Telephone Communications in Switzerland

Telephone & Fax

All telephone numbers in Switzerland have at least 9 digits.

To telephone Switzerland from abroad, dial the international code of your country +  41 and then, the number of the person you are calling (without the 0 at the beginning of the Swiss telephone number), e.g. +41 31987564

To call somewhere in Switzerland when in Switzerland, dial the number which starts with “0”, e.g. 031987564.

From Switzerland to a foreign country: dial the international dialling code before the number. For example, UK +44, Germany +49, or France +33. The “0” of the local area code is omitted, for example +4431987564. To get the “+” sign keep the”0″ pressed for a bit longer. Telephone cards (for phone boxes, recharges for mobile phones, pre-paid cards.) are for sale at post offices, tobacconists and souvenir shops. Many public telephone booths in Switzerland also let you make international phone calls with an international credit card.

Swiss Phonecard

The Swiss phonecard is called Taxcard, and lets you make cashless phone calls from public payphones which are equipped with card readers.

PTT-Taxcards are on sale for CHF 5.00, CHF 10.00 and CHF 20.00 at post offices, newsagents, railway stations, etc. Pressing button L on the phone switches the display to English.

24-hour English-speaking information

There’s a pay service called Anglo-Phone which is a 24-hour English-speaking information and talk-line. Dial 157-5014 from anywhere in Switzerland. They will deal with all your queries from finding an English speaking babysitter to telling you about events, excursions, activities or even the best local restaurant. But it’s not cheap, calls cost CHF 2.13 per minute so be careful!

Important Warning:

Swisscom (the main Swiss telecom company) has some of the highest charges in Europe. If possible, buy one its competitors’ phone cards, you can save a lot of money that way.

How to Find a Swiss Phone Number

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