep25.jpg Do the Swiss really get a 13th salary? Many do, but it is not a law. You get a 13th monthly salary only if your contract or a collective agreement provides it. About three in four employees in Switzerland receive one. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep25.mp4 58 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/moving-day 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep26.jpg Do you get a day off to move house in Switzerland? Usually, yes. Swiss law gives employees the usual free hours and days for personal matters, and moving house is one of them. The law sets no number; usually it is one day, and for monthly salaried staff it is customarily paid. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep26.mp4 50 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/communal-garden 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep27.jpg Can you use the communal garden in Switzerland? Usually yes, together with everyone else, but not as your own. A Sitzplatz that is part of your lease is yours to use. The green areas of a rental building generally belong to no single tenant and may be used by all residents. Planting needs the landlord's permission, and the house rules decide the rest. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep27.mp4 76 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/letterbox-name-tag 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep28.jpg Why do Swiss letterboxes need official name tags? Because the post needs it: the Postal Ordinance says a letterbox must carry the occupant's complete and readable address. On top of that, many property managements want one matching, engraved tag on the bell and the letterbox. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep28.mp4 54 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/stopp-werbung 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep29.jpg Does 'Stopp Werbung' stop all your mail? No. A Stopp Werbung sticker stops unaddressed advertising, but authorities, recognised charities, political parties and disposal or recycling companies may still deliver. Addressed advertising stops only through the Robinson list. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep29.mp4 56 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/bike-parking 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep30.jpg Where can you park your bike at a Swiss building? Where the house rules say. They may decide where bikes go in shared areas, but nobody may simply remove your bike: the landlord must first warn you in writing, and only truly abandoned bikes may be taken away. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep30.mp4 49 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/grass-with-a-wall 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep31.jpg Why does this Swiss grass have a wall? Because the shared outdoor areas of a Swiss rental building belong to the owner, and the owner decides what happens to them. Tenants use them as the house rules allow, and restrictions need a factual reason and must be proportionate. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep31.mp4 51 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/clear-the-ice 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep32.jpg Who has to clear the ice in Switzerland? The owner. Building owners must clear snow and ice at the entrance, on private paths and on driveways, and they can be liable if someone falls. Tenants only clear it if their rental contract says so. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep32.mp4 50 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/night-rest 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep33.jpg When does night rest start in Switzerland? Usually at 22:00. In the city of Zurich, night rest runs from 22:00 to 07:00; elsewhere it typically ends at 06:00 or 07:00. After 22:00, keep balcony conversations at table volume. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep33.mp4 54 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/what-is-a-buenzli 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep34.jpg What is a Bünzli? A Bünzli is Swiss colloquial for a petty, rule-loving citizen: someone who loves rules a little too much. The word was once a family name from the Zurich Oberland. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep34.mp4 59 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/cardboard-string 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep35.jpg Swiss recycling: why does cardboard need a string? Because the collection says so: in Zurich, cardboard must go out folded, bundled and tied with string, at the roadside before 7:00 on collection day, or into a cardboard container. One resident who used a bigger box instead of string paid CHF 270 in fine and fees. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep35.mp4 57 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/sunday-rest 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep36.jpg What can't you do on Sunday in Switzerland? Anything loud. In Zurich, Sundays and public holidays are rest time all day, with no loud activities such as DIY. Weekdays have a rest time from 12:00 to 13:00 and night rest from 22:00 to 07:00. Rules differ by commune and building. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep36.mp4 57 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/moving-as-an-american 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep37.jpg Moving to Switzerland as an American? A job first. Americans can make visa-free short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. To live and work here, the employer applies, and the entry visa is granted only once the canton has given its authorisation. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep37.mp4 57 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/health-insurance-franchise 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep38.jpg Swiss health insurance: what is the Franchise? The Franchise is the amount you pay yourself each year before your health insurance pays. Adults choose between CHF 300 and CHF 2,500, and a higher Franchise means a lower premium. After the Franchise, you pay 10 percent of further costs, the Selbstbehalt, at most CHF 700 a year. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep38.mp4 57 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/three-kisses 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep39.jpg Three kisses: how do the Swiss greet friends? Between friends, often with three kisses on the cheek, starting on the other person's right cheek. Someone you meet for the first time gets no kiss: you shake hands. And according to SRF, it is fine not to give or receive the kisses. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep39.mp4 59 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/tipping 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep40.jpg Do you have to tip in Switzerland? No. In Swiss restaurants the tip has been included in the price since 1974, according to GastroSuisse. Anything extra is voluntary, a matter between you and the staff. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep40.mp4 56 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/cow-bells 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep41.jpg Why do Swiss cows wear bells? To find them. Cowbells originally helped owners locate lost cows and tell, by the sound, which cow belonged to which farmer, swissinfo.ch reports. A study at ETH Zurich found heavy bells are loud, 100 to 113 decibels, and that cows wearing them ate for shorter periods and chewed less. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep41.mp4 51 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/how-to-say-hello 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep42.jpg How do you say hello in Switzerland? Grüezi, the polite greeting, in the centre and the east. In the west, around Bern and Solothurn, it is Grüessech. On hiking trails you greet the people you pass, and in rural regions people usually greet each other in the street, even strangers. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep42.mp4 51 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/sunday-shopping 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep43.jpg Why is everything closed on Sunday in Switzerland? Because the Labour Act sets a general ban on Sunday work, from Saturday 23:00 to Sunday 23:00. Sunday shop opening is regulated by the cantons. Some shops need no permit, among them shops for travellers in railway stations, airports and border areas, kiosks and petrol station shops on motorways. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep43.mp4 51 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/halbtax-worth-it 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep44.jpg Is the Swiss Halbtax worth it? It is worth it once your full fares would cost more than twice the card's price, because with the card you pay half the fare plus the card. For adults 25 and over, SBB lists CHF 190 for the first card and CHF 170 a year after that. It gives half price on most train routes, on boats and on Postbuses. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep44.mp4 53 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/neighbour-notes 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep45.jpg Why do Swiss neighbours leave notes? The notes in the film are fiction; the real rule is what comes after them. In the canton of Zurich, a civil dispute, including neighbour cases about noise, shrubs or trees, with few exceptions goes first to the Friedensrichter, the local justice of the peace. More than two thirds of all disputes are settled there for good. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep45.mp4 59 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/border-shopping-limit 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep46.jpg How much can you bring back to Switzerland? Goods worth up to CHF 150 per person per day, free of Swiss VAT. The limit was CHF 300 and has been CHF 150 since 1 January 2025; above it, VAT is due on the total value. Meat has its own limit: 1 kg per person duty-free. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep46.mp4 56 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/iseltwald-pier 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep47.jpg Why does a Swiss pier cost 5 francs? Because the little wooden pier in Iseltwald, on Lake Brienz, became a photo spot after a Korean TV drama was filmed there. Since 2023 a turnstile charges five francs for a photo on it. According to 20 Minuten, the money goes mainly to the upkeep of the site, rubbish disposal and cleaning the toilets. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep47.mp4 61 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/move-out-handover 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep48.jpg Is the Swiss move-out cleaning real? Yes, the handover is real: you return the flat in the state that follows from proper use (Code of Obligations, Art. 267), and the landlord must check it and report defects at once. Normal wear and tear is not the tenant's to pay. But if you sign the handover protocol, you accept the damages listed and must pay for them. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep48.mp4 55 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/accident-cover-twice 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep49.jpg Are you paying for accident cover twice? You might be. If you work at least 8 hours a week for one employer, your job also insures you against accidents outside work, so you can suspend the accident cover in your health insurance. When the job ends, the employer's cover stops 31 days later, so you switch it back on. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep49.mp4 58 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/red-light-at-night 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep50.jpg Why do the Swiss wait at a red light at 1:30 am? Because crossing on red costs money. Under the federal Ordnungsbussenverordnung, a pedestrian who ignores a light signal pays a fixed fine of CHF 20. Not using a zebra crossing that is less than 50 metres away costs CHF 10. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep50.mp4 46 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/address-lookup 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep51.jpg Can anyone find your address in Switzerland? In the city of Zurich, yes: private persons may ask the city for someone's address, for CHF 10 to 20 depending on the kind of information. The answer can include the name, the address and the date of moving in. You can have your own address blocked for free, without giving a reason. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep51.mp4 57 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/starting-rent-challenge 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep52.jpg My rent is 69% more than the last tenant's. Can they do that? They can ask for it, but you can challenge it. Within 30 days of taking over the flat, you can contest the starting rent as abusive at the conciliation authority if the landlord raised it considerably compared with the previous rent, or if hardship or the local market forced you to sign. There are no court costs in tenancy disputes over housing. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep52.mp4 60 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/filming-neighbours 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep53.jpg Can you film your neighbours and post it? Usually not without their yes. The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) says that pictures count as personal data as soon as the people in them are recognisable, and portraits need consent. People who appear only incidentally can demand that the picture be deleted. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep53.mp4 60 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/cancel-a-lease 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep54.jpg How do you cancel a lease in Switzerland? With a written letter, signed by every tenant on the lease, and by the spouse too if it is the family home. The notice period is three months, to a termination date in the lease. The letter counts when it arrives, not when it was posted. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep54.mp4 58 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/dog-school-zurich 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep55.jpg Does my dog really have to go to school in Zurich? Yes, in the canton of Zurich. Since 1 June 2025, dog owners complete practical training of at least 6 lessons within 12 months of getting the dog. First-time owners also take a theory course with an exam. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep55.mp4 52 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/air-conditioning-permit 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep57.jpg Do you need a permit for air conditioning in Switzerland? It depends on your canton and on the kind of unit. In Zurich, a fixed air conditioning unit needs a building permit, while a mobile unit does not. If you rent, changes to the rented property also need the landlord's written consent. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep57.mp4 59 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/sunday-grocery-delivery 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep58.jpg Can you get groceries delivered on Sunday? Mostly not. Sunday work is generally banned from Saturday 23:00 to Sunday 23:00, and restaurants are an exception, but delivering groceries is not. A restaurant may deliver its own cooked meals; delivering groceries on Sunday needs a permit. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep58.mp4 54 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/speeding-fines-salary 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep59.jpg Are Swiss speeding fines based on your salary? For serious offences, yes. The court sets a penalty in day-fines, between 3 and 180 of them, and one day-fine is usually CHF 30 to CHF 3,000, set by your personal and economic circumstances. Small offences are fixed fines. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep59.mp4 60 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/halloween-raebeliechtli 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep60.jpg Halloween in Switzerland: does anyone trick or treat? In some streets. Halloween only reached Switzerland in the mid-1990s, so on 31 October some streets are full of children ringing for trick or treat and others stay completely quiet. The older Swiss custom is the Räbeliechtli, a November lantern parade in the first two weeks of the month, with lanterns carved from turnips. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep60.mp4 65 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/scooter-parkfeld 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep61.jpg Can you park a scooter anywhere in Switzerland? No. Where parking spaces are marked, every vehicle may only park inside them. Parking outside the marked fields is a fixed fine of CHF 40 for up to two hours, CHF 60 for two to four hours and CHF 100 for four to ten hours. Motorbikes have their own fields, and mopeds may use the bicycle fields. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep61.mp4 66 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/heating-period 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep62.jpg When does the heating come on in a Swiss flat? In the heating period, usually mid-September to mid-May, when the landlord or the Hauswart switches on the shared heating. As a rule of thumb it must go on after three days below 14 °C outside, or at once if rooms fall below 16 °C by day. By day, from 07:00 to 23:00, a rented flat should reach 20 to 21 °C. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep62.mp4 69 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/hedge-cut 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep63.jpg When can you cut a hedge in Switzerland? Outside the nesting season: from the end of August to mid-March at the latest, according to BirdLife Schweiz. Nests and breeding birds must not be disturbed, under the Federal Hunting Act. BirdLife also advises cutting only about a third of a hedge each year. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep63.mp4 59 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/health-models 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep64.jpg Swiss health insurance: how do you pay less? Choose a model. All insurers offer the same basic insurance, but the premiums differ, and models with a fixed first point of contact, such as your own GP, a telephone advice line, a group practice (HMO) or a pharmacy, cost less. You can move into a model at any time of the year; leaving one only works for 1 January, in writing, by the end of November. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep64.mp4 63 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/premium-subsidy 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep66.jpg Swiss health insurance too expensive? Is there help? Yes. Every canton runs a premium subsidy, the Prämienverbilligung, for people with modest incomes, and pays it straight to your insurer. For children in families with lower and middle incomes, it covers at least 80 percent of the premium. The canton decides who qualifies and how you apply. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep66.mp4 67 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/dusk-burglary-patrols 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep67.jpg Why do Swiss police patrol quiet streets in winter? Because break-ins tend to rise once winter time begins and dusk comes early. The Canton of Zurich says the police strengthen their patrols in this season, even where nothing seems to happen. If you see something suspicious, call 117, the police emergency number. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep67.mp4 63 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/supplementary-insurance 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep68.jpg Can a Swiss health insurer refuse you? Not for basic insurance. Every insurer must accept new members without reservations or a waiting period, and may not ask for a health questionnaire. Supplementary insurance is different: the insurer may ask health questions and can say no. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep68.mp4 64 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/winter-tyres 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep69.jpg Do you need winter tyres in Switzerland? No law makes winter tyres compulsory in Switzerland, only a minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm. But your car must be fit for the road: get stuck with summer tyres and block traffic, and you can be reported, and after an accident your insurer can pay less. The rule of thumb is from O to O, October to Ostern, Easter. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep69.mp4 60 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/ueli/episodes/hochnebel 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/img/ueli/poster-ep70.jpg Why is the Swiss sky grey for weeks? Because of Hochnebel, a flat layer of low cloud that often sits over the Swiss lowlands from October to February, for days or weeks. In calm weather its top is usually around 800 metres, according to MeteoSwiss, and above it the sun often shines. The way out of the grey is up. https://balzinho.github.io/ueli-media/ep70.mp4 61 2026-10-17 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-work-culture-guide 2025-08-15 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-banking-expats 2026-10-15 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-tax-system-expats 2026-10-15 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-housing-rental-guide 2026-10-15 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-social-integration-tips 2025-02-08 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/swiss-health-insurance-three-month-deadline 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/english-speaking-daycare-zurich 2026-10-17 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/why-switzerland-quiet-power 2025-05-05 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/is-x-salary-enough-switzerland 2026-10-15 monthly 0.7 https://www.swissexpatguide.com/blog/moving-to-switzerland-checklist 2026-10-15 monthly 0.7 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