Back in 2006, when I wrote Open Road’s Switzerland Guide, I noted that this pristine paradise had one stain (a sticky brown nicotine stain, that is). Europeans love to indulge in the good things in life and for most of them, tobacco ranks right up there with wine, cheese and coffee. Non-smoking tourists used to have a hard time in Swiss restaurants, as every Swiss seems to love their post-prandial cigarette or cigar. Late-night bars often became unbearable. The smoking sections on trains were like poison gas chambers where even most smokers didn’t care to linger.

Photo by pppspics at flickr.com

Well, the European air is steadily clearing, at least indoors. Several countries, including England and (believe it or not) Italy, now ban smoking in most indoor spaces, and Switzerland is following the by  trend. Smoking was banned on all Swiss trains a couple of years ago, and restaurants and bars are rapidly becoming smokeless. Readers of my book know that local laws often vary among Switzerland’s 26 cantons. Just as you’d expect, there’s currently a confusing patchwork of rules, but apparently most indoor smoking will be banned throughout the country by the end of 2010. The last canton to give in was the conservative Appenzell.

Folks who work in restaurants and bars are the ones whose health will benefit most from the ban, but most seem more concerned about the hit to their pocketbooks. I’ve spoken with local wirten (restaurant and bar owners) who have seen their income drop 20 percent or more, and a few places have even had to close their doors. The majority of Swiss are actually non-smokers (obviously so, as the smoking bans have been imposed by popular referendums), but the majority of regular bar patrons are confirmed puffers. Smokers still go out, but not as often, and they tend to leave earlier (when you have to put on your coat to go outside for a smoke, you may as well move on).

Photo by trailsource.com at flickr.com

So traveling, and especially dining, in the Alpine wonderland is now much more pleasant for us lovers of clean air, at least in the colder months. In summer, Swiss dining and drinking takes place outside, where it’s still legal to light up (giving the Swiss one more reason to love their all-too-short summer).

– Charlie Morris