GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The sun is struggling to come out across Switzerland after two weeks of cold and soggy weather, but the forecast promises it will be here for Monday 1 August. The weekend weather forecast is mixed, sun alternating with rain in most regions.
Early weekend traffic is not expected to be a major problem in most areas, with the holiday falling on a Monday.
Fireworks in some areas are held Sunday evening 31 July but in most towns the pyrotechnics and bonfires are scheduled for Monday. Check local municipal web sites for details (note: townname.ch will take you to most of these sites)
Geneva is giving advance warning of traffic changes starting Thursday 4 August for the huge Geneva Festival, with traffic on the Mont Blanc bridge reduced to two lanes, and closed entirely during the two weekends of the festival, which last year attracted 100,000 people.
- Switzerland’s national holiday explained (GenevaLunch 2010)
- Safety precautions for 1 August celebrations from the Swiss Safety Council
- Celebrate by biting into a very Swiss apple!
- up to the minute traffic details on the federal truck traffic site and TSR’s mobile services page (Fr)
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
Subtle with the Swiss flags
Expect fireworks
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland celebrates its National Day 1 August, a time when families tend to get together and the Swiss return to their “home” towns, which is not necessarily where they grew up, but the town where their family is registered.
Watch those fireworks
Expect bonfires and fireworks: some 1,700 tons of pyrotechnics are sold every year. Keep in mind the federal government’s recommendations to avoid these if you have cardiovascular or respiratory system problems because they sharply increase, for a short period, the fine dust particles in the air. And if you’re setting off fireworks, remember that they provoke serious stress for animals, Bern says, so don’t do it near them.
The annual August holiday provokes on average 250 accidents related to fireworks, and fires cause some CHF4 million in damage. Safety tips, Swiss Bureau for the Prevention of Accidents (Fre)
The bonfires are part of an old Swiss tradition, particularly in the Alps, where one village could warn another of impending attacks by lighting a bonfire, easily visible at a great distance.
Homeward bound, cheaply
The CFF rail company is offering a special “Homecoming days” deal to all Swiss to take the train for CHF15, 1 and 2 August, when they return to their place of origin, as it’s known. The deal is good between your home town and your place of residence, as they appear on a Swiss identity card or passport.
The meaning of 1 August, Switzerland’s National Day
Go back to 1291 for the source of this holiday that recalls a day in early August, over 700 years ago, when three independent republics signed a pact to protect each other. (Ed. note: if you’re feeling weak on knowledge of Swiss politics, geography, culture and history, a new board game in English will be launched 1 August, Helvetiq, offering 312 question/answer cards to make you an expert. See our GenevaLunch review of the game)
