Layer up in Switzerland to Layer down with change of weather!

Switzerland as we all know is a country of Snow, Breeze, Lakes, Alps and Scenic Beauty! If you imagine to be like the one where we have songs in Bollywood movies where the actresses dance in draped Saree in the middle of Snow somewhere in Switzerland without any layers on top, that is not doable for a common man unless you have vodka shots or unless you are crazy or unless you are comfortable with temperatures up in alps to bare it all! Nonetheless, these are the few tips and tricks of Switzerland and I hope you guys find it useful. To know more about Switzerland as a place - check my travel blog, click here

WHAT TO PACK FOR 10 DAYS

1 Wind Proof Jacket / Packable Jacket
1 Sweatshirt / 2 Full Sleeves
3 Jeans
2 Maxi Dress + 1 Short Dress + 3 Sleeveless Tops
2 Sweater Dress (in winters)
1 Snowpants( in winters) Snow Boots / Shoes Comfortable Walking Sandals
1 Swimsuit / Bikini
1 Towel Gloves ( in winters)
Sunscreen



1) Wear Comfy Footwear / Waterproof boots: Whether it is Lucerne or Zurich or any other place in Switzerland, unless you have booked a cab or have someone to pick you up, there’s always lots of hiking to do even in main cities. You do not have to venture into mountains to trek, but you have to be comfortable for long walks in main cities. People in Switzerland seem to be very active and if you have great shoes/boots/ walking sandals/ ballerinas ; it would be easier on your toes as well as on you.If you going up in the mountains when its snow clad, wear waterproof lined boots.

2)Wear Layers: If you are traveling to Switerland you have got to be in layers. So if you are going in summers, wear a tank top but keep a shawl or full sleeve Shirts / T-shirts. If you are traveling in winters, you need to be in proper layers of 2-3 clothing.








3)Wear Simple and Neat: The culture of Switzerland reflects ‘Preciseness and Perfection’. Even the trains in Switzerland are dot on time, on both occasions that I have been to Switzerland in Winters as well as Summer, the train has never been late , so its highly unlikely that it goes late, and that is what impresses me about Switzerland the most. The Fashion sense of Switzerland or rather Swiss people can be called Simple, Casual and Neat.

4)They do wear Jeans: So when I went to Switzerland, I saw a lot of people wearing Jeans. One reason being, Switzerland has a breeze so if your legs are covered, you feel pleasant. And also to me, what felt like Switzerland was, the country is into hiking and trekking for generations and that runs in the families. In fact, I met someone official in the Alpenbitter region and she said that she is been horse riding in the mountains since she was a child and they still have a farm. So the fashion style mostly is Casual and Neat in mountains or otherwise.

5) You can wear Maxi Dress / Sweater Dress: If you can carry Sweater Dress during winters there’s nothing like it. And during summers, Maxi Dress goes very well with cities in Switzerland. In Summers, it can get hot with plenty of Sunshine so you could also wear floral dresses or short dresses but do make sure they are presentable and carry a light cardigan along with it.

6)Carry adequate Jacket: Even if you are going in Summer, do carry a lightweight wind / water resistant Jacket / something warm if you have plans to go to the mountains or evenings in the cities. During Winters it can get cold, so make sure to wear layers of warm inner, then sweater, then a heavy jacket. If you do not have a heavy Jacket, you can rent it at Interlaken Outdoors if you are in Interlaken. If you are in India, you can get good jackets at Decathlon and if you are flying from US you can get good Jackets in LLBean, NorthFace, Columbia.






7)Khaki / Snowpants can go well: If you are venturing out in winters in the alps and have plans to engage in adventure activities wear Snowpants. These are pants which do not get wet. During Summers, colors of Khaki/Olive would go very well with plain T-shirts. I highly recommend trail pants from Columbia.

8)Carry Swimsuit: The water in the lakes of Switzerland are so clean that people jump in the lakes all the time for a Swim. Even the water that comes in public taps are very sweet to drink. So if you are heading in Summers and temperatures are alright, do carry a bikini or a swimsuit and a towel and jump in the freshwater lakes of Switzerland in Zurich or Lucerne of anywhere you find people jumping!

9)Carry Sunscreen: Please do carry Sunscreen even in the mountains for avoiding risk of Sunburn - during winters your cheeks could get red ( or develop minor breaks due to dryness) so Moisturize and use Sunscreen at all times in Switzerland that is a necessity. Also carry lip balm and Boroline if you have.

10)Avoid buying locally: Switzerland being an expensive place , what I would suggest is refrain from buying local brands. Unless its chocolates and cheese, do not. Because a lot of things you would find way too expensive there. Some of the reasonable stores to buy would be H&M, Migros and Coop.

11)Textile Museum at St. Gallen: Started by the chamber of Commerce, this three storied building is very impressive and has textile exhibits of historical St. Gallen and collaborations with various countries. When we were there, we could see the exhibition of celebration of 150 years of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Japan and hence the architecture, patterns were inspired from Japan on the top floor. There was an old embroidery machine from the 19th century .It also showcases fascinating world of Textiles from middle Ages to Present.









12)Carry full - sleeve: Full-Sleeve Dresses, Full Sleeve Shirts would go very well in Switzerland. Even sleeveless would go well, if the weather is nice. So depending on the temperature pack accordingly.







13)Red pops out: The Swiss Flag contains bright red color and the red color goes very well in contrast with Sparkling white of Snow. So try to wear anything bright if you are heading to the mountains. It would add a pop color on your photos as well as your mood will be brighter during a little dull and short days of winters.

14)Wear cap with a good fit: If you are heading to the mountains, there is generally breezy there. So caps without strings might fly. So wear a cap or a hat which has a good fit and that won’t fly ;)

15)Wear Coat: I think it is one of the places where you can wear a simple sleeveless neutral color top and layer it with a coat and it would look great! But carrying a coat would be a little too much on the baggage, so I generally carry a packable jacket with me when I travel to Switzerland. I find carrying coats needing a lot of Space and is to me a little bulky. Probably I am yet to find a lightweight coat.



















Also, if you have any friends in US, get hot hands, these are packets which get warm when rubbed between hands. I was going from Wisconsin(-21) to Switzerland(-10) in Jan, so I wasn’t feeling that biting cold at -10, but one of my friend from India was having frozen hands every time she would take out her hand out of her gloves. Taking pictures during winters in the mountains with the breeze can get tricky because your hands might freeze, so she used hot hands on both her feet and hand and that kept her warm enough.