Tourists Assume Swiss Map Is a Scroll, Ruin 3-Day Vacation

KEY POINTS

•A US citizen living in Switzerland for five years advised tourists to avoid only popular spots and explore smaller villages nearby.
•The article highlights the importance of booking scenic train tickets like the Glacier Express well in advance to avoid sold-out seats and fines.
•Swiss dining culture expects modest tipping between 5% and 10%, which differs significantly from US customs and includes wages in meal prices.

After five years embedded deep in Swiss life, a US transplant explains why tourists treat the country like an all-you-can-see buffet. Ignoring the likes of Frutigen and Adelboden, adventurers only chase Instagram’s usual suspects: Zermatt, Interlaken, and Lucerne — apparently worried these mountain villages won’t selfie. They also unwittingly throw 100-franc fines partying in first-class train seats they don’t own, because double-checking tickets is too mainstream. Dining? Prepare to weep quietly at salads priced for Swiss wage-earning waitstaff (tip 5–10%, not 20% please), and book trains on scenic routes like the Glacier Express waaay in advance—because spontaneity in Switzerland is for the daring and broke.