The city of Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the canton with the same name, joined the Swiss Confederation in 1351. Zurich is a staunchly Protestant (Puritan) city.

The cultural capital of Switzerland is also its main commercial centre. Two giant cathedrals and dozens of streets are ideal for exploring at leisure. It is a city of parks and gardens, with a particularly outstanding botanical garden. From Zurich you can also take easy side trips to other panoramic views of the country. Continue reading »

Switzerland (or the Swiss Confederation) is one of the richest countries in the world, a relatively small alpine country in the middle of Europe. Bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein, Switzerland has a long history of neutrality and hosts many international organizations, such as the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization and one United Nations European office.

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The country’s economic centres are Geneva, Basel and Zurich. Continue reading »

Main shopping thoroughfare in Zurich is Bahnhofstrasse, the street that symbolizes all what capitalism stands for in the way of capital goods. It is elegant and modern and has the high prices to go with it. In Old Town you come face to face with Zurich’s past through the streets that take you back hundreds of years.

Switzerland is famous for chocolate and you must try what goes behind the country’s reputation: visit the Lindt and Sprungle Chocolate Factory museum and free samples are given. Continue reading »

The 2007 Quality of Living Survey of Mercer Human Resource Consulting places Zurich on the top spot, followed by another city of Switzerland, Geneva, the Canadian Vancouver sharing the third place with Vienna (Austria).

The quality-of-living rating has been established based on 39 factors. How welcome expatriates feel in these cities has been a major factor. This is also why you will find here plenty of cities from well economically developed countries that receive immigrants, such as Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Continue reading »

The 2008 Quality of Living Survey of Mercer Human Resource Consulting also provides a Ranking by Personal Safety, with the top 50 cities in the world. According to this survey, Luxembourg ranks first, followed by Helsinki (Finland) and three cities of Switzerland (Bern, Geneva and Zurich), all last four tied for the second place.

The survey identified those cities with the highest personal safety ranking based on relationships with other countries, internal stability, crime and effectiveness of law enforcement. Continue reading »