'The smoking': What aspect of life in Switzerland irritates you the most?
Most foreigners thoroughly enjoy their time living in Switzerland but there are aspects about life in the country that might irritate them. We asked our readers and the responses we received were revealing.
'How difficult it is to integrate’
One of the criteria for foreigners to be naturalised in Switzerland is that they should be well integrated into Swiss society, yet many foreigners find exactly that challenging.
One respondent, who lives in Bülach and works as an HR professional said they were frustrated to find that integrating is difficult “even when one is well-educated/well-paid”.
They further added that some foreigners may be facing a bigger struggle than others and that hunting for a suitable apartment was only made more difficult by the fact they are not Swiss.
They also pointed to “the very noticeable unfriendliness to non-Caucasians lying just under the surface”.
READ MORE: What does being 'successfully integrated' in Switzerland mean?
‘Property prices’
Solothurn-based engineer/project manager Cornelius Moloney struggled to find “anything negative of note” about life in Switzerland, except “maybe exorbitant property prices” – this despite having lived on every continent.
And he’s not wrong. If you have been trying to rent an apartment, or simply following the real estate news in Switzerland, you know that finding a reasonably priced accommodation in or in close vicinity of big cities is very difficult.
This is due to several factors, including the recent influx of immigrants, the lack (and expense) of building land and — consequently — slowed-down construction activity.
This means that demand far outstrips the supply — more people are looking for housing, while less of it is available.
While many apartment hunters are now shifting their search to suburban areas, Moloney still finds that Switzerland’s high property prices make somewhat sense.
“That's down to supply and demand and also the geography of the country. With a great public transport system one can live anywhere within an easy commute of work.”
READ MORE: How Switzerland's urban housing shortage is spreading to the countryside
Sundays are too quiet
Sunday is a traditional day of rest in Switzerland and much of the country pretty much shuts down. But whilst many foreigners living in Switzerland appreciate the peace and quiet it's not to everyone's taste.
Swiss businesses — including shops — can open from Monday to Friday between 6am and 9pm, and on Saturdays until 6pm. However, even within these parameters, it is rare to find a store that stays open until 9pm.
Many foreigners who settle in Switzerland, such as Jana Baker from Zurich, are not keen on relying on fewer shopping options on Sundays.
“I’m not fond of all the shops being closed on Sundays,” she explained.
Another Basel-based respondent agreed that the fact “stores close really early and aren't open on Sunday” is an annoying part of living in Switzerland.
READ ALSO: Why is everything closed on Sundays in Switzerland - and what you can do instead?
Swiss bureaucracy
Switzerland's love of paperwork is legendary. Even if you want to complain about the amount of paperwork, you'll probably have to fill in a form to do so.
But it can cause headaches for new arrivals or even those who have been in the country for years.
Maria Still from Nyon calls the practice “old-fashioned” and that everything in Switzerland “from the job market to administration” requiring mountains of paperwork to be filled in and send off can be vexing at times.
“Every village has their own administrative personnel for mundane tasks that could be done over internet like in developed countries,” she said.
One Basel-based respondent also found that “the rigidity when trying to get a doctor’s appointment” can be time-consuming and not in the patient’s interest.
“The whole the doctor’s office will write to you when you may come in and it usually takes three months and because they don’t speak with you first, you usually end up having to cancel the appointment because you already have something scheduled for the day they randomly chose with no input from you”.
‘Many people smoke’
Some respondents were also surprised by how many people in Switzerland smoke, especially given the Swiss reputation for clean mountain air and how healthy it can be for your lungs.
Yet, 27.1 percent of the Swiss population over the age of 15 smoked (31 percent men and 23.3 percent women) in 2017.
Zurich-based Jana Baker said that she was surprised to find “how many people smoke and especially how many women you see smoking outside”.
In her opinion, the Swiss smoking habit “doesn’t fit with the stereotypical image of mountain air and a healthy lifestyle”.
Another respondent from Basel agreed that “cigarette smoke is everywhere, especially in public transit stops/bus shelters and outdoor restaurants”.
English is favoured
Switzerland has four so-called national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh, which is spoken by an estimated 60,000 people, mainly in the south-eastern canton of Graubünden.
And yet, many respondents found that when faced with a foreigner the Swiss like to use the opportunity to practise their English language skills – and not, as hoped, help newcomers integrate.
Zurich resident Nadia La Madrid was surprised at the amount of English spoken.
She found “people always wanting to practice their English or not wanting to speak high German” a difficult pill to swallow as it “makes it hard to learn German”.
READ MORE: Which parts of Switzerland are best at speaking English?
‘Minding other people’s business’
Of all the cultural norms in Switzerland - from an almost unhealthy infatuation with punctuality and rules to engaging in staring contests (dubbed the ‘Swiss stare’) – perhaps the one tick that hits different is the tendency of some Swiss to meddle in other people’s business.
One Nyon-based respondent observed how the Swiss “comment on even the slightest error” and at times “react passive aggressively”.
However, according to one psychologist, as discussed in this article, getting annoyed is actually part of Swiss DNA and not to be taken personally.
Speaking to newspaper 20 Minutes on Thursday, Christian Fichter of the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, said getting annoyed “is simply part of Swiss people”.
“It has a direct link with our society values such as cleanliness, punctuality, and the desire for order. When these norms are contravened, we get annoyed,” he said. “Since our country hasn’t had any big worries in the last few years, residents like getting annoyed about small things instead”.
READ ALSO: What is it about life in Switzerland that surprises foreigners the most?
'More 'non-stop' restaurants'
If there is one thing Lausanne-based musician Albert Wagner would change about Switzerland, it would be restaurant opening times.
Like many respondents he finds that it would be nice if the country had more "It would be nice if there were more 'non-stop' restaurants". However, most Swiss restaurants close between main meal times.
In Switzerland, restaurants usually serve lunch between noon and 2pm, with only a select few opting to open doors a little sooner.
Dinner is usually served around 6pm - when many Swiss families gather to eat - and 9.30pm.
Restaurants (and pubs) in larger cities, such as Zurich, Geneva and Basel, may also offer continuous hot dishes from 11am to 10pm - though this is not the norm.
READ MORE: What time do the Swiss eat dinner?
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'How difficult it is to integrate’
One of the criteria for foreigners to be naturalised in Switzerland is that they should be well integrated into Swiss society, yet many foreigners find exactly that challenging.
One respondent, who lives in Bülach and works as an HR professional said they were frustrated to find that integrating is difficult “even when one is well-educated/well-paid”.
They further added that some foreigners may be facing a bigger struggle than others and that hunting for a suitable apartment was only made more difficult by the fact they are not Swiss.
They also pointed to “the very noticeable unfriendliness to non-Caucasians lying just under the surface”.
READ MORE: What does being 'successfully integrated' in Switzerland mean?
‘Property prices’
Solothurn-based engineer/project manager Cornelius Moloney struggled to find “anything negative of note” about life in Switzerland, except “maybe exorbitant property prices” – this despite having lived on every continent.
And he’s not wrong. If you have been trying to rent an apartment, or simply following the real estate news in Switzerland, you know that finding a reasonably priced accommodation in or in close vicinity of big cities is very difficult.
This is due to several factors, including the recent influx of immigrants, the lack (and expense) of building land and — consequently — slowed-down construction activity.
This means that demand far outstrips the supply — more people are looking for housing, while less of it is available.
While many apartment hunters are now shifting their search to suburban areas, Moloney still finds that Switzerland’s high property prices make somewhat sense.
“That's down to supply and demand and also the geography of the country. With a great public transport system one can live anywhere within an easy commute of work.”
READ MORE: How Switzerland's urban housing shortage is spreading to the countryside
Sundays are too quiet
Sunday is a traditional day of rest in Switzerland and much of the country pretty much shuts down. But whilst many foreigners living in Switzerland appreciate the peace and quiet it's not to everyone's taste.
Swiss businesses — including shops — can open from Monday to Friday between 6am and 9pm, and on Saturdays until 6pm. However, even within these parameters, it is rare to find a store that stays open until 9pm.
Many foreigners who settle in Switzerland, such as Jana Baker from Zurich, are not keen on relying on fewer shopping options on Sundays.
“I’m not fond of all the shops being closed on Sundays,” she explained.
Another Basel-based respondent agreed that the fact “stores close really early and aren't open on Sunday” is an annoying part of living in Switzerland.
READ ALSO: Why is everything closed on Sundays in Switzerland - and what you can do instead?
Swiss bureaucracy
Switzerland's love of paperwork is legendary. Even if you want to complain about the amount of paperwork, you'll probably have to fill in a form to do so.
But it can cause headaches for new arrivals or even those who have been in the country for years.
Maria Still from Nyon calls the practice “old-fashioned” and that everything in Switzerland “from the job market to administration” requiring mountains of paperwork to be filled in and send off can be vexing at times.
“Every village has their own administrative personnel for mundane tasks that could be done over internet like in developed countries,” she said.
One Basel-based respondent also found that “the rigidity when trying to get a doctor’s appointment” can be time-consuming and not in the patient’s interest.
“The whole the doctor’s office will write to you when you may come in and it usually takes three months and because they don’t speak with you first, you usually end up having to cancel the appointment because you already have something scheduled for the day they randomly chose with no input from you”.
‘Many people smoke’
Some respondents were also surprised by how many people in Switzerland smoke, especially given the Swiss reputation for clean mountain air and how healthy it can be for your lungs.
Yet, 27.1 percent of the Swiss population over the age of 15 smoked (31 percent men and 23.3 percent women) in 2017.
Zurich-based Jana Baker said that she was surprised to find “how many people smoke and especially how many women you see smoking outside”.
In her opinion, the Swiss smoking habit “doesn’t fit with the stereotypical image of mountain air and a healthy lifestyle”.
Another respondent from Basel agreed that “cigarette smoke is everywhere, especially in public transit stops/bus shelters and outdoor restaurants”.
English is favoured
Switzerland has four so-called national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh, which is spoken by an estimated 60,000 people, mainly in the south-eastern canton of Graubünden.
And yet, many respondents found that when faced with a foreigner the Swiss like to use the opportunity to practise their English language skills – and not, as hoped, help newcomers integrate.
Zurich resident Nadia La Madrid was surprised at the amount of English spoken.
She found “people always wanting to practice their English or not wanting to speak high German” a difficult pill to swallow as it “makes it hard to learn German”.
READ MORE: Which parts of Switzerland are best at speaking English?
‘Minding other people’s business’
Of all the cultural norms in Switzerland - from an almost unhealthy infatuation with punctuality and rules to engaging in staring contests (dubbed the ‘Swiss stare’) – perhaps the one tick that hits different is the tendency of some Swiss to meddle in other people’s business.
One Nyon-based respondent observed how the Swiss “comment on even the slightest error” and at times “react passive aggressively”.
However, according to one psychologist, as discussed in this article, getting annoyed is actually part of Swiss DNA and not to be taken personally.
Speaking to newspaper 20 Minutes on Thursday, Christian Fichter of the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, said getting annoyed “is simply part of Swiss people”.
“It has a direct link with our society values such as cleanliness, punctuality, and the desire for order. When these norms are contravened, we get annoyed,” he said. “Since our country hasn’t had any big worries in the last few years, residents like getting annoyed about small things instead”.
READ ALSO: What is it about life in Switzerland that surprises foreigners the most?
'More 'non-stop' restaurants'
If there is one thing Lausanne-based musician Albert Wagner would change about Switzerland, it would be restaurant opening times.
Like many respondents he finds that it would be nice if the country had more "It would be nice if there were more 'non-stop' restaurants". However, most Swiss restaurants close between main meal times.
In Switzerland, restaurants usually serve lunch between noon and 2pm, with only a select few opting to open doors a little sooner.
Dinner is usually served around 6pm - when many Swiss families gather to eat - and 9.30pm.
Restaurants (and pubs) in larger cities, such as Zurich, Geneva and Basel, may also offer continuous hot dishes from 11am to 10pm - though this is not the norm.
READ MORE: What time do the Swiss eat dinner?
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