Visiting Switzerland post COVID

Going to have to assume you're seeking a warm or warm-ish weather time of year, with some family friendly activities - specifically those with really small children.

Switzerland is a hotspot for skiing, with Zermatt and the Matterhorn being among the most popular and iconic spots, respectively.

Zermatt is still lovely in summer, with some hiking trails taking place over the slopes.

While many people fly into Zurich from North America, look for somewhat smaller towns & cities for cultural highlights and landmarks.

Lucerne, for example.

Almost forgot to ask, would you also mind sharing where you saw that Switzerland had lifted restrictions for Canadians?

I'm not at all suggesting that what you saw was incorrect, but I know the rules are so unbelievably confusing and constantly evolving; I had to dig deep and take a look at what's published from my list of local resources.

According to the 'State Secretariat for Migration' and updated as of June 7th, 2021, Switzerland still requires quarantine measures for anyone arriving from Canada as Canada remains on their list of 'high risk' countries.

I'm also seeing Canada on their list of 'countries with a worrying variant' from the Federal Office of Public Health, accurate as of June 17th, 2021.

This confusing and conflicting set of guidance led me to dig deeper still, I even polished up my German and called the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health via their visitor guidance hotline.

Here's the disappointing news:

Although it is expected that the above guidance will be updated to indeed permit fully vaccinated adults from Canada (over 16, children exempt) to avoid quarantine and to even sidestep PCR testing requirements, they are not permitted to enter Switzerland for purposes of tourism in the first place.

I was told that this guidance should be updated and that publicly available lists of measures will reflect this update after tomorrow, June 26th, 2021.

There is still ongoing decision making to occur within the Swiss government, I'm told this is promised to be resolved by Wednesday, June 30th.

My significant professional experience tells me that this date should be viewed as fluid and that as non-residents with no rights to enter Switzerland, you shouldn't expect any favourable outcome as guaranteed.

I'd strongly suggest planning your trip for some time in mid to late spring or early summer of 2022 at the earliest, with careful attention to the correct travel insurance coverage for you and your family.

I'd also note that Switzerland's currently available guidance on vaccination shows that any exemption from quarantine or PCR testing has an additional requirement that your most recent dose of an accepted vaccine must have occurred no more than 6 months prior to entry.

My conversation with the visitor hotline suggests that this will be extended to 12 months in the coming week. Again, this isn't guaranteed to occur.

Please be kind to the messenger!

Do you have a season picked out? The time of year will dictate a lot of what you can do comfortably, especially with smaller children.

Are you looking for a city break? An outdoor pursuit? Want to eat loads of food?

Also, what's wrong with eating your weight in chocolate? haha