Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

In April 2020, when Covid-19 was spreading across Europe, Paléo announced it was cancelling its 2020 summer music festival. Today, it announced it is cancelling its 2021 festival. In an announcement Paléo said: “the whole organising team kept their hopes alive until the very end. They stacked all the odds in their favour, fiddling with concepts in every way possible. Starting with a blank sheet of paper, they had imagined the 45e Parallèle, a wonderful event brimming with bold discoveries that they were eager to present. But the Paléo team must unfortunately face the facts. A festival, even a scaled-down…

That small window where the hillsides turn white with narcissus (often referred to in English as a white daffodil) is upon us again. Narcissus in Blonay One of the best places to see these stunning flowers is at Les Pleiades above Vevey. The region takes the flower very seriously. There is an association for the preservation of the narcissus, the Association pour la sauvegarde et la promotion des narcisses de la Riviera. The name of this flower comes from the narcissistic youth of Greek mythology, Narkissos. This poisonous plant can be used to make medicine for whooping cough, colds, and asthma. It is…

Michelin-starred restaurants are synonymous with high cost. However, there is a wide price range and some offer meals for 30 Euros or less. Prices for a three-course meal at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe go as high as 595 Euros at the Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam while descending as low as 20 Euros at the L’Antic Molí in Ulldecona in Spain. This week, Ioana Neamt put together a list of the most expensive and least expensive Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe and set them out on the two maps below. Affordable ones closest to Switzerland are Le France (1 star) near Le…

Granted UNESCO world heritage status in July 2016, Villa “Le Lac” in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2023. A number of celebrations are planned until October. The Villa, on the outskirts of Vevey, is open to the public during the following hours: 1st April – 25th June, Saturday and Sunday 2pm–5pm​​​​​​​ – no booking required. 30th June – 27th August, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am–5pm – ​​​​​​​no booking required. 2nd September – 29th October, Saturday and Sunday 2pm–5pm ​​​- no booking required. In addition, group visits from 12 people by appointment can be…

Most people float down the Aare River in Bern just for fun. For Evelyn Schneider-Reyes, it was her summertime commute home. “I only had like 30 seconds walking from my office to the river,” she recalls. “I had an ‘Aare Bag’, where I put all my clothes, my smartphone, wallet and shoes. I put on my bathing suit and swam home. I would leave the Aare at Lorrainebad, then I walked up the hill for 8 minutes and was already home. From my office to the Lorrainebad it usually took me about 15 minutes in the water. Lovely!” Copyright Bern…

Mention skiing in November and it is likely to draw blank expressions, or comments like: “It’s too early, there will be no snow”. While this is true for some resorts not all ski domains were created equal. © Pro777 | Dreamstime A recent study shows that in 2015, snow came to the Swiss Alps 12 days later and melted 26 days earlier than it did in 1970. This has made it harder to book a ski holiday and be sure there will be enough snow when you get there. In addition, it has brought stiffer competition for accommodation in February, the…

Data published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office show that 28% of children aged 0 to 12 years old were looked after by their grandparents. Overall, 61% of children under 13 years old spend part of their time being looked after by someone other than their parents. 35% spend time in childcare, 28% with grandparents, 10% with other family and friends, 5% with a family charging for the service and 4% with a nanny. Children under 4 (64%) are more likely to be looked after by someone other than their parents than those between 3 and 13 (59%). The…

Language is a complicated matter in Switzerland. The nation has four official languages and numerous other languages and dialects. On top of this some Swiss have had to cope with shifting language borders. Between 1860 and 2000, 83 municipalities, known as communes (in French), Einwohnergemeinde1 (in German), comuni (in Italian) and vischnancas (in Romanche), changed their official language. Of these 83, 44 switched during the last 60 or so years. Ski warning sign in Zermatt Switzerland © Roberto Caucino | Dreamstime.com Since 1950, six communes have switched from German to French, one from Italian to German, two from German to Italian, one from…

Brought to you by quitt.ch – No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland.   1. What do nannies cost in Switzerland? Nannies are expensive in Switzerland. Average monthly salaries range from CHF 3,300 to CHF 6,500 depending on experience and where you live. Nannies cost more in Zurich, Basel and Geneva than they do in London and New York. This is partly because of the high value of the Swiss franc. © Roza Ivanova | Dreamstime.com The level of experience has more impact on salary than location. Nannies with no specific education cost between CHF…

In Switzerland, mothers are far more likely to have paid work than they were 30 years ago. In 2021, 82% had paid employment compared to 60% in 1991. Over this period, Switzerland has moved from one of the lowest European rates of working mums to one of the highest. However, a sizeable employment gap remains between women with children (82%) and women without them (93%). In addition, few fathers have given up working to make way for mothers to work more – fathers’ rates of employment fell only 2 percentage points from 99% to 97% between 1991 and 2021. In…