Airlines
For information on airlines serving Zurich Airport (ZRH), please visit www.zurich-airport.com/desktopdefault.aspxback to top
Climate
The Gateway to the Alps with a Mild Transitional ClimateAlready in the times of Goethe and Mozart, Zurich was regarded as a cultural center and the gateway to the Alps. When the visibility is good, it is possible to see the snow-covered Glarner Alps on the horizon, 60 km (37 miles) away. Zurich's transitional climate is characterized by warm winds that mainly blow in from the Atlantic Ocean and cause the climate to be milder than in other places on the same latitude.
The weather in Switzerland in the beginning of September is normally very pleasant, usually sunny.
However, on occasion an umbrella may be useful. Daytime average temperature is around 9-20 degrees centigrade; evening temperature is around 9-12 degrees centigrade.
Layers and smart casual clothes will see you through most situations.
Current weather & weather forecast
You can see the full weather forecast on: www.meteoschweiz.admin.ch/web/en/weather.html
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Location and size
Geographically Zurich is situated about 30km north of the Alps and surrounded by wooded hills on the banks of Lake Zurich. Lake Zurich's water is very clean and swimming at the lakeside beaches is therefore very popular.Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. The city is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre and sometimes called the Cultural Capital of Switzerland, the political capital of Switzerland being Berne. Zurich can be counted as one of the world's pre-eminent global cities. According to several surveys from 2006 to 2009, Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world as well as the wealthiest city in Europe.
More info: www.zuerich.com/en/welcome.cfm
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Language
For most Swiss Citizans of a younger generation, the English spoken is not a problem, as they learn it at school.Switzerland lies at the crossroads of several major European cultures that have heavily influenced the country's languages and culture. Switzerland has four official languages:German (63.7% total population share, with foreign residents; 72.5% of residents with Swiss citizenship, in 2000) in the north, east and center of the country; French (20.4%; 21.0%) to the west; Italian (6.5%; 4.3%) in the south. Romansh, a Romance language spoken locally by a small minority (0.5%; 0.6%) in the southeastern canton of Graubünden, is designated by the Federal Constitution as a national language along with German, French and Italian (Article 4 of the Constitution), and as official language if the authorities communicate with persons of Romansh language, but federal laws and other official acts do not need to be decreed in this language. The federal government is obliged to communicate in the official languages, and in the federal parliament simultaneous translation is provided from and into German, French and Italian.
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Time zone
Switzerland follows Central European Time (CET) which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST).From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, the country has Daylight Saving Time, meaning that we turn our clocks one hour forward.
Switzerland uses the 24-hour clock system. When writing dates, days are written before the month, for example 12 October 2006 will be written 12.10.2006.
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Transportation arrangements: Getting to Zurich
From the airport- By train
When you arrive at Zurich Airport (ZRH) you can take the train at the airport to Zurich mainstation (travel duration is 10min). - By taxi
The airport taxi rank is located in front of Arrivals 1 and 2. A taxi ride from Zurich Airport to Zurich city centre costs approximately CHF 60 (€ 42). - Hotel Shuttle Bus
A variety of hotels near the airport and in the city centre operate their own shuttle services. Please ask your hotel about the availability of a shuttle service.
By car
- The address of the Main Conference venue is:
Kongresshaus Zürich AG
Gotthardstrasse 5
Postfach 2523
8022 Zurich
maps.google.ch
When you book your hotel room, you can ask the hotel management to reserve a car park space in their own private car park (mostly against payment).
If your hotel doesn't have a private car park or if the car park is full, you can park in one of the many underground car parks in the city centre.
By train
- The Zurich Main Station is one of the busiest train stations in the world. Its central location provides access to trains traveling to Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Germany and beyond. High-speed InterCity Express (ICE) services operate from Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt, Hanover and Hamburg.
www.sbb.ch
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