What to buy in Switzerland

Hello, you’re here because you like Switzerland enough to visit it. So I assume you'll also like some fun facts about Switzerland to get you excited for your trip.

It’s home to over 7,000 lakes and 48 mountain peaks
Last year it ranked number 8 in the World Happiness Report
And it’s split into four language regions, German, Italian, French and Romansh

If you speak German, don’t be fooled. Swiss German is not German German. Am I making sense? Let me elaborate by tapping into my half German side:

We sayProst! (cheers), they say Broscht!
We say Grüß dich (lovely little greeting, hello but better), they say Grüezi
We say Wie gehts? (how are you), they say Wie goots?

What I’m trying to say in a way that probably makes no sense, is that there’s a lot going on in die Schweiz/ Suisse/Svizzera/Svizra. It’s a cultural melting pot and there are endless to-do’s and to-visit’s to choose from.

On the topic of choice, a psychological study in the Applied Research in Quality of Life found that the anticipation and buzz we get from planning a trip can make us happier than actually taking the trip itself. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’m going to help add to your planning buzz with some ideas on what to buy in Switzerland.

There’ll be fashion, food and things for the folks back home. Obviously you have to put your oxygen mask on first before helping anybody else so the gifts for others are at the bottom of this article. Priorities.

Spend like a local

One more thing…

If you’re going to be splurging abroad there are a couple of ways we can help make that more affordable.

1. You can save up to 6x when you send, spend and withdraw money abroad in over 40 currencies, using our multi-currency account. If you open up a balance in your account in Swiss Francs you can shop like you’re a local using the mid-market exchange rate, no hidden fees, no mark ups, no surprises.(If you don’t live in the UK and want to find out more on your countries exchange rates, fees and pricing you can check out our Ts and Cs here).
2. You can put money aside for your trip with our savings feature Wise Jars.

How lovely.

Now “get in losers, we’re going shopping”💅 - Regina George, 2004

Swiss brands for the streets and the slopes

Luxury Swiss clothing brands

Akris

Founded in St.Gallen in 1922 Akris are your go to for ready-to-wear clothes, bags and accessories. Vibe.

BALLY

Founded in 1851 by Carl Franz Bally and his brother Fritz, which will 100% be the name of my future child. They started out with handcrafted leather shoes, and now they do everything else too.

HANRO

HANRO have made luxury pyjamas, undies and loungewear for over 130 years. I’ve had the honour of touching a HANRO top when my Father unsubtly told me it’s what he wanted for Christmas, and it is probably the softest thing I’ve ever come across.

Affordable Swiss clothing brands

Tally Weijl

High street chic, Topshop (RIP) energy.

Mammut

An ode to Switzerland. Mammut make everything you’ll need to hit the mountains up.

What ski and snow brands to look out for

The mountains are a big part of the Swiss identity, so if you’re about to take on a bunny slope or a black run, here are some of Switzerland's big hitters.

- Stöckli

- Faction

- Kessler

- Swiss Massiv

What watches to to buy in Switzerland

Almost every luxury watch brand has come out of Switzerland. And almost every luxury brand watch is so expensive that I wouldn’t even want to be within 10ft of one in case I accidentally scratched it or got charged for having it in my eyeline. I have thus divided this section into three categories.

Oh my word so expensive

- Rolex

-Patek Philippe

Still expensive

-Tag Heuer

-Oris

Ok I might be able to do this

-Swatch

For your tummy

What supermarket food to buy in Switzerland

I know what you’re thinking, why am I dedicating a section to supermarket food when I could be bigging up classics like Fondue and Rösti? Because I can. Because we all love walking into a foreign pharmacy or supermarket. And because I love all of the things I’m about to mention with a passion that burns so bright you’d need sunnies.

Cheese

They’re the big cheese when it comes to cheese. Emmental, Tête de Moine, Berner Alpkäse, Raclette du Valais. Endless possibilities, endless supplies of Lactaid needed.

Muesli

Bet you didn’t know that breakfast staple of yours was Swiss? Well it is, and you’ll be overwhelmed by the supermarket selections. Pretend to be healthy with fruity flavours, or do what I do and get one laced with chocolate.

Maggi anything

Anybody who was raised in a Germanic country will know the importance of Maggi. Seasoning, soups, sauces, noodles. God bless you Maggi. My personal fave is the accurately named “Maggi Liquid Seasoning” that tastes like soy sauce, but not really. I don’t know.

Spreads, I guess

Mustard isn’t a spread, but yummy mustards like Thomy Senf Mustard come in a squeezy tube so I’m putting it in this section. Our mustards have RANGE in that part of the world. Sweet? Spicy? Salty? Tick, tick and tick. You’ll also want to buy Cenovis Spread. It’s like Marmite in the sense it’s based on brewer’s yeast and plant extracts, just with different spices. Lush.

What chocolate to buy in Switzerland

It would be criminal to write this without mentioning…no, honouring, all of the chocolate that has come out of Switzerland. I take my hat off to them, I bow down to them, I worship them, I thank them.

Confiserie Sprüngli

Yummy

Läderach

Still yummy

Neuhaus

Also yummy

Cailler

Yup, yummy

And obviously shoutout to Toblerone, Milka and Lindt

Triple yummy

For the folks back home - What souvenirs to buy in Switzerland?

I’ll keep this section short and sweet. Stray away from the cliché and use the above lists for your gifts, or just say sod it and buy a traditional swiss army knife, some cow bells or a Fondue/ Raclette set they’ll get super excited about then never actually use.

That’s all.

Goodbye
Uf Widerluege
Ciao
Chau Puter: Arrivai
Au revoir

Hate goodbyes? Same