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Val d'anniviers, Valais, Switzerland (look for the cat's shadow)

Saint Prex, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Saturday 1 August is Switzerland’s national holiday, a time when the Swiss like to return to their families’ hometowns, and with fine weather forecast, expect trains, planes and roads to be busy starting Friday, as people take long weekends off work.

Tips for the Swiss holiday, road alerts, last-minute travel plans

Traffic alerts and real-time situation: truckinfo, Touring Club Suisse (draw a rectangle with cursor to zoom in), TSR and TSR alerts by SMS for particular roads, for a fee.

Airport flight arrivals and departures: Cointrin in Geneva (GVA) and SMS for Geneva flights, Kloten in Zurich (ZUR)

CFF Swiss rail: alerts for traffic problems, online ticket orders and regular train information

If you’re looking for something special to do for the First of August holiday, check our GenevaLunch events page.

Interesting bits of Swissness just in from the Swiss Embassy in the US via its newsletter:

• If you’re heading to the Jungfrau area for a hike you’re in for an educational treat, besides the view: the new Jungfrau Climate Guide is an iPhone app that shows you the impact of climate change in the Alps as you’re walking.
• The ThinkSwiss research scholarships programme is in its third year, bringing 17 students to Switzerland for three months of research in all fields
• The Swiss are holding parties all over the world: check out the map.