Go.
No major changes since yesterday.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Switzerland
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Shell Games
A rigged street game known as hiding the ball historically operated near the bridges south of the Geneva railway station. Police have systematically rounded up the operators as of 2015.
Organized Begging
In Lausanne, organized groups and lone children perform aggressive or impolite begging. Do not encourage this behavior and report instances involving children to the police or security.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Traffic Violations
Police are strict regarding traffic rules. Jaywalking or crossing against a red pedestrian light will result in an on-the-spot fine.
Alcohol Age Limits
The legal drinking age is 16 for beer and wine, and 18 for straight liquor. Public consumption of alcohol is legal.
Police Identity Checks
Police may approach individuals they deem suspicious to check identification papers. Carry a photocopy of your passport and onward ticket to facilitate these checks.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Required: Yellow Fever
Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies, Tick-borne Encephalitis
Source: CDC Travelers' Health →Getting in
What you'll need at the border
The visa policy of the Schengen Area is a component within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union. It applies to the Schengen Area and Cyprus, but not to EU member state Ireland. The visa policy allows nationals of certain countries to enter the Schengen Area via air, land or sea without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Nationals of certain other countries are required to have a visa to enter and, in some cases, transit through the Schenge
Source: Wikipedia →Real, not invented
Terrorism
Terrorist attacks in Switzerland cannot be ruled out.
Source: UK FCDO →Right now
In the news the last few days
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / J · 230V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 117 / ambulance: 144 / fire: 118
Tipping
Swiss service personnel enjoy a relatively highly set minimum wage compared to other countries, so tips are rather modest. By law, a service charge is included in the bill. Nevertheless, if you feel satisfied, especially in restaurants, you may round up the bill and add a few francs with a maximum of 5–20 francs depending on the kind of establishment, regardless of bill size. If you were not happy
Cash vs. Card
Switzerland's currency is the Swiss franc (or Franken, or franc, or franco, depending on which language area you are in), denoted by the symbol "Fr." or sometimes "SFr." (ISO code: CHF) It is divided into 100 Rappen, centimes, or centesimi. However, some places – such as supermarkets, restaurants, tourist attraction ticket counters, hotels and the railways or ticket machines – accept euro bills (b
Zoom in
6 Switzerland cities on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (8 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-09-09
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-09-09
- ca-gac — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-09-09
- cdc-health — observed 2026-09-09
- reddit — observed 2026-09-09
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-09-09