Customs and daily life

Daily life

• Languages: the language of your canton is that of the administration and the school. In German-speaking Switzerland, Swiss German (dialects) dominates in speech: understanding standard German is not always enough at first.
• Politeness and punctuality: people greet when entering a shop, use the formal form of address at first, and being on time is expected (common customs, not rules).
• Rest and neighbours: Sundays and public holidays are days of quiet; quiet hours are set by your commune's regulations and your building's rules, which vary: read them (they are often attached to the lease).
• Waste: federal law requires the cantons to ensure that the costs of disposing of municipal waste are borne by those who produce it, with charges set in particular according to the type and quantity of waste handed in (polluter-pays principle, art. 32a of the environmental protection act; other funding methods remain possible in some cases); many communes apply a bag tax (taxe au sac; official bags that you pay for). Your commune tells you which bags to use and how to sort.
• Shops: opening hours are set by the cantons. Example of Zurich: on weekdays, no time limit for the shop itself (night work by employees, from 23:00 to 6:00, remains prohibited); on Sundays and public holidays, shops stay closed, except for exceptions (stations, pharmacies, bakeries, kiosks…) and up to four Sundays a year chosen by the commune.
• Tipping: service is in principle included in the prices; rounding up is a gesture, not an obligation (common custom).
• Direct democracy: Swiss citizens vote several times a year on federal, cantonal and communal matters; some cantons give foreigners local political rights. In Geneva, you can vote, be elected and sign initiatives at communal level after 8 years of legal domicile in Switzerland (art. 48 of the Geneva Constitution); in the canton of Vaud, you are part of the communal electorate (vote and eligibility) after 10 years in Switzerland with a permit, including 3 years of domicile in the canton (art. 142 of the Vaud Constitution). Elsewhere, ask your commune.

Public holidays

• Federal: 1 August is the national day: it is treated like a Sunday for labour law and it is paid (art. 110, para. 3 of the Federal Constitution).
• The rest depends on the canton. Example of Geneva in 2026: 1 January, Good Friday (3 April), Easter Monday (6 April), Ascension (14 May), Whit Monday (25 May), 1 August, Jeûne genevois (10 September), Christmas (25 December) and Restauration de la République (31 December). Vaud in 2026: 1 and 2 January, Good Friday (3 April), Easter Monday (6 April), Ascension (14 May), Whit Monday (25 May), 1 August, Lundi du Jeûne (21 September) and Christmas (25 December). Zurich in 2026: 1 January, Good Friday (3 April), Easter Monday (6 April), 1 May, Ascension (14 May), Whit Monday (25 May), 1 August, Christmas (25 December) and Stephanstag (26 December); local festivals such as the Sechseläuten are not public holidays by law.

Emergency numbers

• 144: medical emergencies.
• 118: fire and rescue.
• 117: police.
• 145: poisoning (advice 24 hours a day).
• 112: international emergency number.
• 1414: Rega air rescue (+41 333 333 333 from abroad).

Common pitfalls

• Doing laundry or making noise on Sunday without knowing the building's rules: a frequent source of tension between neighbours.
• Throwing away your waste in an untaxed bag where the commune requires official bags: a fine is possible, in an amount set by each commune.
• Assuming a day is a public holiday everywhere: check the list for your canton, and even your commune.
• Underestimating the dialect barrier in German-speaking Switzerland.

The customs described here are common habits, worded with caution; they vary by canton and by person.