No comments about Birkhäuser Architectural Guide Switzerland 20th Century (Birkhauser Architectural Guides).

5 comments about Living and Working in Switzerland: A Survival Handbook (Living and Working Guides).

1. and some other important details such as when you are supposed to take out your trash and the price of a freeway permit. Hate to say it but as a swiss I was offended by the bluntness, driven to tears by the caricatures and deeply frightened by the accuracy of this book. One star docked as it's a little Germanocentric.



2. The author has made almost no effort to describe the French speaking parts of Switzerland. Too Germanocentric and at times a little irreverent. Otherwise, all the official information, transport, employment etc... is well researched and well written.



3. This is a very useful book for anyone who is moving to Switzerland for the first time. I found in this publication many useful pieces of advice for the everyday living in Switzerland. Do not hesitate to buy this book if you plan to stay in Switzerland for a long time. Taxes, health insurance, renting a house, travelling, etc. are only a few examples of the subjects reviewed in this comprensive book. Sometimes the author employs a style that may be considered a bit irreverent, but I guess that he tried to write with a sense
   of humour.
   A good choice.
   Marcelo Garcia



4. PLEASE CANCEL THE ORDER. I HAVE NOT RECD THE PREVOIUS AND WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL THIS ONE AS I'M NOT SURE YOU WILL KEEP THE COMMITMENT. PLESAE REFUND.



5. We have just arrived in Switzerland four months ago and this book made getting here a lot less confusing and problematic than it could have been.
   
   Even after our arrival in Vaud (one of the French speaking cantons) I have opened it over and over for advice and reminders about many little things that one needs clarification about (e.g., insurance, child care, driving, buying a car).
   
   Although our experience has been somewhat different than described in the book (after all it is a different time and we are in a different region of the country) it is startling how true most of the book is. It is particularly good in terms of what to expect from institutions: government agencies, banking and insurance, the CFF/SBB. The internet links are also very useful and allow you to plan ahead for important parts of the move if you use them.
   
   I would stongly recommend this book. You should not expect all of it to be 100% up-to-date, nor will it reflect your personal experience in every regard, but you will certainly have a much harder time without it.
   
   As a final note, you may find Mr Hampshire's opinion of the Swiss to be harsh, and maybe it is, but perhaps is it better to be prepared for the worst and then have a pleasant surprise when you arrive.

No comments about What Is Man? and Other Essays.

No comments about Switzerland.

No comments about Let's Go 2004: Austria & Switzerland.

No comments about The Tour of Monte Rosa (Mountain Walking).

No comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Zurich ("Wallpaper*" City Guides) ("Wallpaper*" City Guides).

2 comments about Karen Brown's Switzerland, 2007: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries (Karen Brown's Switzerland Charming Inns & Itineraries).

1. I have used Karen Brown's books many times and they have always helped me. She has excellent suggestions. You can't go wrong with this book.



2. I must say that I was very disappointed with this book - I was prepared to receive a book full of photos and some different itineraries than what is already out there.
   
   What you get is a book with poorly drawn black and white images and very average travel and itineraries in Switzerland. What would you bother to try to publish b/w drawn images when almost all locations in Switzerland have fantasic photo ops ?
   
   Stick with what already has an established reputation for great reviews - Rick Steve's. If you want color images - I'd go with Eyewitness Travel Guide - Switzerland.

2 comments about Living and Working in Switzerland, Tenth Edition: A Survival Handbook (Living & Working).

1. I purchased this book in anticipation of a possible move to Switzerland. Having just visited Basel, I feel it necessary to warn potential buyers that the numbers presented by the author seem very far off from the actual numbers. For example, he suggests that the "average" price for a four-bedroom house or apartment in Basel would be 1500 CHF per month (rental). The real number is double that (at least--if it is even possible to find a four-bedroom place). Further, he suggests that it would be possible for a couple to spend 600 CHF per month on food. (He gives that number as a minimum.) A stroll through both an ordinary and a gourmet grocery store reveals that a couple *might* be able to live on that small an amount, but only if one lived on pasta for the month and did not go out even once --not for lunch, not for a drink. To give some actual numbers I just paid: two of us spent 20 CHF on three beers in a local bar, 230 CHF on a nice meal for two with wine, and 40 CHF for two bratwurst and three beers in a bar. These were all meals eaten out, obviously, but the point is that the author seems on the one hand to acknowledge that many people planning to move to Switzerland will be filthy rich (he encourages job seekers to remember to ask whether the company will pay for limosines, live-in domestic help, regular flights back to one's home country, and fees for private school), but on the other seems to believe that one will never go out to eat the whole time one is in Switzerland. Some portions of this book will be helpful for those planning to move to Switzerland--he does provide useful information on Swiss laws and customs--but potential readers should be aware that the book is entirely unclear on its intended audience. The wealthy will find parts of the book laughable, while the less well off will get quite a shock if they move to Switzerland using a budget based on the author's numbers.



2. This book will prepare you to move to Switzerland. If you are American, and think moving from the US to Switzerland will be like moving from NY to California, you need this book!
   
   Switzerland, and most European countries, have rules, regulations, and customs that most Americans could never imagine. This book will help you through this maze. I was given this book as part of my move package by my employer, and it made things very smooth. I subsequently met many people who had moved to CH without this guide, and they made lots of mistakes that cost them a lot of money.
   
   One example - if you use your existing driver's license to get a Swiss driver's license within the first year you live here, it costs about 40 USD. If you wait until after a year, you have to go through the very expensive driver's training system and testing, and it can cost hundreds or thousands. Really. That tidbit alone was a major hassle saver. None of my Swiss collegues knew about this issue, so you can't count on talking to locals to get much of the information that is in this book.
   
   Even after living here over 15 years, I still refer to this book from time to time. It is a *must have* if you are really moving to Switzerland.

No comments about Switzerland Insight Guide (Insight Guides).