Scandinavian countries are famous as some of the most preferred for life. We're used to Denmark, Finland and Norway topping the charts for the happiest countries, but there's another European country that ranks among the world's best places to live.
And this is Switzerland. Its Zurich and Geneva are in the top 10 of this year's Global Liveability Index and Smart City Index and can boast of being two of the most livable cities, writes LifeStyle.bg.
As a smaller country bordering five others, Switzerland has been influenced by different cultures and languages over the years. And this has led to good management approaches and methods. Due to the influence of cultural, ethnic and linguistic minorities, there is high continuity and application of compromises. In addition, residents take an active part in decision-making for the country by exercising their right to vote in elections and referenda.
Here is what makes Switzerland more special and continues to be one of the best countries to live in.
Education
In the Global Liveability ranking, both Geneva and Zurich boast a perfect score of 100 points in the education category, writes the BBC. Public schools maintain a high level and cannot be said to be inferior in quality to private education. Lessons are not only focused on academic achievement, but also emphasize practical life and work skills. Through the curriculum, children also learn social skills, independence, self-organization, and even behavior.
Safety and social life
In Switzerland, it is not uncommon for parents to let their children walk to school and back home alone. The country's cities rank high in safety, stability, culture and environment indices. Of course, there is also crime, but it is among the lowest in the world.
In addition, the priority of the residents of the country is social and family life, which means that the rhythm of their daily life is also more relaxed. People are rarely in a hurry, working hours are fixed, so they have time for daily walks, time with family at home, and other leisure activities. Switzerland is also not characterized by long commutes or traffic jams, even ordering takeout.
With care for nature
This also leads to the next criterion, which is related to the respect and care of the Swiss for nature. They value their agriculture and maintain vegetation with an emphasis on landscaping.
Also, the country is lucky with its naturally beautiful landscape - rivers, lakes and the imposing Alps, of course. The proximity of Swiss cities to open nature also contributes significantly to residents' sense of happiness, especially given that governmental and cultural norms allow for sufficient leisure time.
Switzerland supports the idea that contact with nature is essential for people's well-being, including this concept in the planning of cities and living spaces.
Residents of other cities also enjoy the accessibility of nature. And the benefits of the committed infrastructure in the country extend even beyond the big cities. The tourist infrastructure is also good, there is no lack of organized public transport, restaurants and hotels for tourists.
Travel and Transportation
Switzerland offers easy and convenient accessibility to the rest of Europe. In addition, residents and visitors of the country can also rely on intercity public transport with a reliable train system, as well as benefit from technological services that make it much easier. Self-driving vehicles are even being tested now.
The SwissPass card, for example, is particularly practical as it serves as a universal ticket for all public transport and provides access to libraries, museums and municipal facilities.
A plus of Switzerland is also its relatively small area, since everything is so close. This means that for residents and tourists alike, mountain excursions and other recreational activities in the city are equally accessible. So, for example, in the morning a person can make a hiking trip in the mountains or a picnic by the lake, and in the evening he has already gone down to the city center, where he can dive into the more lively streets.
Source: FOCUS