I often ask myself whether Switzerland would be different if it were not so small.

Okay... So what are the downsides?

Switzerland is not a country, but a confederation. What part of this confederation are you talking about? I think the German speaking part. Bern?

I absolutely love my country, Switzerland, and even though I cannot afford to go to a restaurant more than once every couple of months, I'd say that "people following the rules" (from your list) is a plus rather than a minus, in my opinion. The fact that every citizen assists in maintaining the correct behaviours of others (rather than waiting for the government/police to do so) is paramount for achieving a civilized society; otherwise, it would be like accepting kids yelling everywhere while their parents do not react. Even though changes are indeed challenging to implement, we have many examples of legislation proving that we are more open-minded than our neighbours. You may have paperwork to fill out, but every phone interaction with a government representative demonstrates how much people look forward to helping. We are a true democracy. In most other countries, people complain about their government. The number one downside of Switzerland is that many citizens are forced to leave and settle abroad as soon as they retire to escape poverty because of the high cost of living and healthcare. Unfortunately, the boomer generation did not care much about that issue (like many other topics), so it will take another generation or two to resolve. Also, beware that although clean, the tap water is often high in mineralization - due to the nature of our geology - which is not suitable for everyone from a health perspective. But that depends on which commune you reside.

Me, Swiss, me, Swiss, me, Swiss hahaha

Imagine, living in a country, that is not invaded by ruzzia, and your country didn't close the borders, to keep men in a country as in prison...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I do have to point out that this can vary greatly depending on the Canton you live/work in. Though I agree with all the negative points. In my opinion, the Swiss are not very digital at all. Many things need to be done in person or you need to sign things on paper and mail them back. Also, I don’t think Swiss efficiency is a thing. Other than public transit, I feel many processes are unnecessarily complicated and time costuming, requiring 10 forms that all start with the same 10 questions. Many other countries in and outside Europe are much more efficient when it comes to paperwork (e.g., Estonia, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Canada)

Switzerland was one of the best countries in the world. Due to huge political errors, Switzerland has destroyed itself. The unlimited mass-immigration has destroyed the culture. Most immigrants do not accept our culture and do not integrate, they live in parallel society. Most Immigrants, even after 10 years of living here, do not speak the language. Criminality is soaring, too. Most walls are sprayed with Graffitis, getting worse every day. Most smokers throw the cigarettes on the street. In the schools, most classes have 90% foreigners (immigrants or asylum-cheaters), not speaking the language. Most teachers want to quit their jobs. What is described in the video was right, in the past. Today, it's different. And looking at where trends are heading, it will be very bad soon.

The apple magic keyboard is absolute trash. Delusional.

Your video popped up while browsing and I was curious what young people these days have to say about my motherland. I was born and raised in Zurich but left more than thirty five years ago. Comparing Switzerland to a well-oiled engine or a 'Golden Cage' made me laugh - I used the same metaphors when I was young - so I gather not much has changed. It is a lovely place to live IF you can adjust and fit into the metaphorical 'engine', because there is not much wiggle room :-) Thanks for the video.

The #1 pro is closeness to Italy. Take a train wvery weekend to Itsly and your cons go mostly away

I am surprised of your pros. Tbey are not that good. I think Switzerland has better pros than you claim. The main one is higher minimum wages.

10 reasons why switzerland is amazing

I'm from Switzerland but have been living abroad for the past 15 years or so, minus a return for health reasons for a few months. I struggled immensely growing up there for a variety of reasons and it would not be fair to place all the blame on the country. However, as someone who thinks outside of the box creatively, politically, and have spent a lot of time educating myself on history, and sociology the country's culture felt very restrictive in terms of the rigidity you described. I lived in the country 'where you don't call the ambulance' as well and spent many months supporting a homeless person on their journey to overcome addiction, I went to one of the poorest countries in the world for three months, lived with local people and found it to be one of the richest countries in the world in many ways. Poverty of the soul is something that is concerning in the West and perhaps rigidity can become dangerous and unnatural, opposed to the natural cycles of transformation which aren't always peaceful and tranquil. I'm living in the UK now and do admit to miss the functionality of Switzerland. We didn't have running water for two days in our building recently and I had a hospital appointment in a building where some floors had been closed off due to the ceiling falling down, the train I took today dates from the 1970s. It's a great example of dysfunction even in the so called developed world. Still even when tempted in these situations to go back home, I hesitate once I remember my past. It is of course a place of material privilege and stability if you compare it to how billions of people live. But humanity needs something more than economic growth and stability. I fear that as more countries have embraced free market fundamentalism and aspire for development something may be lost along the way. I recently visited South Korea, and got a rather dystopian impression in some ways. People not having children stood out to me, as I had just left Vietnam prior where there is a very warm and family oriented culture. I digress, We shouldn't need to choose between material or mental prisons. There's plenty to go around and our focus on wealth and ever more consumption hides the fact of abundance on our planet. Clean tap water that often doesn't need any chemical additives at all seems like the biggest blessing I've ever experienced and the more you get of all of the other stuff, the more you realize that something so simple matters beyond measure. Carrying buckets of water to share amongst my neighbors yesterday so we could flush our toilets showed me how simple our needs really are and having these met deserves appreciation.

Italian living in Switzerland for 14 years. Things I don't like about Switzerland: I paid around 3500 CHF per year for the health insurance and I never used it because I'm always healthy Most Swiss people are very basics and boring as fuck Hair dresser, nails, restaurants and bars are annoyingly expensive and hair dresser are not good like in Italy or Spain The weather changes a lot. Can go from 0 to 10 degrees in one day. The winter is so depressing Lot of people from the East of Europe live here and are so loud and have no manners and are sad people Outside of Zurich there is little excitement. Zurich after a while bores you because it's always the same lake Niederdorf and the shitty red district Langstrasse Flights are more expensive compared to flights from Milan Swiss German dialect has an ugly sound Swiss people complain for every little thing because they are used to high standards and a lot of them only stay for the stability and the money THINGS I LIKE: high salary that allowed me to travel in 24 countries so far You don't need a car It's very safe for a woman They give you money if you are unemployed for a certain period I applied for the passport anyway because after so many years it's the right thing to do

A lot of our tap water, Mike, is not very good for your health. Some people even drink bottled water. The best water on tap is in alpine areas, though.

one of the main reasons that this country is not like the US is that we have no Herr Trumpf who wants to be the king of the World.

Doesn’t this sound like a chat gpt essay tho?

There is a price to pay for having a country that works well. If most things are working well why innovate or change, to end up like france or germany? Its the price you pay for living in a civilised, well working society. Also, regularly eating out? learning how to cook because eating out is expensive, is outrageous. Eating out is a commodity not something that should be done every day, seems like a spoilt claim. The only thing I might agree with you on is the healthcare. It is expensive, but it is amongst the best in the world. You seem to be a typical case of familiarity breeds contempt. As an immigrant in Switzerland, I value their authority and tradition. Its better to get yelled at inappropriately on public transport than stabbed and mugged.

Switzerland is a great place because the people are reserved, because the rules are strict. Also, Switzerland is only clean and quiet when there is a majority of swiss people around. If you live in an area with those "people" from Kosovo or Balkan in general, you will appreciate the swiss even more. Also, its not that difficult to befriend swiss people at all. You just have to strat slow. A hello here and there, some smalltalk later and so on. I have been invited multiple times to colleagues and co-workers to dinner where I meet their family like husband and children (I am a male working in a hostiptal, so I have mostly female friends). Basicly the biggest honor there is. And, if a swiss befriends you, they stay friends with you.

what a garbage sheep society. But it's still better than many eu countries. I would want to live in Switserland. But it's annoying that there are multiple languages that are spoken. If your kids go to school in Switerserland they have to learn like multiple languages.

Golden cage fits perfectly

I'd opt for Ticino.

Having lived here many decades after coming from another country as a young child, I essentially agree with you. It seems to me that the Swiss Germans (who are more German than the Germans...Achtung!) are the most rule-bound citizens of the country, because the "Romands" (French-speaking Swiss) and those in canton Ticino (Italian speaking) are generally far more easy going. Rules can indeed be a pain, but at the same time they reflect a society where everything works reliably on the whole. Switzerland is orderly and precise - which is good IMO. Try saying that about France and a handful of Med countries. The UK is circling the plughole, and Germany is in deep trouble these days too. Making new friends is indeed quite hard in CH, and many foreigners tend to get to know other foreigners, or join clubs to meet others. However, It's when you spend time in other countries and realize how disorganized, dirty, and relatively unsafe they can be, despite friendlier people, that you understand the benefits of a rule-bound society, where life might be a bit boring and controlled at times, but is generally safe and comfortable in everyday life. This gets more important later in life. Numerous foreigners live and work here for a few decades, and then buy property in their home countries to retire at after earning good money here: income tax is somewhat lower here than anywhere else in the EU. It really depends on whether one values a "golden cage" and safety, as opposed to adventurous living in economic uncertainty, and faced by tedious red tape and rising crime levels. The Germans always say about Switzerland "das Land, wo Milch und Honig fliesst". This still holds true to a large extent, albeit that open Schengen borders and a net annual immigration of 100,000 people has changed the country for the worse: quality of life has decreased in CH. Each to their own, of course.

Over the last 40 years, swiss population has almost doubled due to a massive immigration. These numbers are so insane that the current immigration policies can't hold much longer. So if you are a tourist, you will be very welcome to visit, but if you come here for working, you will slowly discover that native swiss people do not see you as a chance, but as one more coloniser. I sincerely thank you for freeing a little bit of room in my country and every other foreigner is also very welcome to leave (especially muslims).

Thanks for sharing your experience about living in Switzerland. I do agree that it looks great on paper and whenever I'm there, I really like it - particularly the cleanliness, safety, and infrastructure. But of course I'm a tourist, not a resident. As for tap water, you can drink it almost everywhere in Europe and in most places it's very good as well so that's not something only the Swiss enjoy. According to the CDC, there are 50 countries where you can drink tap water. I love that the Swiss take noise disturbance seriously - I keep wondering how many years will pass when countries start taking seriously noise pollution in general. It would be so nice to have as much awareness of it as of air pollution and other types of pollution. The rules-based society does have its benefits but also its drawbacks. It's interesting that a country that feels so freedom-oriented at the same time can be so harsh. I used to prefer a rules-based society. But after spending some time in more laissez-faire countries I've also grown to appreciate that I don't have to worry about breaking some "it's always been like that" rules that don't really make much sense or make a big difference. Would you say that other areas of Switzerland may offer a different mix of advantages and disadvantages than Zurich?

I live in Zurick since 4 months now and I love it so much ... people are incredibly kind to each other.... this is such an amazing city ... this is hard for me to find a cons to switzerland for being honest ... you could say the lack of freedom ... but this is because everything is very socially organised, which make life very comfortable for everyone ... this is the price to pay ... it can be a bit annoying sometimes ( when you don´t know where the fuck are you gonna park your car ... lol ) but overall, I accept this kind of little inconvenience ...

I live in switzerland! I can only tell from my perspective. What i see happening around the world and even in our neighbourhood germany france etc. I live in the best most stable and beautiful country on this planet! I could not live anywhere else.

Switzerland (the country ) the Swiss people , Nop

Everything always comes with one trade-off or the other, it's good to be mindful of that and honest about one's own experiences and expectations when making a choice, especially about the environment to settle in. Travelling to a place is very different than staying there, or even living and working there.

You belong in a place like Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, SF. English speaking with many people who are ethnically chinese.

Dude I love your style, very relaxing to listen to you. Witer so!

mega guets video, gratuliere!

I am from there too, and a bit older than you and so far didn't encounter a situation like your voice message. I suppose that's not something that happens very often. However, I do believe, something a lot of Swiss aren't consciously aware of neither, is that we are extremely sensitive towards any kind noise. A lot of, if not most of the rules that others find strict are in regard to being loud or noise. The best thing about Switzerland in my opinion is the political system, going away from a direct democracy (with a collective presidency) would feel like going to a dictatorship to me.

I used to live in Japan. And I spent years planning a move to Switzerland, and at some point in my research I began to see a lot of similarities. But once you dig a little deeper the differences are vast. Not just the amount of money, but where the money comes from. I don't even think the Swiss Franc has ever had the troubles the Japanese Yen has gone through. Switzerland's income from tourism, watch production, shipping, financial services is, essentially, unmatched. Natural resources Language abilities (5 if you count Swiss German, 6 if you count English) Cleanliness, order, respect for authority--basically civility Proximity to hostile neighbors with lingering war anger (and fishing border disputes) Commitment level to nature and clean environment (let's just skip the conversation about dolphins, whales and sea life in general) Asian culture is very...specific, and Japan is...just getting over HIGH xenophobia and moving into a normal range. But yes, on some levels they have things in common; generally "quiet" people, a certain commitment to the arts, and a quality I think is what gives these 2 countries their real power; a "togetherness" that's rare in this day and age. To ME, both of these countries have not lost the dedication to "the greater good" that EVERYBODY is just given up on. Everywhere else its me, me, me, me. I found this video because after a few years the opportunity to do a Swiss move is in front of me again. Thank you for the insights.

Ha ha. The land of "do not call the ambulance." I also think of Switzerland as the Land of Trust. I personally love the quiet and cleanliness. The unwritten rule of Switzerland is that you can do whatever you want so long as you do not bother your neighbors. You forgot to mention that when someone takes a dog for a walk and does not clean up the poop, someone else will circle the poop with chalk and leave a note (taped to the sidewalk) telling the owner to pick up after their dog. I immigrated to Switzerland eight years ago and am never leaving. I love living here.

Switzerland is a monarchy and the people are its royal house.

That's always the same story for foreign cultures or expats coming or living in Switzerland. They just care about the high salaries they get in Switzerland, but then they complain about all the rest, they are incapable of integrating into a different culture, not worse than other ones, just particular. So, they come up with those kind of general absurdities (not even correct) and denigration.

74th subs from India🙏🇮🇳

I moved from a small town to a big city in india where the majority community ethnicity is different me being more east Asian,then I moved ti Italy so smae feeling where do I call home

Rediculous price, I'm out

HI! I am born and raised in Switzerland as well but I moved to the US to study music. I could have done that in Switzerland but I feel so much more free to be myself in US culture.

As a Swiss citizen from Geneva, I have lived abroad for 25 yrs and I had to go back to my country for safety and medical purposes. Since my return in 2023 I’ve been very well taken care of my health. But I dislike it so much, it’s not the place where I used to enjoy living even if I used to come every year to visit my family and friends. I don’t know how long I will manage to stay in Geneva, as my entire family lives here but they became so frigid and unpleasant. So either it’s my fault or my country has changed so much that nowadays I feel like a foreigner in Switzerland. 🇨🇭

I am somehow sick of the "Switzerland is expensive". Main point is currency exchange rate evolution. The Swiss France is overrated compared to many other countries. Euro for example was up to 1.70 CHF after introduction - dropped the last 15 years to now less than 0.95 (a drop of some 45%). Even worse US and Canadian dollar - I still have old friends in Canada who spend time in Switzerland when 1 CAD was worth more than 4.40 CHF, now 0.63 CHF. The USD then was 4.30, now 0.90 CHF. And more a historical comparison based on "Union monétaire latine" some 160 years ago when 1 Swiss franc was worth 1 French franc, 1 Italian lire. French removed 2 zero but at change for Euro that "nouveau franc" was worth 0.24 CHF, so basically the French Franc value felt from 1 to 0.0024 CHF. Italian lira from 1 to 0.00082 CHF (or 1 CHF could buy more than 1160 LIT) Technically Switzerland cost of living is high compared to other countries, because those other countries currencies are weak, lost value the last decades - due mainly to those countries economic politics. Simply imagine the Euro still worth 1.70 CHF. Or USD, CAD still more than 4 CHF. And Switzerland has different cultural regions - French and Italian speaking part of the country are quite different from most of the Alemannic language regions.

Accurate.

As a swiss myself, I agree.

I personally would rather have the strict rules and tradition, etc., and have the cleanliness and safety, and be able to swim in the rivers and have to comply with the rules. but each to their own

In my opinion, a person who values individuality and is more extroverted would be happier and a Latin American country or some others besides Switzerland or Japan. I personally cringe if a person is playing videos on their phone in a restaurant or train or bus. One time on a bus an older woman kept playing candy crush for over 10 minutes for 20 minutes and I finally told her please turn it down and she complained but she gave me a bad look.

I really appreciate this detailed and entertaining review, Michael. I also love your dry sense of humor. I was wondering if the Voyager would be a good fit for me and you answered my concerns with your video. I hope you'll keep going with your channel. You deserve a much larger viewership.

It's basically like a more fancy version of Germany but with even less individuality.