Switzerland Books

Switzerland (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent visuals, but missing useful information 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Pros: this guidebook has lots of pictures and gives lots of information region by region, detailed cut-outs of major historical buildings. I also found the pictures in the survival guide section useful, where they describe the various Swiss dishes and food/drink products.

Cons: no information on how to get to different places by train (e.g. from Interlaken to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch). I understand the guide cannot list train numbers and times, but at least it could have described how to, for example, get from Luzern to Mt. Titlis by train. Train travel is a big part of the Switzerland experience so this seems like a big omission. There's also not much information on hiking, even though this is a very popular country with hikers. An overview map of hiking trails would have been useful. However, there are other guides that cover hiking so this is a minor omission by comparison.

Editorial Review:

This winter wonderland offers everything from magnificent mountain scenery, alpine villages, and ski resorts, to chocolate and cuckoo clocks. Whether you prefer to hurtle down the Cresta Run on a tearaway luge or rest and reenergise yourself at a luxury spa, this is the only guide you will need.

Rick Steves' Switzerland

Rick Steves

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Opinionated is OK, but... 2 out of 5 stars.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I like Rick Steves's approach to travel, and much of this book is helpful. BUT: He purposely, and dismissively, leaves out the entire city of Geneva, calling it "boring." Well, when you're basing your trip in Geneva, that's not really news you can use. I think Steves's success has gone to his head -- this level of opinionated advice is useless at best, irresponsible at worst. If you want a comprehensive guide to Switzerland, try Fodor's.

Editorial Review:

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best way to visit Zürich, Gimmelwald, the Berner Oberland, Interlaken, Bern, Murten, Lake Geneva, and French Switzerland? With Rick Steves’ Switzerland, travelers can experience everything Switzerland has to offer—economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, this guide includes: opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights, friendly places to eat and sleep, suggested day plans, walking tours and trip itineraries, and clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot. America’s #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Fodor's Switzerland, 44th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides)

Fodor's

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Museum-hop in Zurich, ski the famous Alps, visit picturesque Swiss villages, or dine at exquisite restaurants – Fodor's Switzerland, 44th Edition offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout the country to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for your trip be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.

The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best –"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."

- We frequently update our Switzerland guide, and we make every effort to bring you the most accurate and thorough book. Plus we provide timely updates about the area at Fodors.com.
- Unlike other travel books, Fodor's guides rely heavily on local experts who know the territory best–so you know you're seeing the real Switzerland.
- We give you the planning tools you need to tailor your trip. We give options for all budgets. You make the choices.

Frommer's Switzerland (Frommer's Complete)

Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good But There are Better 4 out of 5 stars.
25 of 26 people found this review helpful.

I have been to Switzerland many times. Recently I sat down with my daughter who has worked at a hotel at Interlaken in Switzerland during her years in Business Administration at McGill - up to last summer - and we went over the Switzerland guides to see how they ranked, and what was currently the best guide in our humble opinions. We are not experts but have certain requirements and preferences. It helps if one can get a feel for the area in advance of a trip, and generally that is helped by good maps and color photos. So those guides do better in our review. We like to make reservations by internet and telephone and just use the Guide as a "guide".

Generally it costs more to publish a book with color photos so when all else is reasonably equal, one feels that they get better value with a guide with photos. Also we wanted to see if the ambiance at certain hotels and resorts was accurately portrayed in the text based on our knowledge. So those aspects of the guides determine our ranking. Incidentally all the books are excellent. When we did our review the new DK Eyewitness guide was not yet available, but in any case it will be short, under 400 pages.

For the Swiss guides we separated the guides into three groups, 5, 4, and 3 stars.

5 Stars (this group has nice color photos plus maps and text).

A. Green Guide to Switzerland published February 2001 by Michelin, 395 pages, $14., ranked 24,380 on Amazon.com, 0.64" x 9.4" x 4.7", lots of photos, maps, text, accurate portrayal of areas. Gives a nice idea of what you will find. Goes right down to small villages in detail even though it is just 395 pages. First choice.

B. Lonely Planet Switzerland published July 2003, 335 pages, $ 14., ranked 29,913 on Amazon.com, .69" x 6.42" x 6.5". Solid effort, lots of good photos and descriptions.

4 Stars (this group mainly text and maps).

C. Rough Guide to Switzerland published June 2003, 704 pages, $13.27, ranked 30,209 on Amazon.com, 1.08" x 7.8" x 6.38". Solid effort lots of things to see and do and best "text and maps only" books.

D. Frommer's Switzerland published February 2003, 512 pages, $15.39, ranked 47,638 on Amazon.com, 1.1" x 8.5" x 5.08". Similar to Rough Guide but shorter.

E. Fodor's Guide to Switzerland 42 edition, published December 2002, 448 pages, $14.7, ranked highest in group on Amazon.com at 3,172, 1.2" x 8.98" x 5.01". The smallest in the group, do not know why it is so popular?.

3 Stars

F. Michelin Red Guide published in 2004, 563 pages but in four languages: Italian, French, German and English so English sections are just a fraction of the book.

Editorial Review:

Much more detailed and complete than its major competitor, Frommer's Switzerland has everything you'll need to experience the best of this gorgeous corner of the Alps. You'll find great places to stay for every taste and budget, including grand hotels, luxury ski resorts, intimate inns, and affordable chalets, plus the latest on dining, from fresh lake trout and hearty farmer's plates to fondue bourguignonne. You'll rely on our complete sightseeing guide, from cosmopolitan cities to charming alpine villages—with all the best outdoor adventures, shopping, and nightlife. Don't leave home without it!

Switzerland - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette

Kendall Maycock

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include


* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken


"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times

Sweden (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Loved the pictures! Loved the info! 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 25 people found this review helpful.

I usually like Eyewitness Travel Guides, and this "Sweden" issue was also as useful as the others I have owned. I am glad Stockholm has its own chapter and in great detail. The scenery pictures are nice, and graphics explaining detailed floor plans of buildings and museums are very useful. The pictures alone are enough to make me want to go there! I also like the Traveler's Needs section, especially the accomodation divided in categories of location and price. Although accomodation nowadays is easy to find from the internet, Eyewitness has saved me a lot of precious time trying to compare each hotel between websites. I would recommend anyone who is going to Sweden to get this book. You will get all the information you need, and more!

Editorial Review:

Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautifully commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell.

Living and Working in Switzerland, 11th Edition: A Survival Handbook

David Hampshire

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A very useful guide 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Organized, clear, easy to read, good sense of humor; this is really a "How-to guide".

Like Switzerland, most part of the book is oriented to those who intend to live in German area, but French and Italian are well indicated also.

Suggestion: appendix as a small detachable book

Congratulations to Davis

Editorial Review:

Written in an entertaining style with a touch of humour, Living and Working in Switzerland is designed to provide newcomers with the practical information necessary for a relatively trouble-free life. It contents include finding a job, permits & visas, health, accommodation, finance, insurance, education, shopping, post office and telephone services, public transport, motoring, TV and radio, leisure, sports and much, much more. It is packed with vital information and insider tips to help minimize culture shock and reduce the newcomers rookie period to a minimum. Living and Working in Switzerland is essential reading for anyone planning to spend an extended period in Switzerland.

Chamonix to Zermatt: The Walker's Haute Route (Cicerone Guide)

Kev Reynolds

Amazon Price: $14.96 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cicerone Press Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $12.18

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The definitive guidebook for walking the Haute Route 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you are only thinking about a hike in Switzerland, this book will definitely stimulate you.

Once en route, you will realize you don't need additional maps, other books, you may not even need a compass and certainly not, heaven forbid, a GPS!

This book takes you in exquisite detail over 11 passes, 39,000 vertical feet up and 36,000 feet down in the Haute Route's 110 mile experience. In additiona to being a fantastic guide, Kev's writings are poetic in his descriptions of his beloved Alps. You will go back and reread and relive your trek via this book. I cannot recommend it enough, but if you buy it, do the trip. It will change your life.

Editorial Review:

Chamonix to Zermatt, Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn - in two weeks of mountain travel you will see the greatest collection of 4000 metre peaks in the Alps and visit some of the most spectacular valleys. The route is more than 180 kilometres long. It crosses 11 passes, gains more than 12,000 metres in height and is a strong contender for the title of Most Beautiful Walk in Europe. This new edition includes the exciting two-day Europaweg - a true high-level path that carries the Haute Route way above the Mattertal and into Zermatt - a worthy conclusion to a great trek. Since the second edition of Chamonix to Zermatt was published, a few minor changes have occurred to the original route, as well as the creation of an exciting high path along the east flank of the Matteral which provides a more dramatic and scenically spectacular approach to Zermatt than was hitherto possible. There are updates to the accommodation lists and the telephone numbers.

Switzerland (Country Guide)

Damien Simonis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Excellent Travel Resourse 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Lonely Planet's guide to Switzerland was extremely helpful while travelling to the country. Great detail and updated information on items such as hours of operations and costs were extremely helpful. Additionally, information on excursions such as to Vaduz, Liechtenstein was very up-to-date and an easy read.

Editorial Review:

The winter playground of St Moritz, outrageous clubbing in Zurich, culture vultures in Basel, cosmopolitan Geneva - Switzerland is three countries rolled into one. Our Helvetic experts help you break down the cliches and discover something a little bit different.

Museums, mountains, music - the lowdown on the essential sights.

From hiking to skiing, making the most of the stunning outdoors.

Recommended sleeping options from lakeside camping to chic city hotels.

Loosen your tongue - with four languages to choose from , we explain your Gruezis from your Allegras.

Know it all - William Tell and neutrality, global warming and cultural diversity : historical and current issues explored in depth.

Switzerland's Mountain Inns: A Walking Vacation in a World Apart

Marcia Lieberman, Philip Lieberman

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Countryman Press Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $3.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A definitive guide to the mountain inns of Switzerland--her "Berghotels": how to reach them, what to expect, what to bring, and day hikes in detail for each of the 66 Berghotels described, in every region of the country. This is the first book in English about these unusual lodgings. The mountain inns of Switzerland--her "Berghotels"--are in a world apart. Largely undiscovered, unadvertised, and privately owned, they are ideal for the traveler who wishes to experience the Swiss Alps off the beaten track. In themselves, they provide a sense of adventure; every one is unique, informal, intimate. They are a perfect way to meet other hikers and locals. This book identifies the most charming Berghotels, tells you how to reach them, what to expect, and what to bring. Day hikes from each inn are described in detail, along with information on how to connect one to another to make an extended "Grand Traverse" holiday. Maps give an overview of each region of the country to make trip planning and inn-to-inn hiking easy. The book is gorgeously illustrated by Philip Lieberman's photographs.