MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Common scams in Switzerland and snow-wear in Nov
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Hi,
I’ve previously posted a thread and you guys have been super helpful, and now I have 2 more questions that I figured I should ask to prepare better.
1. I have heard bad tourist experience when my distant relatives went to Europe (France, Germany, not Switzerland though) in regards to tourist scam. May I know how safe is Switzerland (in regards to tourist scam) compared to other countries? If there are scams, can you share a few tips or a few scam scenarios that we should be aware of? Note that we are a group of 6 (3 families) and there are quite elder people so I would brief them beforehand
Some scam example stories include:
– intentionally spilled drinks to your shirt, you’re distracted and their colleague will rob you
– persistently give you small gifts and when you’re distracted, they scam you and ask you a lot of money saying you buy from them
– drop stuff to the floor and when you are being a nice person and pick it up, they scam you and say you must buy and give money to them
2. I’ve checked and I know when we go in November, some areas will already be snowing or at least have small amount of snow. In terms of shoes, is it okay and normal to wear normal sport shoes (like running shoes or normal sport shoes)? Do you need to wear anti-slip shoe grip (it’s something that is like a sole, worn on shoes and on the bottom, there are small spikes).
Thank you!!
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Hi.
Overall, Switzerland is the safest country I’ve ever visited. In over 40 years travelling to Switzerland the only problem I ever encountered was on a train going to Martigny. An older man (60s?) started a conversation with 2 pretty young American girls and coaxed them away from their seats and got them to sit facing away from their luggage. I was more or less facing them and just happened to turn around and caught a younger bloke trying to open the girls rucksack unobserved. He saw me looking and left the compartment. They were clearly working together, but the older one pretended to be shocked. This has been the only time I have seen or heard anything dodgy.
As far as shoes go, running shoes probably won’t be warm enough in November. They’re designed to keep your feet cool, not warm, so a pair of leather walking shoes with warm socks would be preferable. I’ve seen anti-slip soles advertised online, but I’ve never seen them being used. I think they may be more hassle than they’re worth for the few times they would have been useful. A walking stock would probably be more useful, just don’t use them inside if they have metal tips.
Have fun!
Alan
An interesting question (#1). Having been to France, Germany and Switzerland, the only place where such scams were observed to take place was in Paris and even then easy to avoid by just being aware and vigilant. We absolutely saw no such activity in Switzerland; not that we let our guard down and always made sure that our luggage was within eyeshot. But no apparent organized scams. We felt quite safe.
Hi Felix suroso,
In my opinion, Switzerland is quite safe. No such scams as far I know. Regardless, it’s important to stay alert and vigilant at all times especially if you are travelling in the bigger cities or when crossing borders. Particularly for a tourist, the risk is greater I think.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
Thank you very much for the reply everyone. Much appreciated!
Hi Felix suroso! I agree that Switzerland is safe for travelers. This doesn’t mean that scams never occur, but they’re not common.
As for November: it’s kind of an in-between season, and which gear you need depends on the activities you’re interested in. I second Alan’s tip to use warmer shoes for outdoor trips. You’ll find explanation about general weather patterns and packing tips below:
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