Just our usual reminder at this time of the year, that the autoroute vignette, which is necessary for those who travel on any portion of the Swiss autoroute (highway/motorway), can now be purchased. These stickers are available at gas/petrol stations, shops, tabac/kiosks, border crossings, post offices, and other locations. The price is once again Fr. 40.- for the calendar year, and you have until 31 January 2021 to display it on your windscreen.
Note: If you buy Fr. 100.- worth of goods from Denner, you can purchase the vignette for only Fr. 35.-. instead of Fr. 40.- This is NOT valid on purchases of hard alcohol, tobacco products, vignettes, etc. However, wine counts! So stock up on a couple cases of wine for the holidays and take advantage of this deal (while stocks last)!
Here is some more information supplied by the Swiss Customs Website.
Being in Europe, we are spoiled by the amount of castles on every hilltop and town center. How lucky we can just have so many at our doorstep. Whether with guests or your own family, you will surely find a few on this small list that we have taken out of our latest ©Know-it-all passport®!
Abbaye de St Maurice
Av. d’Agane 15
1890 Saint-Maurice
website
Famous for its Merovingian treasure and 1,500 years of history. Augustine monks are still active as teachers here. Guided tours only (1.5 hours), at set times. You may request a tour in English. Price Fr. 15.-/adult, Fr. 9.-/children 6-16. Open Tuesday to Friday 10h-17h30, weekends 13h30-17h30. Check website before going.
Château d’Aigle and the Musée de la Vigne, du Vin et de l’Etiquette
Place du Château 1
1860 Aigle
024 466 21 30
website
Aigle Castle was built at the end of the 12th century and is situated in the middle of vineyards. It harbors a wine museum with old wine-making traditions and tools, as well as a terrific collection of wine labels. Note: It’s fun to go to Swiss Vapeur Parc (see below) in the morning through lunch (there is a mini Château d’Aigle there!), then drive over to the life-size Château d’Aigle in the afternoon. Price: Fr 11.-/adult, Fr. 5.-/age 6-16. Family and group packages available. Open daily during summer 10h-18h.
This is an extract from ©Know-it-all passport®.
Bois de la Batie
Ch. de la Bâtie and
Rte des Péniches
1213 Petit-Lancy
website
Note: The park is currently being renovated so not all spots are open to the public. Bring your picnic basket and blanket and sprawl out on the lawn. There is a playground in part sun/part shade and a wading pool equipped with toilets and changing rooms. Visit the mini-zoo while you are there. Restaurants are nearby if you need an ice-cream!
Bois de Jussy - Réserve naturelle Bois Rosset
website
flyer
Great walking area with nice picnic spots in the Bois de Jussy on the rive gauche.
Bois de Versoix - Réserve naturelle Les Douves
website
flyer
Pleasant wood, nice paths, river, picnic sites (not marked), but possible anywhere.
Carouge-Parcours vita Park at the Ecole de Pinchat
website
Walk down to the bottom of this big hill. Ponies, picnic tables, and barbecue spot.
Quite a few changes have been made for swimming during this Covid-19 2020 season. Some pools have decided to shut altogether, and others are reducing entry prices and offering online reservations only. During this unprecedented period, the City or Geneva is lowering the admission prices to city-owned swimming pools as follows from 13 June 2020 and until further notice: Fr. 3.-/adult, Fr. 1.50/child. Some of the pools in France will require very strict entry policies and limited number of hours.
It could be another hot summer so we thought that a few local outdoor swimming pools will keep you cool over the holidays if you remain in the area. Remember to call ahead to check if these outdoor pools are open when the weather is threatening. If you are a resident of the commune where the pool is located you may be eligible for a special discount. Check with the pools or the websites directly.
A sanitary protocol and an online reservation system have been put in place, subject to new Covid-19 measures by the Swiss Federal Council:
- Limited number of admissions per time slot.
- The number of entries per time slot is limited. The pool is evacuated between each time slot to allow cleaning and disinfection.
- Individual tickets can be purchased 48 hours in advance via online platforms.
- For those unable to order online, 100 tickets per time slot will be put on sale directly at the swimming pool ticket office.
- Not all sports and water sports facilities are available to the public.
Of course, take advantage of the lake and local beaches.
Real-time quality of beaches:
It is not recommended to swim in the Geneva canton riviers. ©Extract from Know-it-all passport® so This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. us if you would like to replicate this list. All dates and prices are correct at the time of this article. Scroll down to see a selection in Vaud and neighboring France.
Outdoor Swimming Pools in Canton Geneva
Bains des Paquis
30, quai du Mont-Blanc
1201 Genève
022 732 29 74 main
022 738 16 16 restaurant
website
This lake beach offers a life guard, warm showers, changing rooms, toilets, and towel rentals. Hammams are open over the summer Fr. 10.- includes towel rental. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Usually open during summer daily 9h-21h30 and Sunday 8h-21h30. However the beach is accessible 24h/7. There are 2 sandpits for toddlers and kids as well as 2 wading areas (50cm deep) and 2 cordoned-off areas for swimmers. The beach is divided up into two areas: mixed or women only. Price: Fr. 2.-/adult, Fr. 1.-/child. The Restaurant Buvette des Bains is open year-round 7h-23h weather permitting.
Press releases from the Swiss Post released on 12.02.2020
Due to the coronavirus, many international flights to China have been cancelled. This is why deliveries of letters and parcels from Switzerland to the People’s Republic of China are only possible to a limited extent for the time being. Swiss Post is no longer accepting any letters or parcels addressed to China in Swiss Post branches or branches with partners until further notice.
A number of international airlines have either significantly reduced the number of flights to China or even cancelled their flights to China due to the corona virus. This is having an impact on international postage from Switzerland to China. As a result, Swiss Post is currently only able to use about a third of the capacity it actually requires for deliveries to China. Consequently, Swiss Post is no longer accepting any letters or parcels addressed to China in its Swiss Post branches or branches with partners with immediate effect and until further notice.
Customers who urgently need to send letters and parcels to China, however, can still post them using the “URGENT” shipping option. However, we are currently unable to guarantee the delivery times specified.
Importing deliveries from China
China Post is responsible for the transport of consignments that are sent to Switzerland from China. As such, Swiss Post is also unable to rule out the possibility of delays when importing consignments from China into Switzerland due to the very limited transport options.
