Mice in Switzerland, the Other Cheese Country! (page 16 of 19)

Good evening, And after that, some people still think the law and prices are the same for everyone in Switzerland! Well, no... Switzerland is tough!

Here’s a (sad) piece of info that might be useful to me—I live near Switzerland and go there often. I never would’ve guessed there were such sneaky "blue zones" and that they’re so poorly marked for visitors. In Italy, there are tons of traffic and parking restrictions in old town centers, but there are signs everywhere to warn you. Doesn’t the Swiss capital have enough funds to welcome foreigners more warmly? Happy New Year anyway!

The Swiss capital doesn’t want cars and encourages paying for parking or using park-and-ride facilities.

Not a bad idea, but it’d be nice if it were clearly indicated. Right now, it feels like institutionalized scamming...

Switzerland isn’t transparent about everything...

If the blue zone is numbered, it applies 24/7 for visitors.

That’s still a key point you hadn’t mentioned. A numbered blue zone… And I think you didn’t see the sign in the street that specifies this. Regular blue zones are never numbered.

Good evening,

What do you call a "numbered blue zone"?

Michel

If the blue zone is numbered, it applies 24/7 for visitors.

That’s still a key point you hadn’t mentioned. A numbered blue zone And I think you didn’t see the sign in the street that specifies this. Regular blue zones are never numbered.

Uh, yes.

Except there was nothing specifically marked. Normal hours.

You can’t find the info ANYWHERE that numbered zones are 24/7 for non-residents of the city.

No Swiss person I talked to was aware of it, especially since it’s only in Bern and St. Gallen.

If this little journal can help some folks, well... I’ll definitely add it to my blog.

Just goes to show it had nothing to do with the disc or being there after 7 PM, period.

Good evening,

What do you call a "numbered blue zone"?

Michel

Residents in these neighborhoods can buy permits to park near their homes at night. To make it easier for them to find a spot, these zones are restricted at night—blue zone rules apply, just like during the day. Where I live, this doesn’t exist, so I don’t know much more about it.

Anyway, even if you had parked in a regular blue zone, you didn’t set your parking disc to the right time, and a strict police officer could have fined you. We explained this to you several times, and you just wouldn’t get it. Now, the situation is a little different because it’s a numbered blue zone. Personally, when I’m abroad and I’m not sure I fully understand a parking zone, I park in a paid parking lot. This happened to us recently in Italy.

Anyway, even if you had been parked in a regular blue zone, you didn’t set your parking disc to the correct time, and a strict police officer could have fined you. We explained this to you several times, and you refused to understand. Now, the situation is a little different because it’s a numbered blue zone. Personally, when I’m abroad and I’m not sure I understand a parking zone, I park in a paid parking lot. This happened to us recently in Italy.

That, we don’t know.

Now, I find you very judgmental.

We get it—you’re perfect and always ready to pay. I thought it was your Swiss side, but after talking to other Swiss people, not all of them want to spend their time paying for everything, actually. Not everyone is a Swiss Croesus.

Anyway, I made this post to inform, not to get into endless debates.

It’s good to inform people so they can choose with full knowledge.

I’m far from perfect, but arguing about a fine for weeks—another member already pointed that out to you—I find it pointless and a waste of time. I get the impression you’re always complaining, though it might just be an impression. Several of us gave you great tips for your visits, and I think your accusations are misplaced. Anyway, I’m unsubscribing from this discussion since it’s not adding anything for me. Wishing you other amazing trips with fewer parking problems.

New summer episode: mice in Zurich! 🐭

We arrived at 3 AM, a trip that almost got canceled at the last minute...

Frustrated I couldn't see Switzerland's biggest city, I booked about ten days there over a month ago. We'll see where we go next after that!

Hi, When it comes to fines, be careful on the roads (outside tolls for the vignette). Last year, a speeding ticket for going 63 km/h instead of 50 cost me 270 € after all! (250 Swiss francs)

That’s why we have a radar detector! Hope that’ll be enough 🤔

First impressions of Zurich (photos to come later): we strolled through the historic center and along the Limmat River, all the way to the start of the lake.

It’s so cute! I didn’t have a great impression of Zurich at first, but then I checked out Street View last year and thought it was pretty nice!

I still wanted to see Switzerland’s biggest city!

Lots of tourists here. And I hear a lot of Russian—I don’t know if they live here or are just passing through.

The prices though 😮 I wasn’t ready! More expensive than elsewhere in Switzerland. After some research, it turns out it’s the most expensive city in the world for consumer prices.

Tonight, dinner at a Chinese restaurant we found on The Fork with a discount. I still didn’t quite catch the price of the mochis when they told me with a strong accent 🤔

Since we’re in an apartment, we’ll go grocery shopping to cook.

I did notice some areas are less clean than in other cities...

On the agenda: invitations to the Kunsthaus, the national museum, the Lindt Experience, and the zoo.

I’d love to see other small towns by the lake and some scenic viewpoints.

Hopefully, we can take a trip to St. Gallen.

After that, the mice want to check out Appenzell, even if it means booking an Airbnb.

Oh, and this Sunday we drove closer to the center and parked for free in the blue zone. Cheaper than a transit ticket 😄

Reminder: all radar detectors are banned in Switzerland, no matter what kind. The fine is steep if you get caught... 🙂

Oh wow, an episodic travel journal is actually so cool!! We’ll follow Season 2!!

Reminder: all radar detectors are banned in Switzerland, no matter what type, and the fine is steep if you get caught... 🙂

From experience, it was 400 CHF a few years ago, and that was just for a Coyote

Reminder: all radar detectors are banned in Switzerland, no matter what, and the fine is steep if you get caught... 🙂

This was in the background of a smartphone app.

Otherwise, this is more like episode 3—we went back to Switzerland in November (obviously not the best season).

Anyway, today’s issue: we didn’t get any instructions on waste sorting, trash bins, or the washing machine. Since it’s our first time staying in an apartment in Switzerland, I know it can be a bit complex.

Even on a smartphone, it's not allowed...

For trash bins, check how it works in the specific municipality—it varies...

But what are the cops doing—checking every smartphone?

We're in the Zurich municipality.

Let's just say it would've made sense for our hosts to tell us. Everywhere else we stayed, there were several trash cans inside—here, there's just the standard one.

I don’t know if there’s a way to spot this "from afar," and frankly, I don’t care—I don’t use them.

Normally, you should check if there are trash bags available. Bags are taxed in all cantons except Geneva. In principle, it’s marked on them. If there are, it’s silly, but you can just put everything in them. Otherwise, buy a pack of 10 taxed 35-liter bags at the local Coop or Migros—the tax varies, say from 1.50 CHF to 5.50 CHF per bag depending on the canton.

If there aren’t any or only one, you’ll have to look for where to put plastic bottles, paper, glass, aluminum, etc., to try to use just one bag, which I assume is provided. On the street, is there a container for metal, for glass? For plastic, here at Coop/Migros, but I’m not sure in Zurich (do you have to buy special bags for all plastics?).