‘This country is hard to believe’: This is how travel guides show Switzerland

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The summer vacation travel season is gaining momentum. Not only Swiss people go on vacation trips, but also foreigners – hundreds, if not millions, come to us. And many of them rely on guidebook recommendations. SonntagsBlick took a close look at three of the best-known: the backpacker’s bible “Lonely Planet”, the compact “Marco Polo” and the deep skin “Reise Know-How.” Conclusion: Many clichés, some from yesterday, some encouraging.

From watches to Alps, from milk chocolate to fondue, the guides will of course not skip anything. But the diversity of modern Switzerland is also praised. Four national languages ​​in an area the size of Baden-Württemberg in Germany: “It’s hard to believe that Switzerland actually exists,” says Marco Polo.

Whether by motor or train – the world sees our country as a multicultural traveler’s paradise: from the plains to the high mountains in a day, with a real espresso in Ticino in the morning, Italianità, in the evening with a glass of savoir-vivre white wine on Lake Geneva. “In which country can you discover so many different, diverse landscapes, different architectural styles, languages, culinary cultures in one place, without repacking your suitcase every day?” Reise excites Know-How.

We do not know such nightlife.

However, this travel guide isn’t very enthusiastic about Mittelland: “Prosperity, heavy economic activity, and heavy traffic, combined with unimaginative architecture, have created in many places a paste of agglomeration that is no less ugly than anywhere else in Europe.” However, if you look around through the passageways, you’ll find pristine Switzerland even in Mittelland.

According to the guides, Zurich is the nightlife metropolis. It’s doubtful whether the writers of “Marco Polo” really made it to the Limmat: they write that DJ Bobo is “the king of dance to this day.” They could not have observed this in today’s Swiss clubs.

Swiss nightlife is often portrayed in a somewhat whitewashed way. “Lonely Planet” reports: “In the cool Zuri-West, parties are organized day and night.” Langstrasse is actually a meeting place for party people – what about during the day? At best, what’s left of the nightlife is rubbish (and that doesn’t last long, either).

Liechtenstein, the land of dentures

Immigrants from neighboring countries often report that they are not really welcome anywhere in Switzerland. “Reise Know-How” knows how to turn this into an advantage, writing that “you can feel the difference” in Switzerland despite the familiar languages, “makes travel so exciting”.

Liechtenstein is also mentioned all the time. What doesn’t quite please the residents of Ländle: The principality is praised for its monarchy, walkways and banks – but it lies next to the Swiss regions.
Only “Lonely Planet” has something extraordinary to tell: the denture trade is booming in Liechtenstein. Unfortunately, the authors are unable or unwilling to explain this in more detail.

Source : Blick