@@laguerredesclansanimes7012 Yes and i don't feel in a separated culture from the one I was always in. Ticino is part of a cultural region called Insubria in which i was born and raised.
Anche io sono del Ticino e sinceramente non capisco perché la gente pensi che ci sentiamo "diversi" dagli svizzeri. Praticamente senza di noi la Svizzera non potrebbe vantare 4 lingue ufficiali 😂
i accidentally forgot my bag infront of the store one day,had like my phone,passport and the basically everything i neeed in it,plus around 400 CHF,one and a half hour later i came back running to the store,the bag was still there completely intact ! Needless to say it was an amazing summer in Switzerland,they are rich af ...
@@andythompson7725 I was lucky to be able to be there for 45 days,and every single day i couldnt believe how beautiful everything was...There was no littering either,idk how to describe it,everything is brough to perfection there,closest i have been to an actual fairy tale irl.
as a swiss person i can confirm as long as your in tourist areas because if you left that bag anywhere else that stuff would get stolen in a few minutes especially around train stations but i guess that is the same in other countries but do not think that switzerland is some exception
As a Swiss citizen I do appreciate this video. Often, when Americans are wanting to travel to Europe, decide to go to France or Italy but Switzerland is very often left out of the trip. I’m aware that those countries offer a lot of cultural and unbelievable beautiful areas to visit. However, Switzerland can offer some unexpected nice things to visit as well. When I was about 21 y/o I moved to LA to experience the American way of life and I loved it. I was convinced that it was the place I was going to live in for the rest of my life until I met my wife to be and decided that it would be healthier to raise a family in Switzerland. At that time my wife had never visited Europe and accepted to follow me to Switzerland to give it a try. Today, 33 years later, after three kids, we are still together and there no way in hell she’d move back to LA. It’s very funny to see how much of a Swiss girl she turned out while I like to believe for myself to be more American than her.
@@tsg4376 yeah, that’s the down side of it, but I went to LA last June and, believe me, it costed me an arm and a leg. 55 $ per night for my car at the hotel parking without mentioning the 480 $ per day for the room, breakfast not included. That hurts after 2 weeks 😵💫 even for a Swiss guy
Thx, I'm Swiss. Before i started to travel around the world i complained about some of the stuff you just mentioned, but after seeing how other countries do things I am very glad to be Swiss. I learned to appreciate it a lot. Things are quite expensive here and I really wouldn't count myself as one of the rich, but the average income is also quite a bit higher and talking to others from around Europe it seems that the ratio between income and cost is very favorable here.
I worked for the Swiss for 10yrs in NY. They speak 5 languages in Switzerland. I took a expediting, shipping and driving job for an All Swiss machining company after I graduated high school. 1976 The company car broke down, and with my Swiss Army knife and a pair of pliers, I corrected the car overheating. They saw my skills and fast, moved me into the fast growing screw machine shop. A screw machine is a very high precision fully automatic lathe. My 40 machine battery were all manually reloaded when I started. I picked up custom automatic material reloadeds at JFK from Delemont Switzerland 🇨🇭, modified my old 5mm machines to autolaod 24/7. Because I installed all the pneumatics and controls, I left my machinist job and instantly doubled my income, and began a 35yr career, doing private electrical contracting. The Swiss employer I worked for, were very sincere and the nicest of people.
most of the time swiss people talk more or less fluently 1-3 languages. it's almost harder to find someone who speaks Rumatsch than someone who lives in La Chaux-de-Fonds (a bit less than 40'000 people each)
@@WorldAccordingToBriggs because of the mountains, Chocolate, and Medications that work. I love Asia but Switzerland and Greece are my 2 Euro countries
I visited Switzerland with my family for vacation (didn’t really mesh well), but what I’ve seen was really amazing and beautiful. With my mom being an accountant, I keep telling her that she should move there!
Been there to study abroad and honestly if you love nature its cool but the culture is very closed. They are not open people from my experience even in the big city.
I used to work for Amtrak and one of our engineers went to Switzerland for a vacation. When he came back, he admitted that comparing their rail system to ours, Amtrak IS an embarrassment. Amtrak trains always running late, broken and dated equipment, budget hanging by a thread, poor management, and the list goes on and on. Glad I don't work there anymore.
Former Amtrak employee here, I strongly agree. I just quit Christmas Day 2022. I don't miss it anymore. It's a very poorly ran company and one of the places I worked before I transferred elsewhere within the company was the absolute worst in the entire system.
I'm Swiss and I just took public transport in the US for the first time a few weeks ago (Amtrak from NYC to DC, plus metro systems in both cities) and I was positively surprised. Of course thats *the* main Amtrak route. But it was super clean, easy enough to use and perfectly on time (1-2 minutes late at one or two stops, but thats fine for such a long trip). Only complaint was that they didnt know which platform it would be on until 10 mins before departure, so everyone had to wait in the big hall upstairs and then rush when it was finally announced. The platform would be known months in advance in Switzerland. But aside from that everything was super smooth. Also the subway systems in both cities were better than expected. Not as good as in most of Europe and East Asia, but also not the worst. In NYC its quite shabby, but it works well. And in DC its clearly just for commuting from suburbs to city, not suitable for travelling from one suburb to another. But I expected massive dumpster fires and at least got mediocrity, so positively surprised ;)
I love hearing such great things about our beautiful country. Well, although we’re not the best at one or two categories we’re just on the top 10 from all categories
@@helsteni5055 Well, with higher salaries come more taxes. Anyway, I'm still amazed at the amount of tourists coming to Switzerland falling for all the traps. You can get a great little rental, moderately priced accommodation and healthy food for little money.
Thank you for doing something more international. I had my first trip to Europe in July 2022, and it was in Switzerland. What a beautiful country, but so expensive.
Switzerland is a great country to live in. I was once unemployed for 6 months and not once was I afraid to land on the streets. Money was super thight, yes, I lived off mostly rice and ketchup and people judge you harshly for not having a job, but the social system helped me keep afloat until I found a new job.
When you think of countries that stay the hell out of everyone's business (banking jokes aside) - you usually think of Switzerland. This alone is a huge reason to want to live there.
Not entirely true. If you live there, you'll have nosy neighbors that will be very quick to correct you when you mess up with recycling/trash. At least that's why I hear from people who live there.
@@AvioftheSand I am Swiss, and there is the law, that you are not allowed to deposit your trash bag on the pavement until the evening before the day it is collected. You get a fine, if you do. This might be the reason some people contact expats, not in order to correct them, but rather to protect them. Many don‘t know this law.
@@chanceryan7760 You CAN theoretically get a bank account in CH as an American, but most Swiss banks won't let you have one, due to the burdensome IRS/FATCA compliance regulations, which they don't want to deal with. Also, any Swiss person who marries an American will potentially lose their Swiss bank account as well, for the same reason.
Was just in Switzerland last summer! Truly breathtaking place and I recommend going if you ever get the chance. I wouldn’t stay in Zurich though if you don’t have thousands of dollars to throw away 😂
My family came from Switzerland 4 generations ago. The Swiss language has been passed down in our family until the current generation. I was so blessed to be able to go there in 2022. I was blown away by the beauty and charm of Switzerland. Also their train system blew my mind. You can get anywhere in the country in hours and you don’t even need a car. Their cities and villages are walkable, and many of the Old Towns are traffic-free. The views are absolutely astounding and will take your breath away. It feels like paradise.
I love my country :D Switzerland is not perfect by any means, but it does many many things right. I travel a lot and have not found a place where I would rather live.
Great work Briggs. We need more comparisons with other countries, so that Americans can learn that the USA is not #1 and we have a lot to learn from other countries.
@@chucklima4763 America barely makes the top ten for most lists. Saying America is the greatest country in the world is like saying you're the best waitress at Denny's. That doesn't actually mean you're any good to start with.
Good video Briggs Switzerland is on my bucket list if I make it to Europe so is Italy. Driving to another country in 3 hours sounds nice you can do that in the states depending on where you live and how close to the borders you live.
One more reason why Switzerland is great: they have the lowest inflation in the world in general. Their currency - the Swiss franc - is the most stable currency in the world because it is actually backed by gold.
Tina Turner has been living in Switzerland for about the last 20+years (well earned living). The population of Switzerland is around 8 million people. Also, they are really restrictive on immigration. Very limited on becoming a citizen. They have there priorities in order.
It's not easy. but it can be done. If you look at these figures, a good 1 in 8 million inhabitants is a high number, isn't it? "In 2021, 2,890,000 people, or 39% of the permanent resident population aged 15 and older, had a migration background. Slightly more than one-third of this population group (1,090,000 persons) held Swiss citizenship. More than four-fifths of persons with a migration background (2 276 000 persons) belong to the first generation, while one-fifth (615 000 persons) were born in Switzerland."
no no 8mio is long go... soon w are 10mio...... what restrictions??? that stuff only applies to legal one, that want to work here... not for immigrants that flee and oooh boi do we have a lot here and also ukrainians... they get everything for free and i pay 0o
Number 5 you missed out on that we actually vote like 4 times a year about where we want to invest money in certain projects. It nowhere near perfect and powerful groups , like the army, usually find a way around that vote but still we got alot of power and its unfortunately pretty unique.
I visited there with my parents when I was in high school. Looked briefly at retiring there but it is almost impossible to get citizenship without Swiss ancestry. They have a great balance of democracy and social order, the later being very much lacking in the USA.
Many people point to Switzerland as a socialist success story, being ignorant of the fact it's a democracy after all. You correctly stated they're listed as one of the 10 most difficult countries to get citizenship., and what does that type of control and tight restriction give you? One of the Whitest Countries on the planet 🤷🏼♂️. You also left out a big big issue, is all these social services are covered by around a 50%-60% tax rate, more than double than the US. I'm certain that if every American realized 50% plus of their income would be taken to do these things they'd quickly reconsider
@@chanceryan7760 They also don't have the gun violence, crime, and pervasive poverty I'm surrounded by here. Their politics aren't dominated by the extremists in their political parties. They also aren't underinvested in their infrastructure, and don't have a grid that's always on the brink of failure. Add in a colder but pretty decent climate (at least not the sweltering, hurricane-filled summers I experience here) and Switzerland looks pretty attractive by comparison. Might just be worth the higher taxes.
@@mjpottertxNo major grid issues in the US, so don't know what you're complaining about. As I say to everyone who thinks the grass is always greener in another country you seriously should move and try it out, I'm certain you'll realize quickly it's not what you thought. As for pointing out how great their govt is and low crime rate, interesting they're one of the Whitest least diverse countries on the planet, matter of fact most of the countries you leftist Antifa types always point to as supposed successful socialist models all share those commonalities low racial diversity, virtually impossible to immigrate to, and some of the Whitest Countries, hmmm 🤔 maybe you're on to something 🤫. The thing about you leftist Antifa types, y'all complain, but truth is you don't actually believe what you say because odds are good you've not lived outside of the state your in, definitely haven't lived outside the US. I'll gladly help you pack!
5:43... I've been on that bridge in Lucerne... Somebody set it on fire in the early 1990's and most of the 600+ year old bridge got destroyed. As you can see from the video, it was quickly rebuilt. The whole country is beyond awesome.
Oui! I have visited beauteous Switzerland. Four times. Oui! I have wanted to move there since I was Eight years old. With 🍀, I shall, before Eighty! Thanks, Briggs, for your inspirational presentation! And Bon Année!🇨🇭
The country of Switzerland is rarely on the news for anything which is great.. but was last week...The glaciers are melting and alot of ski areas have closed due to rising temps and lack of snow.
Switzerland is beautiful the standard of living is very high such as the demands but very expensive in general, my favorite place as an Italian tourist was Lugano
As a Swiss I don't like it when someone calls Any country "the best". Switzerland is certainly a good country, BUT it is not for everyone. No sea, highly populated and we are conservative and rather reclusive. That is fine and good but not for everyone
You have never lived in Switzerland have you? It's not the free country you imagined it to be. In fact, they have a fine for almost every occasion. And they will fine you. It's not cheap and majority of the population and not well off at all, they earn a lot by comparison, but have to spend almost all of it to just live.
met a young train engineer (upper-income earner) from Switzerland in Colorado Springs this Summer, who stated he and his family can't afford a home/house, and that many young people have a hard time making living.
A small house costs at least 1‘000‘000 USD, even in smaller towns. This is true. But for the time being there are more open jobs than jobless people. Jobless rate is 1,9%.
@@Baselfreak Haha, I'm beginning to understand why the home ownership in Switzerland is the lowest in all of Europe. Still, I think the pros outweigh the cons of living there. Wonderful place, though I regret making it my first visit in Europe. (It's very difficult finding another destination that will be as beautiful... maybe Iceland or Norway, lol).
I have been to Switzerland , it is lovely, the small towns are dreamy.But, most of the people I have met are not phoney , they can be very rude and not friendly at all to your face . Also Switzerland is the most expensive country in Western Europe.
Honestly loved the country when I lived there for a year, but the people were very closed off. They are not open and are nice only on the surface. Go for the nature and don’t expect people to be open as they are in America. Also if you go please follow all the rules they all follow them. I suggest trying raclette and fondue. Amazing foods, architecture, and the public transport is just always on time unless its snowing like crazy. University of Zurich was amazing also!
Don‘t expect everybody to speak fluently english. In the cities folks are quite open. On the countryside maybe less. A lot depends on your own personality.
I was there 4 years ago . About 6 guys got on our train car with full auto military rifles and none batted an eye. I guess they know soldiers returning home in civies 😆😆
It's mandatory requalification every season so you have to take a rifle with you on the bus or on the train if I remember right it has to be unloaded but you can't walk around with it normally unless you're going through it from competition
I think that they rather went to a shooting competition. Members of the army wear uniform til they arrive at home. The rifle spends the week end in the barracks. :-)
@@sitdowndogbreath The rifle is at home, when the person is not in active service. There is a 3 week reperition service every year, where we take our personal equipment: uniform, rifle, gasmask aso. For the week end we only take the uniform back home. But there is also a mandatory shooting training, which is made in civil clothes. Furthermore there is the „ Feldschiessen“, the shooting contest for everybody, active or veteran, with sometimes 300‘000 folks shooting at different places. Maybe Darren saw some of these folks.
Hey briggs big fan for a while, never missed a video. I wanted to ask if you would consider making a video for car enthusiasts? Most car fanatic states in the U.S.? Something like that?
.. and for the most beautiful yodeling you ever heard, look up Melanie, yodeling the song, Swiss girl. Her Swiss Family has a ton of knockout yodeling songs.
Some of the points are exactly correct like working and happiness or even neutrallity. Swiss are work acholics and treat over hours like a symbol of strength. Most people aren't exactly happy and complain a ton lol but they are happy they live in Switzerland. Also the swiss aren't exactly Neutral anymore since the Begin of the recent conflict. Edit: ment to say aren't correct
@@TheRongy This is very true. Over worked, little to no social life and bills that continue to get more expensive are key factors. Of course there are a lot of people who are finicaly well off but mentally not in the best of shape.
Iceland also is a great country to live in, as it looks just as well (if not better) than Switzerland and is oftentimes the BEST country in the world to live in! Mosquitoes can't live there, as the weird weather doesn't allow their eggs to live!
I have a coworker who is from Switzerland and she tells me how it is there and i cant help but believe that it really is the best country in the world.
TL;DW: - People are happy - People live a healthy lifestyle - Great education system - Very safe - Mindblowing scenery - Unique democratic system - Many outdoor activities - Infrastructure and public transportation - Its position in Europe (central) - It's neutral
I agree that Switzerland is a fantastic country and I visited it several times. I am not so sure about the happiness index, Swiss people tend not to be very social, they don't smile or laugh a lot, and they call the police if you have a birthday party at your home with friends. I rather be and live in a Mediterranean Latin country where people do laugh and socialize.
I am Swiss and I’m from the french part and lived in Zurich and Basel as well, I don’t fully agree with you on this, it totally depends where you live in the country :)
People would call the Police on you anywhere in the world if you have a birthday party at your home with your friends and being loud until the early morning without consideration for your neighbors, who probably even have babies or small children but couldn't sleep because of the noise you and your friends are making.
Not me, that's why I use earplugs in the rare occasions there is too much noise in a neighborhood party. I try not to hassle people with the police, but that's me.
Switzerland is a beautiful country I've been there 3x very green country citizens are very happy and friendly and the food and culture is diverse. I'd love to live there but would be tough to work there with my job. Also tough to become a citizen there. My cousin been living there for years and he cant be a citizen unless he renounces his Portuguese citizenship. Theres a road in Switzerland were you drive your car onto a rail and the rail brings you through the mountains if you havent done this it's a must!!!!
Actually you can be a dual citizen in Switzerland, don't need to give up your second citizenship when becoming Swiss. Unless the other country forces you too...
I work in 🇩🇪 for a 🇨🇭 company. If I were based in 🇨🇭, I would be earning thrice of what I earn in 🇩🇪 for the exact same job. So, paying EVERYBODY a living wage, spending money on education and infrastructure = low crime = a happy, prosperous country. Like the US in 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. You know, before Reagan. Huh, who knew 🤔
One anecdote of a swiss about Switzerland During ww2, some parts of machineries in factories were painted in certain color so in case of invasion you would have to beak it to make everything unusable.
Be prepared to try to speak and learn 4 different languages in Switzerland and while the pay is good the prices are expensive over there its the most expensive country in europe and one of the most expensive in the world .
For a long time Switzerland had more gun OWNERS than any country including the US. Switzerland has a true well regulated militia. Recently they reduce the size of their militia and military because europe is more peaceful. Still when they had the most gun OWNERS they had exceptionally violent crime rates. The USA always had the most GUNS per capita as far back as I can find statistics, last few decades.
*Fun Gaming Fact!* 🎮 In Super Smash Bros. Melee that I used to play growing up as a little boy back in the GameCube era, there's a Bonus you would receive in your battles called *"Switzerland"* which means you would win a match without attacking your opponents nor getting attacked! Thought that was fascinating to look back on from Sakurai whom is the creator of the series to add as it really demonstrates how the Swiss doesn't want to be involved any type of war nor ever want to fight for their country which makes me adore how independent & fight-free the Plus (+) country wants to be defined as! 😇
Switzerland: great place to visit and dump tons of money, but socially it's a rather uptight and dour place, if you want to live there. Just my opinion after many visits.
I was born 5 km from the swiss border, and now I live in switzerland. I feel extremly proud and lucky about Switzerland. Greetings from Ticino.
I've been to Ticino 2-3 times in my life and it's the best part of Switzerland
@@laguerredesclansanimes7012 Yes and i don't feel in a separated culture from the one I was always in. Ticino is part of a cultural region called Insubria in which i was born and raised.
Anche io sono del Ticino e sinceramente non capisco perché la gente pensi che ci sentiamo "diversi" dagli svizzeri. Praticamente senza di noi la Svizzera non potrebbe vantare 4 lingue ufficiali 😂
Which country do you originally come from?
@@suzanibafazi8661 Italy
i accidentally forgot my bag infront of the store one day,had like my phone,passport and the basically everything i neeed in it,plus around 400 CHF,one and a half hour later i came back running to the store,the bag was still there completely intact ! Needless to say it was an amazing summer in Switzerland,they are rich af ...
Yup
When I had the chance to spend five days there, I just couldn't get enough of the country!
@@andythompson7725 I was lucky to be able to be there for 45 days,and every single day i couldnt believe how beautiful everything was...There was no littering either,idk how to describe it,everything is brough to perfection there,closest i have been to an actual fairy tale irl.
I’m Swiss, and i’m not rich af.
as a swiss person i can confirm as long as your in tourist areas because if you left that bag anywhere else that stuff would get stolen in a few minutes especially around train stations but i guess that is the same in other countries but do not think that switzerland is some exception
As a Swiss citizen I do appreciate this video. Often, when Americans are wanting to travel to Europe, decide to go to France or Italy but Switzerland is very often left out of the trip. I’m aware that those countries offer a lot of cultural and unbelievable beautiful areas to visit. However, Switzerland can offer some unexpected nice things to visit as well. When I was about 21 y/o I moved to LA to experience the American way of life and I loved it. I was convinced that it was the place I was going to live in for the rest of my life until I met my wife to be and decided that it would be healthier to raise a family in Switzerland. At that time my wife had never visited Europe and accepted to follow me to Switzerland to give it a try. Today, 33 years later, after three kids, we are still together and there no way in hell she’d move back to LA. It’s very funny to see how much of a Swiss girl she turned out while I like to believe for myself to be more American than her.
eifach 1 a
@gian139z Wallis
Well Switzerland is very expensive for a trip so I believe that’s one of the reasons too 🙄🙄🙁
And I’m not kidding once we were planning a trip to Switzerland 🇨🇭 and it costed us really hefty 😶😶
@@tsg4376 yeah, that’s the down side of it, but I went to LA last June and, believe me, it costed me an arm and a leg. 55 $ per night for my car at the hotel parking without mentioning the 480 $ per day for the room, breakfast not included. That hurts after 2 weeks 😵💫 even for a Swiss guy
Thx, I'm Swiss. Before i started to travel around the world i complained about some of the stuff you just mentioned, but after seeing how other countries do things I am very glad to be Swiss. I learned to appreciate it a lot. Things are quite expensive here and I really wouldn't count myself as one of the rich, but the average income is also quite a bit higher and talking to others from around Europe it seems that the ratio between income and cost is very favorable here.
do most of the Swiss are rude or kind to foreigners?
As a Swiss it’s nice to hear some positive things about my birth country. Good video!
I worked for the Swiss for 10yrs in NY. They speak 5 languages in Switzerland. I took a expediting, shipping and driving job for an All Swiss machining company after I graduated high school. 1976 The company car broke down, and with my Swiss Army knife and a pair of pliers, I corrected the car overheating. They saw my skills and fast, moved me into the fast growing screw machine shop. A screw machine is a very high precision fully automatic lathe. My 40 machine battery were all manually reloaded when I started. I picked up custom automatic material reloadeds at JFK from Delemont Switzerland 🇨🇭, modified my old 5mm machines to autolaod 24/7. Because I installed all the pneumatics and controls, I left my machinist job and instantly doubled my income, and began a 35yr career, doing private electrical contracting. The Swiss employer I worked for, were very sincere and the nicest of people.
Delemont ? Do you know my grand-mother "Fiorinda Scarnera Nona" ? A well known old woman in town, just because she talk to everybody xD
most of the time swiss people talk more or less fluently 1-3 languages. it's almost harder to find someone who speaks Rumatsch than someone who lives in La Chaux-de-Fonds (a bit less than 40'000 people each)
I love Switzerland it is so beautiful.
Agreed
One of the most, if not thee most beautiful countries
@@K.B.Williams Agreed!
It almost looks fake in pictures can only imagine how it looks in person
@@WorldAccordingToBriggs because of the mountains, Chocolate, and Medications that work. I love Asia but Switzerland and Greece are my 2 Euro countries
Went to Switzerland back in 2018. Absolutely beautiful.
I visited Switzerland with my family for vacation (didn’t really mesh well), but what I’ve seen was really amazing and beautiful. With my mom being an accountant, I keep telling her that she should move there!
While working at Sea World in 1995 I met several students from Switzerland who were on a temporary work Visa. They were such nice young people.
Visited last year, loved it. Lauterbruunen was amazing. Can’t wait to visit again this year!
I want to study abroad in Switzerland, the culture in every town there is insane! Also the mountains are absolutely stunning
My first time through the Alps made the Rockies look small. It is stunning. You think you’re watching a movie.
Been there to study abroad and honestly if you love nature its cool but the culture is very closed. They are not open people from my experience even in the big city.
That's what I did and it absolutely formed my life. go for it
@@DaveGme Haha funny, i am from switzerland and the first time in the rockies made the alps looks small, especially grand teton or banff national park
@@littlechepe96 swiss are rather closed its hard to get close to someone but they are more loyal if u are
I used to work for Amtrak and one of our engineers went to Switzerland for a vacation. When he came back, he admitted that comparing their rail system to ours, Amtrak IS an embarrassment. Amtrak trains always running late, broken and dated equipment, budget hanging by a thread, poor management, and the list goes on and on. Glad I don't work there anymore.
Former Amtrak employee here, I strongly agree. I just quit Christmas Day 2022. I don't miss it anymore. It's a very poorly ran company and one of the places I worked before I transferred elsewhere within the company was the absolute worst in the entire system.
Comparing Armtrak to SBB is an imsult to the honor of SBB
I'm Swiss and I just took public transport in the US for the first time a few weeks ago (Amtrak from NYC to DC, plus metro systems in both cities) and I was positively surprised.
Of course thats *the* main Amtrak route. But it was super clean, easy enough to use and perfectly on time (1-2 minutes late at one or two stops, but thats fine for such a long trip). Only complaint was that they didnt know which platform it would be on until 10 mins before departure, so everyone had to wait in the big hall upstairs and then rush when it was finally announced. The platform would be known months in advance in Switzerland. But aside from that everything was super smooth.
Also the subway systems in both cities were better than expected. Not as good as in most of Europe and East Asia, but also not the worst. In NYC its quite shabby, but it works well. And in DC its clearly just for commuting from suburbs to city, not suitable for travelling from one suburb to another. But I expected massive dumpster fires and at least got mediocrity, so positively surprised ;)
Swiss trains are legendary. You can set the watch by them.
I love hearing such great things about our beautiful country. Well, although we’re not the best at one or two categories we’re just on the top 10 from all categories
Switzerland is an amazing country. Spectacular scenery, friendly people, but very, very expensive. Still love it.
Expensive is relative. 🙃
It's only expensive if you want it to be. Stray from the more touristy spots and it becomes much more affordable.
@@ajoho
True. I see so many tourists eating at the most expensive restaurants. But supermarkets offer a great deal with high quality
Well, with their salaries it is not expensive
@@helsteni5055 Well, with higher salaries come more taxes. Anyway, I'm still amazed at the amount of tourists coming to Switzerland falling for all the traps. You can get a great little rental, moderately priced accommodation and healthy food for little money.
Thank you for doing something more international. I had my first trip to Europe in July 2022, and it was in Switzerland. What a beautiful country, but so expensive.
I’ve been in Zurich 2018 visited my daughter, beautiful place and love the taste of their water ❤
Watching from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
I don't know if it's THE best country, but their flag is a plus :)
You got me; I giggled.😁
Nice one👍🏾
Overused
A big plus.
Nice Dad joke.
As a Swiss, I approve of this video, love from Canton Bern ^^
Cheers, Gruess us dr Stadt Bärn 😁
@@Secrecy1988 Gruess vo Biel :3
I would LOVE to go to Switzerland. It just looks absolutely stunning. I have never seen a bad picture of the country.
Well this made me feel proud to be swiss🇨🇭
Switzerland is a great country to live in. I was once unemployed for 6 months and not once was I afraid to land on the streets. Money was super thight, yes, I lived off mostly rice and ketchup and people judge you harshly for not having a job, but the social system helped me keep afloat until I found a new job.
They don't judge you harshly anymore these days, especially the ones who know the truth!
Rice an ketchup 😅damn
@@TheRongywhat is the truth
@@MobfiaEnt worst thing
Greetings from Switzerland 😊👋🇨🇭
When you think of countries that stay the hell out of everyone's business (banking jokes aside) - you usually think of Switzerland. This alone is a huge reason to want to live there.
A US citizen virtually can't get a bank account in Switzerland anymore so to US Govt regulations
Not entirely true. If you live there, you'll have nosy neighbors that will be very quick to correct you when you mess up with recycling/trash. At least that's why I hear from people who live there.
@@AvioftheSand I am Swiss, and there is the law, that you are not allowed to deposit your trash bag on the pavement until the evening before the day it is collected. You get a fine, if you do. This might be the reason some people contact expats, not in order to correct them, but rather to protect them. Many don‘t know this law.
@@chanceryan7760 You CAN theoretically get a bank account in CH as an American, but most Swiss banks won't let you have one, due to the burdensome IRS/FATCA compliance regulations, which they don't want to deal with. Also, any Swiss person who marries an American will potentially lose their Swiss bank account as well, for the same reason.
Well what can you say? Switzerland is neutral baby.
Was just in Switzerland last summer! Truly breathtaking place and I recommend going if you ever get the chance. I wouldn’t stay in Zurich though if you don’t have thousands of dollars to throw away 😂
My family came from Switzerland 4 generations ago. The Swiss language has been passed down in our family until the current generation. I was so blessed to be able to go there in 2022. I was blown away by the beauty and charm of Switzerland. Also their train system blew my mind. You can get anywhere in the country in hours and you don’t even need a car. Their cities and villages are walkable, and many of the Old Towns are traffic-free. The views are absolutely astounding and will take your breath away. It feels like paradise.
I love my country :D Switzerland is not perfect by any means, but it does many many things right. I travel a lot and have not found a place where I would rather live.
Nobody cares.
Pretty near perfect from my visit a few years back. Cleanest air and water I’ve ever breathe and swam in.
I feel the same. We are really lucky here in Switzerland in comparison with other places around the world.
@@mellyklint6199 I do
I do
what places would you rather live in and why?
Great work Briggs. We need more comparisons with other countries, so that Americans can learn that the USA is not #1 and we have a lot to learn from other countries.
I love this country it's number one to me I don't care what the sad say our show United States of America is the best country to live in
@@mikeyo1O1 wow great stuff and deep you are probably a deep thinker and wise
@@chucklima4763 You said it.
@@chucklima4763 America barely makes the top ten for most lists. Saying America is the greatest country in the world is like saying you're the best waitress at Denny's. That doesn't actually mean you're any good to start with.
Yeah do your homework before you speak, don't take brief excerpts from RUclipsrs as facts or as the whole story.
I went to Switzerland 🇨🇭 and fell in love with it❤❤
I would love to live in Switzerland . It’s very beautiful
As a swiss I definetely approve 😍😍😍😍 Greetings from Zurich!
Good video Briggs Switzerland is on my bucket list if I make it to Europe so is Italy. Driving to another country in 3 hours sounds nice you can do that in the states depending on where you live and how close to the borders you live.
I lived in a few countries in Europe and Asia but I moved back to Switzerland since 2016 and I am not planning to leave.
I happened to watch that video by Johnny Harris on the Underground Bunkers in the mountains of Switzerland and thought it was mind blowing.
Switzerland is absolutely beautiful! I've been twice, but never during the winter. 😉
Definitely on my must visit list.
One more reason why Switzerland is great: they have the lowest inflation in the world in general. Their currency - the Swiss franc - is the most stable currency in the world because it is actually backed by gold.
It's also the prettiest money I've ever seen, lol. Colorful like Monopoly money, but much nicer.
@@AvioftheSand The 1‘000 Franc note is the most expensive in the world. Worth 1070 USD, just one single banknote. :-)
This is my beautiful country where I was born and live 🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭
Greetings from Lucerne Switzerland 🇨🇭
Greetings! Wish I spent more time in your city than just an afternoon. Very nice place.
Tina Turner has been living in Switzerland for about the last 20+years (well earned living). The population of Switzerland is around 8 million people. Also, they are really restrictive on immigration. Very limited on becoming a citizen. They have there priorities in order.
And she has the swiss citizenship.
Money speaks
😂😂🤣🤣 Thatswhy we have the most foreigners in europe!
It's not easy. but it can be done. If you look at these figures, a good 1 in 8 million inhabitants is a high number, isn't it?
"In 2021, 2,890,000 people, or 39% of the permanent resident population aged 15 and older, had a migration background. Slightly more than one-third of this population group (1,090,000 persons) held Swiss citizenship. More than four-fifths of persons with a migration background (2 276 000 persons) belong to the first generation, while one-fifth (615 000 persons) were born in Switzerland."
no no 8mio is long go... soon w are 10mio...... what restrictions??? that stuff only applies to legal one, that want to work here... not for immigrants that flee and oooh boi do we have a lot here and also ukrainians... they get everything for free and i pay 0o
as a swiss, watching this video makes me so happy
Heading to Switzerland in April, looking forward to it.
You might regret it. It'll be hard finding any other vacation spots that are as beautiful, lol.
You are welcome. Don‘t miss Basel. I give you a free tour through my city.
@@AvioftheSandlol
Number 5 you missed out on that we actually vote like 4 times a year about where we want to invest money in certain projects. It nowhere near perfect and powerful groups , like the army, usually find a way around that vote but still we got alot of power and its unfortunately pretty unique.
I visited there with my parents when I was in high school. Looked briefly at retiring there but it is almost impossible to get citizenship without Swiss ancestry. They have a great balance of democracy and social order, the later being very much lacking in the USA.
Many people point to Switzerland as a socialist success story, being ignorant of the fact it's a democracy after all. You correctly stated they're listed as one of the 10 most difficult countries to get citizenship., and what does that type of control and tight restriction give you? One of the Whitest Countries on the planet 🤷🏼♂️.
You also left out a big big issue, is all these social services are covered by around a 50%-60% tax rate, more than double than the US.
I'm certain that if every American realized 50% plus of their income would be taken to do these things they'd quickly reconsider
@@chanceryan7760 They also don't have the gun violence, crime, and pervasive poverty I'm surrounded by here. Their politics aren't dominated by the extremists in their political parties. They also aren't underinvested in their infrastructure, and don't have a grid that's always on the brink of failure. Add in a colder but pretty decent climate (at least not the sweltering, hurricane-filled summers I experience here) and Switzerland looks pretty attractive by comparison. Might just be worth the higher taxes.
@@mjpottertxNo major grid issues in the US, so don't know what you're complaining about. As I say to everyone who thinks the grass is always greener in another country you seriously should move and try it out, I'm certain you'll realize quickly it's not what you thought.
As for pointing out how great their govt is and low crime rate, interesting they're one of the Whitest least diverse countries on the planet, matter of fact most of the countries you leftist Antifa types always point to as supposed successful socialist models all share those commonalities low racial diversity, virtually impossible to immigrate to, and some of the Whitest Countries, hmmm 🤔 maybe you're on to something 🤫.
The thing about you leftist Antifa types, y'all complain, but truth is you don't actually believe what you say because odds are good you've not lived outside of the state your in, definitely haven't lived outside the US. I'll gladly help you pack!
What is wrong with being one of the whitest countries on the planet?
You both make solid points!
I hope you talk about the first couple of the other best countries like Finland Sweden and Norway
As I’ve said before, 😊their flag is a big plus!
Epic video mate. Am moving to Switzerland this year. Excited. Smiles from Australia
5:43... I've been on that bridge in Lucerne... Somebody set it on fire in the early 1990's and most of the 600+ year old bridge got destroyed. As you can see from the video, it was quickly rebuilt. The whole country is beyond awesome.
I think it burnt down more than once in its history
yea, when we saw it destroyed we essentially went "lol, no" and willed it back into existence.
Oui! I have visited beauteous Switzerland. Four times. Oui! I have wanted to move there since I was Eight years old.
With 🍀, I shall, before Eighty!
Thanks, Briggs, for your inspirational presentation! And Bon Année!🇨🇭
Bonne année ! Come to Neuchatel
@@pausesmana5531 🇨🇭Merci!🇨🇭
The country of Switzerland is rarely on the news for anything which is great.. but was last week...The glaciers are melting and alot of ski areas have closed due to rising temps and lack of snow.
Switzerland is beautiful the standard of living is very high such as the demands but very expensive in general, my favorite place as an Italian tourist was Lugano
Excellent video. I watch Johnny Harris all the time. You mentioned him about a year ago on a live stream.
I love it when you say "Stop Typing!"
As a Swiss I don't like it when someone calls Any country "the best". Switzerland is certainly a good country, BUT it is not for everyone. No sea, highly populated and we are conservative and rather reclusive.
That is fine and good but not for everyone
5:40 ive been on and under that bridge multiple times. its beautiful.
One of my favorite countries
Great video Briggs! Got a ton of info. You rock!
It's the freest and, in my opinion, the most beautiful country in the world
You have never lived in Switzerland have you? It's not the free country you imagined it to be. In fact, they have a fine for almost every occasion. And they will fine you.
It's not cheap and majority of the population and not well off at all, they earn a lot by comparison, but have to spend almost all of it to just live.
@@shortfattoad7317 Yes! Too many fines, absurd fees for every little service, high living expenses, incredibly bureaucratic and not so open-minded.
@@mellyklint6199 And still millions of Europeans want to live here. Strange, somehow. 24% of the populations are foreigners. Some integrate, some not.
@@Baselfreak Most of them do not integrate at all, because nobody cares and demands it from them!
@@TheRongy The Swiss do complain a lot about the lack of integration by foreigners!
met a young train engineer (upper-income earner) from Switzerland in Colorado Springs this Summer, who stated he and his family can't afford a home/house, and that many young people have a hard time making living.
In the US or in Switzerland?
A small house costs at least 1‘000‘000 USD, even in smaller towns. This is true. But for the time being there are more open jobs than jobless people. Jobless rate is 1,9%.
Switzerland has an estimated 500'000 working poor.
@@Baselfreak There's a high rate of unemployment. The statistics just don't reflect it.
@@Baselfreak Haha, I'm beginning to understand why the home ownership in Switzerland is the lowest in all of Europe. Still, I think the pros outweigh the cons of living there. Wonderful place, though I regret making it my first visit in Europe. (It's very difficult finding another destination that will be as beautiful... maybe Iceland or Norway, lol).
I love the Swiss people. I worked with a hand full on a dam project in Tennessee.
Where? I live in Tennessee.
Good morning Briggs!!! Have a nice day!!!🎚️🇺🇸🪖👮♂️
Good morning! You too.
Great video Briggs
Glad you enjoyed
No one would invade Switzerland, there army has those amazing knives!
Johnny Harris is such an epic man. Great with making history and geography come alive
His videos are outstanding. Funny thing is I was watching his wifes videos long before I started watching him.
@@WorldAccordingToBriggs if Mr ballen, John Harris, and you got together for a storytelling video I think it could break the internet 🤔
Definitely my #1 travel destination. Don’t know if I could live there in the winter.
I have been to Switzerland , it is lovely, the small towns are dreamy.But, most of the people I have met are not phoney , they can be very rude and not friendly at all to your face . Also Switzerland is the most expensive country in Western Europe.
It's up there, but the actual answer is Luxembourg
I lived in Switzerland for 6 months and found the people friendly. So your mileage may vary,
It’s not part of Europe -even if geographically it is 🤓
@@marystaramour5535Switzerland is not a member of European Economic Area (EEA) aka EU but it is in the continent of Europe 😉
@@marlewis2905 thanks bro 😎 I happen to be Swiss citizen
Great job Briggs 👏 👍 👌 Love 💘 😻 💜 💛 💚 🧡
Honestly loved the country when I lived there for a year, but the people were very closed off. They are not open and are nice only on the surface. Go for the nature and don’t expect people to be open as they are in America. Also if you go please follow all the rules they all follow them. I suggest trying raclette and fondue. Amazing foods, architecture, and the public transport is just always on time unless its snowing like crazy. University of Zurich was amazing also!
We're just shy :)
Don‘t expect everybody to speak fluently english. In the cities folks are quite open. On the countryside maybe less. A lot depends on your own personality.
@@rast No, you are unfriendly.
@@Baselfreak Swiss people in general are not open both in the cities and the outskirts.
@@mellyklint6199 How nice that you know so much better than me.
Because they have „direkte Demokratie“ or direct democracy! The only way democracy stays stable and by the way the way democracy SHOULD be!
Not so much anymore, the plandemic proved that.
I was there 4 years ago .
About 6 guys got on our train car with full auto military rifles and none batted an eye. I guess they know soldiers returning home in civies 😆😆
It's mandatory requalification every season so you have to take a rifle with you on the bus or on the train if I remember right it has to be unloaded but you can't walk around with it normally unless you're going through it from competition
@@sitdowndogbreath No live ammo is issued to military personnel unless on base and in exercises where live ammo is required.
I think that they rather went to a shooting competition. Members of the army wear uniform til they arrive at home. The rifle spends the week end in the barracks. :-)
@@Baselfreak I thought that the rifle home with them while from public transport.
@@sitdowndogbreath The rifle is at home, when the person is not in active service. There is a 3 week reperition service every year, where we take our personal equipment: uniform, rifle, gasmask aso. For the week end we only take the uniform back home. But there is also a mandatory shooting training, which is made in civil clothes. Furthermore there is the „ Feldschiessen“, the shooting contest for everybody, active or veteran, with sometimes 300‘000 folks shooting at different places. Maybe Darren saw some of these folks.
Drove to St. Moritz when I was stationed in Italy. Great scenery, good food, nice people and the beautiful scent of money!
Hey briggs big fan for a while, never missed a video. I wanted to ask if you would consider making a video for car enthusiasts? Most car fanatic states in the U.S.? Something like that?
Bissmillah, i hope one day i can come to swiss.
its the trains that make it great (source: lived there for 6 years)
Its the trains that are fucking killing my bank account. (Source: i lived and live there since my fucking birth)
@@royfischer482 the ga card exists buddy. so does the halbtax. only tourists pay full price
@@lamegaming9835 Tourists can buy them too?!
.. and for the most beautiful yodeling you ever heard, look up Melanie, yodeling the song, Swiss girl. Her Swiss Family has a ton of knockout yodeling songs.
Some of the points are exactly correct like working and happiness or even neutrallity. Swiss are work acholics and treat over hours like a symbol of strength. Most people aren't exactly happy and complain a ton lol but they are happy they live in Switzerland. Also the swiss aren't exactly Neutral anymore since the Begin of the recent conflict.
Edit: ment to say aren't correct
Switzerland has one of the highest percentages of mental disorders, based on the size of the country and their suicide rate is also very high!
@@TheRongy This is very true. Over worked, little to no social life and bills that continue to get more expensive are key factors. Of course there are a lot of people who are finicaly well off but mentally not in the best of shape.
I like what you said at the end.
I stayed there for three months.
Hey Briggs! Video Request : Top 10 Cities with the Craziest Drivers, My favorite option vote is Memphis, TN
Iceland also is a great country to live in, as it looks just as well (if not better) than Switzerland and is oftentimes the BEST country in the world to live in! Mosquitoes can't live there, as the weird weather doesn't allow their eggs to live!
I love this country it's number one to me I don't care what a stat say or show United States and America is the best country to live in
This is for McMuffin. Already watched it, but just saw your post, so here's another and a comment. Good video. Take that, analytics!
and hey Briggs, have you done a video on the easiest/hardest countries for Americans to Expat to?
As a neighboring Austrian, I wanna request a video about Austria!
Visited in 90, and the salt mines were absolutely amazing. This was part of an ESL project in Budapest, so we couldn't stay for very long.
Austria is way better
I have a coworker who is from Switzerland and she tells me how it is there and i cant help but believe that it really is the best country in the world.
The flag is a huge plus.
TL;DW:
- People are happy
- People live a healthy lifestyle
- Great education system
- Very safe
- Mindblowing scenery
- Unique democratic system
- Many outdoor activities
- Infrastructure and public transportation
- Its position in Europe (central)
- It's neutral
I agree that Switzerland is a fantastic country and I visited it several times. I am not so sure about the happiness index, Swiss people tend not to be very social, they don't smile or laugh a lot, and they call the police if you have a birthday party at your home with friends. I rather be and live in a Mediterranean Latin country where people do laugh and socialize.
Agree and I live here.
I am Swiss and I’m from the french part and lived in Zurich and Basel as well, I don’t fully agree with you on this, it totally depends where you live in the country :)
People would call the Police on you anywhere in the world if you have a birthday party at your home with your friends and being loud until the early morning without consideration for your neighbors, who probably even have babies or small children but couldn't sleep because of the noise you and your friends are making.
Not me, that's why I use earplugs in the rare occasions there is too much noise in a neighborhood party. I try not to hassle people with the police, but that's me.
great video
I have always wanted to move to Switzerland. So beautiful
Switzerland is a beautiful country I've been there 3x very green country citizens are very happy and friendly and the food and culture is diverse. I'd love to live there but would be tough to work there with my job. Also tough to become a citizen there. My cousin been living there for years and he cant be a citizen unless he renounces his Portuguese citizenship. Theres a road in Switzerland were you drive your car onto a rail and the rail brings you through the mountains if you havent done this it's a must!!!!
That sounds amazing :D
Actually you can be a dual citizen in Switzerland, don't need to give up your second citizenship when becoming Swiss. Unless the other country forces you too...
@@fabiunus2548 interesting I've heard americans having to give up their citizenship
Switzerland allows dual citizenship!
@@MarcSpectorComics Not true at all! They renounce it for tax purposes, but aren't forced to do it!
I work in 🇩🇪 for a 🇨🇭 company. If I were based in 🇨🇭, I would be earning thrice of what I earn in 🇩🇪 for the exact same job. So, paying EVERYBODY a living wage, spending money on education and infrastructure = low crime = a happy, prosperous country. Like the US in 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. You know, before Reagan. Huh, who knew 🤔
One anecdote of a swiss about Switzerland
During ww2, some parts of machineries in factories were painted in certain color so in case of invasion you would have to beak it to make everything unusable.
Be prepared to try to speak and learn 4 different languages in Switzerland and while the pay is good the prices are expensive over there its the most expensive country in europe and one of the most expensive in the world .
The wages more than compensate for the prices.
Each person only has to speak the dominant language in their section. There is a great You Tube video about that made by Lang Focus!
No. Most swiss, especially the younger ones, understand and speak english.
Greetings from the PPRC very interesting video 🇺🇸🍿
For a long time Switzerland had more gun OWNERS than any country including the US. Switzerland has a true well regulated militia. Recently they reduce the size of their militia and military because europe is more peaceful. Still when they had the most gun OWNERS they had exceptionally violent crime rates. The USA always had the most GUNS per capita as far back as I can find statistics, last few decades.
*Fun Gaming Fact!* 🎮
In Super Smash Bros. Melee that I used to play growing up as a little boy back in the GameCube era, there's a Bonus you would receive in your battles called *"Switzerland"* which means you would win a match without attacking your opponents nor getting attacked!
Thought that was fascinating to look back on from Sakurai whom is the creator of the series to add as it really demonstrates how the Swiss doesn't want to be involved any type of war nor ever want to fight for their country which makes me adore how independent & fight-free the Plus (+) country wants to be defined as! 😇
Switzerland: great place to visit and dump tons of money, but socially it's a rather uptight and dour place, if you want to live there. Just my opinion after many visits.
They have the coolest money, especially the coins.
I ❤🇨🇭
Greetings from Kanton Zürich 😊🎉🍀💥❣️
My dream Destination 🇨🇭
I'm hoping to visit in 2025
Great show.