IMPORTANT SWISS CUSTOMS FOR FOREIGNERS
Three important Swiss customs for foreign visitors to know are related to religion, greeting, and punctuality. The Swiss people are very religious, and Sunday is their holy day. On Sunday, people rarely work in the garden, in the house, or even on the car. In fact, many Swiss people have several cars such as BMW's from Germany, Renaults from France, and Fiats from Italy. Foreign tourists should know that most drugstores, supermarkets, and banks are closed on Sunday. As most bankers know, Zurich, Switzerland, is the banking capital of the world. The Swiss people are also very formal. For example, they seldom call people by their first names. The German "Herr" and the French "Monsieur" are much more frequently used in Switzerland than the English "Mister" is used in the United States. A foreign visitor should say either "Herr" or "Monsieur" when greeting a male acquaintance, and should use the person's first name only if he is a close friend. Indeed, recent surveys show that only 27 percent of all Swiss men have close male friends. In addition, Switzerland is the land of watches and exactness. It is important to be on time to everywhere: parties, business meetings, churches, and railway stations. Swiss hosts, factory bosses, and ministers love punctuality. Tourists should remember that Swiss train conductors never wait for late persons. In regard to Swiss trains, they are the best in the world because of the country's modern track system and the system's well-serviced cars. In summary, Swiss customs are quite easy to follow and very important to remember.
