Hey folks, how have you all been?  Another semester has just started and I hope everyone of you are doing well!

Life is wonderful with imagination!

Before we start, let’s stimulate ourselves with a bit of imagination. Imagine yourself living in a country where you wake up to a glistening sun and snow-capped mountains along with some fairy-tales-like landscape – Switzerland it is!

As mentioned in my previous blog post, there’re still a few places that we are going to explore.  And this time, it will be Switzerland, one of the prettiest countries in the world with its quaint villages and sprawling mountain.  In this and the upcoming blog posts, we will mainly be visiting the German-speaking part of Switzerland, which is Zurich and all the way to Bern, Zermatt and Matterhorn.

Besides, different from the previous countries that we have traveled to, Swiss Franc is the major currency being used in Switzerland. Don’t forget to exchange and prepare yourself some cash before going there although most of the shops there accept card payment unlike other European countries, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

For a hassle-free travel!

Let’s start from transportation…

Different from the previous countries that we have visited, you don’t actually need to insert a ticket or whatnot to go into a station. Instead, you just go into it. But of course, you will still need to buy a ticket to use them. Depending on the duration of your trip, you may want to get yourself a Swiss Travel Pass.  It has options for 3, 4, 6, 8 and 15 days of validation which you may use it to freely travel within cities on a fixed and consecutive days by all public transports such as bus, train and even boat.  It can be found on different websites including its official one, Klook, Trip.com, etc (Price may vary). With this pass, you are also granted with free entrance to more than 500 museums as well as up to 50% off discount on most of the mountain excursions.

You may also buy single trip or return ticket at any ticket vending machine but yeah, it normally comes with a higher price comparing to the travel pass in long term. So long-distance travel is expected in your journey, you might as well get one travel pass so that you may worry less.

Download these apps for greater convenience!

It’s important to understand the local transportation system before traveling to a new place! So don’t forget to download the “SBB Mobile” and “Swiss Travel”!

The SBB app gives you information about the timetable of different routes whilst you may find a great variety of activities, special offers and discounts as well as station map on Swiss Travel.  It also allows you to create a bucket list and store you vouchers and coupons in it, which is SUPER convenient!!

Seeking for more support?

With technology and greater accessibility of information, travel has become way easier nowadays. This app provides you all the information on different grand tours in Swiss, such as Glacier Express.  You may also do some detective work with this app, finding codes in different stations to collect some stamps!

City Tax

Last but not least, do be noted that there will be tourist tax in Switzerland and the cost may vary depending on the location you stay.  It will be collected by the hotel when you check-out, costing approximately €2.5 per night (per room, not person) where quotes for accommodation usually do not include that and will be specified as a separate amount. And mine was €2.2 per night, living in a hotel near Oerlikon station.

*This only applicable to stays under 40-day

Here we are in Zurich <3

There’s nothing better than to take a stroll on the Rudolf Brun Bridge and along River Limmat!  The Banhofstrasse is also nearby where you can find plenty of different shops, ranging from souvenirs shops to luxurious brands as well as restaurants. (Yeah, Rolex as well but only for the rich, sadly)

Little fun fact here, as some of you K-show fans may already know, Switzerland is actually one of the countries where the Korean Show “Crash landing on you” was filmed at, which “Grossmünster”（蘇黎世大教堂）and “Münsterbrücke”（大教堂橋）were the two of the locations in Zurich.

Drinking tap water in Switzerland

Here comes one of the most common questions when we are traveling. And the answer is yes, feel free to drink the tap water in Switzerland. In fact, Switzerland has boasted some of the world’s best tap water for a great period of time, according to San Jose Water, and it shows in not only the country’s water safety levels but also in the quality of the drinks they serve and produce (even in any toilet, according to a friend of mine who lived there for so many years and I didn’t drink any FYI)

Life-size chess

Let’s do something fun!

Let’s not miss out this interesting museum!  Alright alright, I know there are so many other museums, this one actually seems rather common and can be seen in so many other countries but, why not when you have the travel pass ? 😀  (Remember to book your place in advance as they have limited availability each day).

Here they have number of areas filled with various illusional installments and spots for pictures taking! Plus, you will be given a tiny card before entering where there will be some riddles in each area for visitors to solve. Whoever finished the riddle card may give it to the staff after your visit in exchange for a prize drawing chance.

Time for some GOOD FOOD!

Traveling is all about seeking for relaxation, and good food is definitely one of the most important elements! Here are some of my recommendations for restaurants in Zurich!

• SimSim Oriental Urban Cuisine:

They offer quality fries, salad and Kebab. By quality, I mean it’s crispy and well-seasoned!

• Zunfthaus Zimmerleuten:

They have a great variety of fondues, one of Swiss’s traditional dishes serving with bread

• Zeughauskeller: It could be really crowded so reservation is preferred and highly recommended; They have good vibes and perfect atmosphere of medieval age, with number of weapons framed on their walls:

They offer quality tartar, grilled sausages, traditional beef with rosti, and caramel pudding. I assure you all, you just won’t regret coming here!!

• Tibits:

A vegan / vegetarian-friendly buffet restaurant, there are a great variety of food choices for you to pick and the food are priced by the weight. A great concept with quality food and nice atmosphere, HIGHLY recommended.

And well, just realized how this blog has become a foodie one LOL.  In our next blog post, we are going to focus more on the attractions and things-to-do in other cities.  Before that, stay tuned and stay healthy!

Key Addresses:

Simsim: Schwamendingenstrasse 16, Zurich 8050 Switzerland

Zunfthaus Zimmerleuten: Limmatquai 40, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

Zeughauskeller : Bahnhofstrasse 28A, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

Tibits: Tramstrasse 2, Zurich 8050 Switzerland