Clichés

Orderliness Switzerland is spick and span. Each home, street, office and... every rubbish bin is neat and tidy. In some cases, the rubbish bin even has its own chalet to protect it from the elements. swissinfo.ch
Cleanliness In Switzerland, everything is clean and shiny. The Swiss flag itself is the symbol of cleanliness, so much so that you'll even find it on your soap. swissinfo.ch
Security The Swiss are obsessed by security. Each town and village has an alarm system that is tested once a year, at full blast. swissinfo.ch
Slowness Discussing, thinking and - more than anything else – deciding seem to take a lot longer in Switzerland than elsewhere. The slow pace of change gives many people the feeling the country is sleeping. swissinfo.ch
Innovation Innovation is a typical trait of the Swiss. They have even found a way of recycling tennis balls that were once used by the likes of Roger Federer and Martina Hingis. swissinfo.ch
Precision Painting a line on the road: easy? Not really. But the Swiss, perfectionists at heart, put their high-powered knowledge of engineering, mechanics and geometry to good use... swissinfo.ch
Nobody's perfect But sometimes even the Swiss get it wrong... swissinfo.ch