Swiss Culture

Switzerland, like any other country, has its fair bit of history and cultural traditions. You will likely be interested in shopping and transportation in addition to this page.

Languages

Switzerland is mostly divided in three cultural parts by language: German, French, and Italian. Most “cantons”, Switzerland’s equivalent of states, speak German; a few in the west speak French; and one, Ticino, speaks Italian. Some parts of Graubünden in the east speak Romansh, Switzerland’s fourth official language.

What is important to know is that while we refer to the Swiss-German part as Swiss-“German”, Swiss-German (“Schwitzerdütsch”) as a language is quite different from the German spoken in Germany.

And in the same way there are some small language differences between the French spoken in France and in the regions around Lausanne. These differences are much smaller than between German and Swiss-German but they can still cause some confusion such as whether you are having lunch (déjeuner in France/dîner in Switzerland) or dinner.

Recycling

Switzerland takes recycling seriously.

There are separate paper/cardboard, glass, and compost bins are available for every building. Bins for PET, HDPE, batteries, and light bulbs are available at every grocery store. Bins for oil, aluminum/cans, and clothes are available at specific locations, such as outside big grocery stores.

“Normal” trash uses special, taxed trash bags in Vaud. You cannot use a black bag for this, you must buy a roll of trash bags, e.g. 10x35l is CHF 20. You have to explicitly ask a cashier for them while you’re paying, they are not available on shelves. (Introvert pro tip: the exception is Aligro, which has them just before the cashiers, if you don’t feel like asking.)

Sunday

Sunday is a rest day in Switzerland. That means that most supermarkets & shops are closed. There are still gas stations and small family-run shops open or supermarkets in train stations.

Your neighbors will expect you not to do the laundry, use the vacuum cleaner, throw out the glass bin, or drill holes into your walls on Sundays. It’s OK to still do it once in a while, but at least try to do it in the afternoon rather than the morning.

Other things to note

In Switzerland, it is considered rude to chew with one’s mouth open, thus you should close your mouth while chewing. Similarly, it is considered rude to stand overly close to someone unless they are a close friend or partner, thus you should keep at least half a meter from others when in a group. (This guide is not about making value judgments on such customs, the goal is merely to tell you what is and isn’t considered polite in Switzerland)

Speaking to strangers on the street is rare and will usually be considered odd, unless you have something specific to ask such as finding your way, or something specific happened that people will talk about, even as simple as a car making a lot of noise while you’re waiting at a bus stop.

Punctuality is not a joke. Even for social events like dinners you are expected to be on time or slightly earlier. Conversely, it also means public transport is very on time.

Try to keep the noise down in house parties or reunions, especially after 22h00. It is a thoughtful idea to let your neighbors know ahead of time if you are hosting a large party.