r/askswitzerland

Finally the temperatures are dropping and lots of rain coming our way. With water sitting outside, mosquitos will start laying eggs.

I open my windows often to prevent mold and let air flow. This gives mosquitos the opportunity to come in.

I remember using one of those insect nets for the window at my old place, but I don’t remember having good experience with them. The part sticking to the window used a strong glue that ripped the paint out costing me deposit money after I moved out. Did I place it wrong? I don’t remember. I saw one at migros for like 10-15 bucks.

What do you guys do against mosquitos? Any products you would recommend?

Hi everyone,
I’m a senior software engineer currently based in Germany, and I’m interested in finding a remote Senior Software Engineer / Backend / Full-Stack role with a company in Switzerland.
My background is mainly in:
Node.js / TypeScript / JavaScript
React / React Native / Next.js
PostgreSQL / MySQL / Redis
AWS, Docker, CI/CD and backend infrastructure
System architecture and API development
Technical leadership / CTO-level experience
I’d ideally like to work remotely from Germany for a Swiss company, rather than relocate immediately.
For anyone who has successfully done this:
How realistic is it to get a Swiss senior-dev position while living in Germany?
Which Swiss companies are genuinely open to hiring remote engineers based elsewhere in Europe?
What are the best job boards, recruiters or communities for these roles?
Are Swiss employers generally willing to hire through an Employer of Record (EOR) or as a contractor?
What salary range should I realistically target with senior/lead-level experience?
Does not being fluent in German significantly reduce the opportunities if I’m targeting English-speaking tech companies?
Is there anything specific about my CV/application that Swiss employers tend to care about?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from developers who live outside Switzerland but currently work for a Swiss company.
Thanks for any advice, company recommendations, recruiter contacts or experiences you can share.

My husband and I are doing a self-guided day-hiking trip in September, in the Frutt/Grindelwald/Murren area, then on to Zermatt. A company has arranged our accommodations, but we have to get ourselves between their locations. Do I need to worry about getting gondola, train, and postauto tickets ahead of time, or can we just show up? I have searched online and I can't find a definitive answer for individual travelers. I have downloaded the sbb and Swiss Post apps.
Also, I'd love any details/advice on how to pay, how the whole set up works, etc. Thanks!

I am so confused...

I was talking with some friends about small cultural differences, and it made me curious.

What is something that feels completely normal to you in Switzerland, but foreigners are often surprised or confused by?

Could be anything: neighbours, work culture, food, public transport, social rules, bureaucracy... ?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently getting my student visa application ready for UZH, but I’ve run into a bit of a problem with the financial proof required by the Swiss Migration Office.

I’m currently living in Australia and haven’t moved to Switzerland yet. I understand that I need to show access to at least CHF 21,000 per year, with the confirmation coming from a bank that meets the relevant requirements.

The problem is that I’ve looked through the banks on the FINMA list, but most of the ones I’ve contacted require a Swiss residential address to open an account. Obviously, I don’t have one yet since I’m still in Australia.

I’m currently trying to open an account with Dukascopy, but my application is still being processed, and I have no idea how long it’s going to take.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation, where you had to arrange the financial proof before moving to Switzerland?

I’d really appreciate any advice on:

• Which bank did you use?
• Were you able to open the account while still living overseas?
• Are there any FINMA-listed banks that are relatively easy for students to open an account with from abroad?

Would really appreciate any advice or personal experience. Thanks!

Hi, I plan on doing some hiking in Appenzell in late Sept. The plan is to go from Wasserauen to Seealpsee, up to Aescher/Ebenalp, then on to Schafler & Schafler Ridge and back down to Seealpsee.

The question is, once I get to Schafler, would it be "better" to go:
Schafler to Mesmer back down to Seealpsee
or
Schafler to Alpenalp to Seealpsee?

I'm ok with slightly steep inclines downhill as long as they're fairly short, and/or there are stairs/cables to help. (Actually, stairs are great!). I do have a mild fear of heights but am willing to "get over it" for a bit.

Is there a big difference in the two routes (besides the longer distance with Mesmer) in terms of difficulty or steepness or views?

I'm looking to pick the way with the best combination of less steep declines and better views.

Hi guys

We will be visiting Switzerland for more than a month next month. He likes smoking or eating but stopped for years do to having kids.

Is it allowed to buy it legally for tourist and from which stores ?
Thanks

As the title states, a friend and I are planning a trip for May of 2027. Its two dudes and we were planning this trip based off of how beautiful the nature of your country is. I looked online and it said that the end of May is the best time to book a hike based trip so I wanted to ask your best recommendations for two moderately fit guys who enjoy A) moderately challenging hikes, but nothing too crazy and B) we love bodies of water for swimming/fishing. We also love going to bars and trying different beers and local favorite drinks and foods. All around we just love to explore and try random things and enjoy nature. You probably get these questions all the time but I want to plan the best trip possible for the first time visiting. Any and all recommendations will be appreciated and I am grateful for any help/tips or things that weren't listed because I may have forgot. Again, thank you in advance

I am currently unemployed, registered at RAV. It is the beginning of my unemployment, so I don't have "days without control" available.

I was really interested in seeing the solar eclipse, and initially planed to take some vacations to see it (that was when i was still employed). However i was laid off before that. Due to unemployment i then planed to look at it here in switzerland. However, a few days before the eclipse... I saw a lot of posts talking about it and became very afraid of missing the total eclipse, as it could be very hard to see again.. So I made a round-trip tour to spain to see it. Since it's outside switzerland i knew i couldn't stay there for vacation since i have to be available, so i went the day before and left the day after. I was away one day, or three if you count transport.

I didn't have any meeting related to my job search planed at that time, so i though let's just go. It was very spontanous and i didn't really think of the consequences.

At that time I don't have any reason to believe rav is aware of this, and i don't think they will... but i don't want to fraud the system. Honestly I should have just mentioned it at the last meeting to see what was possible but i didn't have the plan back then.

Now I realize that this is not a good thing and i don't want to lie on the form at the end of the month... But I'm afraid of the potential consequences of saying this to sav, especially already one week after since i was supposed to contact them 10 days in advance.

Do you have any advice on what to do to make everything right? I am lost now.

I should have just stayed here, it would have been simpler, i shouldn't take decisions like this :/

(note: i don't think is falls under the "not breaking the law" rule since i want to fix the situation and understand what to expect, but feel free to remove the post if you think it doesn't belong to the sub)

Schaue sonst eher Premier League, möchte aber diese Saison auch mal Super League-Spiele besuchen:) Welcher Club hat tendenziell die beste Fanstimmung im Stadion? Danke!

I ve been krankgeschrieben by my Hausarzt for 2 weeks due to some medical issues. What can and can't do during this time? For example I live alone and have noone that could buy me groceries (yes I know there is home delivery, but I'm just trying to make an example). Am I allowed to take the car to buy groceries if the pain allows it? Can I go for a walk or do I need to stay 24/7 in my bed? I need to bring back my rental car in a week and need to take the train back. Is this allowed?

I know these are silly examples, but what should I do if for example a coworker sees me strolling around? I know I can't do extreme sports activities and book a trip to France, but like this is the first time I won't be able to work for such a long time...

Edit: My Gemeinde has organised a festival this weekend. There will be music, drinks and shows. Fotos will be taken and published. Am I allowed to attend the party?

Just did Mannlichen gondola to Mannlichen, hike down to Kleine Scheindegg with train to Wengen, then train to Lauterbrunnen to see the falls which my husband said was a complete waste of time to go up and wait because there was nothing impressive. Took the train back to Grindelwald after where we are staying.

We have Jungfraujoch on Saturday. What do you recommend for tomorrow? (Rainy day) Sunday? (Also unclear)

Thank you! (We have two kids, 4 and 7)

Yesterday I was using the SBB FreeSurf App while working on the train, I was surprised to receive a message from my Swisscom phone that I had used all my mobile internet quota for the month.

I understood that the purpose of the app is that certain phone providers (Swisscom, et al.) provide free internet while travelling on IC trains. As the SBB does not have Wi-Fi on each of their trains, you can connect with the app and then your data usage is not charged to your plan.

I have not had a problem with this over the last 5 years, but suddenly yesterday it appeared that the app was counting my data usage towards my monthly quota. I even bought another gigabyte of mobile internet from Swisscom, which I used within several hours and again received the same message that I had no more data left.

Has anyone else had this problem?

P.S. I called Swisscom support and they seemed absolutely clueless about the app.

I‘m a sucker for pralines but not every chocolatier does good or interesting ones

Jacot in Lausanne were pretty good I remember

edit for precision: chocolate pralines. The little generally-square chocolates with stuff in/on them

I pass in front of Lenzburg Castle every day, and every day I wonder about this.

Despite the castle being in Aargau, it has a large Bernese flag painted on it. I'm sure there is a historical reason for this, but why is it still there today? What's the story behind it?

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

writing from a burner account for obvious reasons.

Looking to see if anyone here has gone through a similar situation in Zurich / Switzerland and could share some realistic insight.

A few weeks ago, I was at an outdoor day party / rave. A group of plainclothes/undercover cops spotted me doing a small bump of coke as i was hidden in the back somewhere (not well enough apparently) and immediately came over (about four officers) to search me. They confiscated a tiny personal quantity (a small vial, under a gram).

To give the relevant context:

I was not driving, nowhere near a vehicle, and solely on foot/public transit.

I was calm, cooperative, and did not resist or cause any issues.

I have no criminal record. Never arrested, and a 100% clean driving record (no prior infractions, suspensions, or DUIs).

Today I received the official letter from the Strassenverkehrsamt Zürich regarding “Eröffnung eines Administrativverfahrens / Abklärung der Fahreignung” giving me a 10-day deadline for my Rechtliches Gehör (right to be heard).

I am preparing a formal written statement explaining that this was an isolated social mistake, completely separated from road traffic, and that I have zero dependency or regular consumption habit.

If anyone has gone through this with the Strassenverkehrsamt / IRM:

What was the outcome after submitting your written statement? Did they ever drop/dismiss it with a warning, or is a Level 4 medical assessment (verkehrsmedizinische Abklärung Stufe 4) basically guaranteed?

If you had to do the assessment, what did the actual timeline look like from submitting the letter to the actual appointment and toxicology test (hair/urine)?

Any tips or recommendations on how to handle the administrative side going forward?

Appreciate any firsthand experiences or practical advice.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Long story short, I’ve had a pretty rough time financially recently due to some medical and tax-related issues. One thing led to another, and I ended up with multiple debt collection cases/Betreibungen, including wage garnishment through my employer. Not exactly my proudest chapter, but I’m finally at the point where everything should be paid off next month.

The problem is that right now I have 3 CHF left in my account.

Whenever I get a bill that absolutely can’t be postponed, I pay it to avoid making the situation worse. I’ve already sold pretty much everything I could sell at home, and borrowing from friends or family isn’t an option.

I’m looking for realistic, legal ways to make the money quickly, odd jobs, online work, day labor, anything that comes to mind.

Thanks in advance for any ideas. I really appreciate it.