Best known for watches, chocolates, and mountains, historic buildings make up a large portion of this beautiful old town. Museums and galleries can also be found in this cultural niche. However, Zürich is not behind the times. As one of the world’s leading financial centers, the Zürich stock exchange is the fourth largest behind New York, London, and Tokyo. Promoting itself as the “little big city,” Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland with a population of 1,200,000.

Climate: The average November to February temperature falls approximately between 27°F (-3°C) to 45°F (7°C), while the temperature from May to August reaches around 47°F (8°C) to 77°F (25°C).

Top key attractions: The obvious answer for this would be the Alps, right? However, there are many more things to see in Switzerland besides mountains. The ancestral home of the Counts of Kyburg rests at Kyburg Castle. As an impressive model of a great mediaeval fortress, it is well worth a visit. Among Zurich's most important landmarks are the city's principle churches, Fraumünster, Grossmünster and St. Peter's church. Fraumünster was donated by Louis the German in 853, and has foundation remains dating from the 9th to 11th century. The church is particularly well known for its beautiful stained glass windows. Grossmünster, the mother church of the Reformation in Switzerland, is unique with its twin spires. The oldest parts are the crypt and remains of a Romanesque cloister with statuary from the 11th and 12th centuries. The tower clock of St. Peter's church has Europe's largest clock dial with a diameter of 8.70 meters.

Where to stay: All right when I found this out I had to write about it! Formerly known as the Golden Arch Hotel, this accommodation was located just ten minutes from Zürich airport. Now, you’re probably wondering why I just had to inform you. Well, golden arch…Yes, you guessed it. McDonald’s had a hotel called the Golden Arch Hotel. It is an entirely up to date hotel; complete with wireless LAN throughout and a drive-in McDonald’s. On August 1, 2003, however, they reopened their doors as Park Inn by Rezidor SAS, keeping with all of the same luxuries such as computers and play stations in each room, "sit'n'sleep" beds, and a fitness center.

Language: The official language of Switzerland is German, although French, Italian, and Romansch are spoken in other parts of Switzerland. There are also different German dialects in use such as, Schweizerdeutsch (Swiss German), Hochdeutsch (High German), and Zürideutsch (Zurich Swiss German). Don’t worry; English is widely known in common tourist areas and most bars and restaurants. It’s always a smart point to learn some phrases before you go, however.

Currency: The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (SFr). One Swiss Franc (1 SF) would equal $0.77 in U.S. currency. Francs are divided into rappen (in German Switzerland). There are coins for 5, 10, and 20 rappen.

Good news! If you plan on ever going to Switzerland and happen to rent a car, driving will be on the right, not the left, like most European countries. And your own driver’s license will suffice, however, you may want to obtain an International Driver’s Permit, just to save any hassle with local authorities.

In case of emergencies, they offer an English-language hot line, Notfalldienst (Emergency Service), and can be reached at 0900/5764444. Lines are open 9am-7pm on weekdays and 9am-1pm on Saturday. Calls cost 2.13 SF per minute.

Oh, and just a reminder, most shops are closed on Sundays, so don’t worry too much about the eerie quietness that lurks the streets…

Info on other countries:
http://www.fodors.com/