Getting in and visas for Switzerland

Major international airports are in Zurich, Geneva and Basel, with smaller airports in Lugano and Bern. Flying into nearby Milan (Italy), Lyon or even Paris (France) or Frankfurt (Germany) are other options though rather expensive and time-consuming (3h Frankfurt-Basel, 4h Milan-Zurich, 5h Paris-Bern) by train. Some discount airlines fly to Friedrichshafen, Germany which is just across Lake Constance (the Bodensee) from Romanshorn, not too far from Zurich. The Flagcarrier of Switzerland is SWISS which is a member of Star Alliance and successor of the famous Swissair. Trains arrive from all parts of Europe. Switzerland is together with Germany one of the most central-lying countries in Europe, making it a center of railways and highways to the rest of Europe. Some major routes include:

• The TGV, with several trains daily from Paris, Avignon, Dijon, and Nice.
• Hourly trains to/from Milan with connections to all parts of Italy (also night-trains to Rome and Venice).
• Hourly ICE (German high-speed trains) from Zurich to Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt in Germany, many continuing toward Amsterdam, Hamburg or Berlin.
• Regular ICE trains from Zurich to Stuttgart and Munich
• Every night trains from Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Prague, Vienna, Belgrade, Rome and Venice to Basel, Geneva, Zurich and some also to Lausanne and Geneva. See http://citynightline.ch/