With April now fading behind us, there are plenty of crucial things and events happening in Switzerland in May 2025. From the return of referendums to public holidays and Eurovision, here’s your guide to the next 31 days.
For the lucky residents of 10 cantons in Switzerland, May will begin with a holiday, thanks to Labour Day. Workers in Zurich, Ticino, Thurgau, Solothurn, Schaffhausen, Neuchâtel, Jura, Basel-Land, Basel-Stadt and Aargau will be treated to either a full or half day off on Thursday, May 1.
Whether you are kicking back and relaxing or joining one of the many labour demonstrations taking place across the country, we hope you have a great time!
While Switzerland isn’t known for hosting major events of worldwide renown, May 2025 is expected to be a loud and colourful exception. From May 13 to the early hours of May 18, the Eurovision Song Contest will grip the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, where 37 different countries will fight it out for the title.
This year, Bara bada bastu from Swedish act KAJ is the bookies’ favourite to win the competition. Though Switzerland will likely not be in line for its fourth ESC title this year, Zoë Më will still put on a great show with her melodic French-language song Voyage.
Though no nationwide referendums are on the ballot in May 2025, various Swiss cantons will be holding regional votes on changes to policy, popular initiatives and other proposals. For instance, Canton Zurich will be voting on a plan to lower business taxes by 1 percent, while Aargau will decide on a plan to make more companies liable to publish data on their salaries and the wage gap between their male and female employees.
In Basel, Swiss citizens will vote on a new expansion to the cycle network, which includes priority bicycle routes and safer crossings. For Geneva, voters will be considering a new proposal to make the installation of solar panels on suitable roofs and facades mandatory by 2035.
From May to the end of October, PostBus will make bicycle reservations mandatory on a number of its routes. These are on public transport lines that are most popular with tourists, such as in ski resorts and other parts of the mountains. Reservations will cost two francs, charged in addition to your bicycle ticket.
PostBus said the reservation requirement will help “avoid unexpected disappointments due to insufficient capacity." As it stands, the rule will be imposed in Graubünden, Valais, central Switzerland, the Bernese Oberland and some select bus routes in eastern and French-speaking areas. Ticino is exempt from the system, though only temporarily.
Residents of Lucerne will be given better access to vaccinations thanks to new rules being introduced on May 1. Under the changes, pharmacies will be permitted to offer and administer all types of vaccinations.
As it stands, pharmacies are only able to administer follow-up inoculations and those related to COVID-19 or influenza. Experts in the region hope that the scheme will help relieve pressure on GPs, and could expand the number of people being vaccinated.
From May, WhatsApp will no longer be available on older iPhones. The company explained that these devices no longer have the security updates or device features needed to run the messaging service.
On May 5, the company will stop providing support for phones which run on iOS 15.1 or older. In practice, this means that the iPhone 5s and 6s will no longer be capable of using the app.
As part of its massive expansion of services out of Zurich, easyJet will launch a direct flight to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The flight will launch on May 1, connecting the Swiss airport to the British city twice a week.
Like others launched by the budget airline this year, easyJet’s new route from Zurich is in direct competition with SWISS, which will take over running the route from Edelweiss this summer. This means that even if you don’t choose to fly on the orange airline, the competition will (hopefully) lead to lower prices on both carriers.
In important news for travellers to Thailand - one of the favourite destinations among people in Switzerland - from May 1, the Thai government will introduce a mandatory digital entry card for foreign visitors. The free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) needs to be applied for at least three days before you arrive in the country.
In the form itself, visitors must provide their name and basic information and details about their passport and stay in the country. More information about the TDAC can be found here.
Finally, residents of all 26 cantons will be given a chance to relax at the end of the month, thanks to Ascension Day. The holiday, which commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven, will take place on May 29.
With the holiday falling on a Thursday, many take an extra day of paid leave to make it a four-day weekend, while some charitable businesses choose to simply give their employees an extra day off and return to the grind on the following Monday.
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