Bradt Travel Guides Bradt Guide: Switzerland Without a Car

Thoroughly updated, this seventh edition of Bradt’s guide to Switzerland offers a unique perspective on getting the most from this mountainous country while travelling only by public transport. Switzerland boasts the world’s finest public transport network – the comfort, efficiency and frequency of trains, buses, boats and cable cars explain why many Swiss don’t own cars – yet is still enhancing services, including recently around Geneva. The Swiss Travel System is a revelation.
Moreover, using public transport is a must. Visitors cannot reach many fine Swiss sights by road, and over a dozen car-free resorts enable them to experience the serenity and clean air of the country’s mountains (208 above 3,000m). Walkers and cyclists enjoy superb networks – almost 64,000km of footpaths and many surprisingly unhilly cycle paths beside lakes and rivers.
Written by a railway expert who has been visiting this mountainous country since childhood, no other guidebook is devoted to Swiss public transport, which is the easiest, most enjoyable and responsible way to travel. The guide encompasses culture, architecture, landscapes, walking and cycling, plus fascinating facts for railway enthusiasts, numerous tips for reducing costs in a country known for being expensive, and ample advice for foodies.
Switzerland offers some of the world’s most stunning landscapes. Above and beyond mountains and lakes, each region offers something different and often curious – such as the world’s smallest vineyard, barely the extent of a dinner table, owned by the Dalai Lama – while four official languages add cultural variety.
Switzerland’s cities are among the world’s most beautiful, safest and pedestrian friendly. Its capital, Bern, is a World Heritage Site with 6km of covered arcades, where even jaded shoppers will delight in hundreds of independent shops. Luzern’s lakeside setting is unrivalled, with mountains in every direction, floodlit city walls and an historic centre. Lausanne and Geneva overlook Lac Léman, Zurich is lively, and Basel enjoys a broad sweep of the Rhine.
Whether you love culture or cycling, gastronomy or walking, with Bradt’s Switzerland, you can enjoy the qualities that help ensure Switzerland is consistently ranked among the world’s most liveable countries – while travelling confidently on public transport.

Delivery

All items that are in stock will show a delivery timescale of 1-3 working days.  If your order consists solely of these items, then dispatch is within 1 working day of purchase with the exception of framed and customised items which may take up to 14 days.

If your order is a non-stock item, the delivery timescale on that item will show as 3-10 working days on the product details.  In these instances, dispatch is usually 3-7 working days with delivery in 5-10 working days.  If your item is delayed for any reason, we will update your order to provide an explanation of the delay, although it is not always possible to say how long the delay will be. The item will be kept on order for up to three months and supplied to you when it becomes available. After 3 months, we will cancel the order or the remainder of the order unless you ask us to keep it on back order for longer. Incomplete orders will be held until the remaining items come into stock, unless we anticipate a long delay. At our discretion, incomplete orders may be sent out as partial shipments if we anticipate that an item may take some time coming in to stock.

EU customers - IMPORTANT: You will be required to pay import VAT (tax) at your local rate to your postal delivery service before any goods are delivered. Since 2021 you have not been charged British VAT (at 20%) on any purchases or P&P charges, however, with effect from 1 January 2022, the rules regarding importing from outside the EU changed and import VAT is now payable on any value of goods imported into the EU. This is separate to any tariff which may or may not be chargeable on the goods due to their country of origin. Please also note that we are legally required to declare the correct value of your purchase which is used to calculate the tax and any tariff duty. Failure to pay the import charges will result in the goods being returned to the UK.  Our terms and conditions have been updated to reflect this situation. 

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The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (formerly the Distance Selling Regulations) provide consumers with the right to a 'cooling-off' period to allow you to change your mind. Under these regulations, you have the right to cancel your order, without explanation, within 14 days of delivery (starting the day after you receive the goods) and to return the goods for a refund within a further 14 days (28 days in total). The Distance Selling Regulations do not apply to businesses nor to individuals who are trading or acting as a trader (buying goods to re-sell for profit) because no-one is the 'Consumer'. This means there is no 'cooling-off' period and the order cannot be cancelled once processed.

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Where an order is placed for an item which is to be personalised or is bespoke or printed only on-demand, cancellation is not possible once production has started and these are expressly excluded from The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (formerly the Distance Selling Regulations).

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