5 Things to know about your trip to Switzerland
You want to elope in Switzerland? Great!
Here’s a few things to know before your trip.
Switzerland is a beautiful country with countless mountain lakes, quaint little towns and romantic boutique hotels that are perfect for an intimate elopement.
How to get around
The easiest way to get around in Switzerland is actually by public transport. Don’t bother getting an Uber from the airport - the train will take you to your destination almost 24/7 and is super easy to navigate. And to get around in Switzerland itself it’s best you get a SwissTravel Pass so you can ride almost all the trains, buses and even some boats and cable cars for a flat rate. We suggest downloading the SBB-App by the Swiss national railway where you can easily check schedules, prices and plan trips. Note that trains and buses are usually on time so if you arrive just one minute late you might (or you probably will) miss your train and hence maybe even your connection. With very few exceptions, no reservation is needed and you’re not bound to take a specific train to get to your destination - any that has the same route will do.
How to legally get married
The easiest way to legally get married in Switzerland if neither of you is a Swiss citizen is unfortunately to do the whole legal thing in your home country. A legal wedding in Switzerland is very complicated to do and has to be done at the municipality. Legal outdoor ceremonies are not possible and there’s no possibility to get ordained to do a legal ceremony for one of our celebrants. Hence, we recommend to fully enjoy the symbolic ceremony and your time in Switzerland by exploring the country instead of visiting multiple office buildings and running around filing forms.
When to plan your elopement
We recommend reaching out to us as soon as you know that you want to elope in Switzerland. Once done, we’ll get on a call to see what you’re looking for and can then recommend the best time have your elopement, depending on your preferred venue and/or location. We have put together a blog article on the pros and cons of each season in Switzerland, that might help you in narrowing down the time frame. Please note that our services are bookable from Sunday through Friday during the summer months and on all days in the rest of the year.
What to do while you’re here
Although Switzerland is a small country, there’s a lot to do! While we’re mostly known for our beautiful mountains, lakes and nature in general there’s also abundant nightlife, great galleries and muesums and amazing gastronomy.
If you only have one day to explore, read our blog post here about how to see a lot of the typical Switzerland in just a few hours.
Want to know a bit more about Switzerland’s history? The Landesmuseum in Zurich has beautiful and interactive exhibitions. The Freilichtmuseum Ballenberg is a historical museum that shows how the Swiss used to live and provides you with an immersive experience into farm living. The Legionärspfad Vindonissa lets you relive the Roman times in Switzerland.
If you’re interested in the arts, you can find tons of interesting museums, such as the Art Museums in Basel or Zurich, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern or even the Charlie Chaplin museum “Chaplin’s World” in Vevey!
Of course, we absolutely recommend visiting at least one mountain and maybe even taking a little hike. Let us know your preferences and we’ll gladly suggest a hike depending on your fitness level and the time you have. All in all, you’re probably best off exploring the cities and towns on your own and planning a few day trips if you have the time. Ask us about recommendations and we’ll be happy to send you some suggestions. One thing to remember: Many stores and such are closed on Sundays, so if you want to do some shopping, plan that on another day.
Other good things to know
Despite being smack in the middle of Europe, Switzerland is not part of the European Union and therefore does not have the Euro as a currency. Instead, we use the Swiss Franc. It is not a problem to pay in Euro bills but you’ll receive your change in Swiss Francs. And the exchange rate is worse than if you exchange money at the bank.
Bring an adapter! The Swiss have special plugs that only a few other countries use.
Languages: Switzerland has four official languages. Don’t be confused if you hear announcements made in German, French and English, you’re still in the right place. Many signs and products feature our main three languages German, French and Italian, sometimes you’ll even come across Rumantsch, our fourth language. And to make it even more confusing: Although German is the official language, our dialect of Swiss German is widely spoken by the Swiss, so even when having good knowledge of German you probably won’t understand conversations going on around you. But you’ll usually get around well with English.
