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How do you charge devices?

We're planning a trip in the fall. How can we charge the camera and cell phone?

Posted by
8164 posts

In the hotel room overnight; some have usb outlets. In the train stations. On the trains. In the airport. Cafes. Even the long distance buses have plugs. It is 1st world infrastructure in Switzerland.
Just do not forget to bring the European adapter

Posted by
911 posts

You can also find adapters at Target, Walmart, and pretty much any store that sells luggage and travel accessories. And of course Amazon. Just make sure it's for Europe not the UK which has different plug shapes.

Posted by
381 posts

Also, some Swiss plugs are slightly different than the regular European ones. The prongs are the same, but the base is different. We had a Euro one for our last trip and it didn't fit in the socket in our first Swiss hotel room because their wall socket was inset and ours was too bulky. The Newstar Swiss Quality hotel kindly lent us the adapter to use for our stay. The hotel in Zurich had regular Euro plugs.

Posted by
32351 posts

rs,

You can charge your camera and cell phone using the same chargers that you use at home. However it's important to verify that all chargers you'll be travelling with are rated for use from 100-240 VAC. You can find the "Input Voltage" ratings written on each charger.

If your phones are newer, it's highly likely that they are rated to operate on European electrical systems. If the camera is an older model, that may not be the case. Be sure to check that.

Most electronic devices these days are fitted with two pin plugs (no ground pin). Therefore a two pin Plug Adaptor such as THIS ONE should work fine. You should be able to find these at local stores in your area such as Best Buy, Walmart or whatever.

Posted by
318 posts

If all of your devices charge via USB, another option is to buy a Euro USB charger. I have a four-port model (purchased on Amazon) that plugs directly into a Euro power port without needing an adapter, and provides four USB charging ports. Then just take some USB cables that plug into your devices and you're all set.

Posted by
5837 posts

Not all camera's charge with usb connections. My Cannon cameras have charging units (110-240 vac x 50Hz/60Hz) that accept the battery and have a plug that rotates away from the body. I use the adaptor (plug) to bridge between the charger's Type A (North American) plug and the Swiss Type J (or Type C) power outlet. My Cannon charging units are light enough to just hand from the wall socket with the adaptor bridging between my power units and the wall socket.

Posted by
6462 posts

Be aware that some places in Switzerland (I think the German speaking areas??Luzern, BO, Basel) do NOT use the same adapter plug as much of Europe. I did not know this and fortunately, the places I stayed were able to loan me an adapter. My recollection was I used the same adapter in Geneva, Switzerland, that I have used in other places in Europe.

I take a lot of photos so I bring two camera batteries and I also bring a back up portable charger for cell phones and other devices which saved me my first night in Luzern when I had no idea why my adapter didn't work. ;)

Posted by
33821 posts

a little more info from rskover about exactly what they want to charge, the age especially of the camera, and what it says on each would be helpful to give an accurate detailed answer.