29 May 2026 TUNER (LE VIRTUOSE) *** Most any film with Dustin Hoffman is a winner. This one is almost another ‘duo’, like “Midnight Cowboy” or “Rainman”, though his younger partner - an excellent Leo Woodall - the ‘tuner’ of the film, occupies … [Read more...]
News and Features
Drownings down in Switzerland
Forty-three people drowned in Switzerland last year, almost all of them in open water, according to the Swiss Lifesaving Society (SLS). Young adults and the elderly were the groups most affected. The death toll fell below 50 for the first time … [Read more...]
“Snow of May” – Swiss narcissus season in full bloom
The spring narcissus bloom in Switzerland's riviera region, a star tourist attraction of the Belle Epoque - the 30 to 40 years before the war in 1914 - was described as the "snow of May" by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms. The book … [Read more...]
Switzerland may soon offer marriage-lite
Switzerland may soon offer couples a legal status somewhere between marriage and simple cohabitation. Lawmakers are considering the introduction of a civil partnership model known as a PACS (“Pacte civil de solidarité”), inspired by a system that has … [Read more...]
Language requirements for Swiss citizenship and visas – what you need to know
Brought to you by Swiss French School. On 1 January 2019, Switzerland’s federal government tightened and harmonised the rules on language requirements to qualify for some residence permits, B and C permits in particular, and … [Read more...]
Guides
6-step guide to hiring a cleaner in Switzerland
Brought to you by quitt.ch - No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland. 1. What do cleaners cost in Switzerland? Cleaners are expensive in Switzerland and good personnel are hard to find. Prices … [Read More...]
Hiring a cleaner – around half break law on Swiss accident insurance
Brought to you by quitt.ch - No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland. In Switzerland, around one in seven hire someone to do their cleaning, but around half break the law, risking fines and a big … [Read More...]
Activities
Why you should visit the Gianadda gallery in Martigny
Gianadda, that spectacular cultural centre in Martigny, specializes in exhibitions you want to wander round more than once. Its latest show – Hodler, Monet, Munch: painting the impossible (3 February to 11 June 2017) – also lives up to the … [Read more...]
Vaud’s vineyard touring and wine tasting season is fast approaching
The wine tasting season is approaching in Vaud, the Swiss canton stretching around the shores of Lake Geneva. With its six distinctive wine growing regions and eight appellations, Vaud is Switzerland’s second largest wine producing region. … [Read more...]
Switzerland’s spectacular dams and their uncertain future
Switzerland’s 604 hydroelectric plants aren’t just powerhouses for clean energy. Some dams are also dramatic destinations. But their source of fuel is literally drying up. By Bill Harby Switzerland’s glaciers are shrinking. In 2015, of 99 Swiss … [Read more...]
