Sending Flowers to Switzerland: A Florist's Practical Guide

Yes, you can send flowers to Switzerland through Turboflora: we deliver to six Swiss cities, including Zürich, Bern, Luzern, Winterthur, Sankt Gallen and Biel. You choose a bouquet on the Switzerland delivery page, enter the recipient's address and your card text, and pay online in rubles, with delivery already included in the price.

The ordering part takes a few minutes. The part that deserves a little more thought is everything around it: which flowers send the right message in Switzerland, which language to write the card in, how to give an address so the courier finds the door first time, and how to make sure the bouquet lasts once it arrives. Below is what we would tell you if you came into the studio and asked.

Which Swiss cities we deliver to

Our Swiss list currently covers six cities: Zürich, Bern, Luzern, Winterthur, Sankt Gallen and Biel. Each has its own page with bouquets available for that city, so start from the country page and pick the city where your recipient lives. If you see a bouquet you like on the city page, that is the one we can deliver there.

Switzerland is one of 53 countries on our international list, with more than 1630 cities in total. If your recipient is in a smaller town nearby, check the full list on the Flower delivery abroad page before deciding. The page is in Russian, but country and city names are easy to recognise, and the catalogue for each place works the same way.

A practical point about Biel: the city is officially bilingual and also goes by Bienne. Street names there appear in German and French, so either version of the address is normally understood. Write it the way your recipient writes it on their own letters.

How ordering works, step by step

An order to Switzerland is placed the same way as an order inside Russia. Open the city page, choose the bouquet, fill in the recipient's name, phone number and full address, write your card text and pay online. Payment is by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay.

The price you see is already converted into rubles and already includes delivery to that Swiss city, so there is no separate delivery line to add at checkout. The 500 RUB city delivery fee and our express or time-window options apply to Russian cities, not to orders abroad, so do not plan a Swiss surprise around a one-hour slot.

Swiss addresses follow a simple pattern: street name and house number on one line, then a four-digit postcode and the city, for example a line ending in 8001 Zürich. Add the floor, the name on the doorbell and any entry code. Many Swiss apartment buildings list several surnames on the panel, and the name on the bell is what gets the door opened.

If something about the address or the timing is unclear, message our manager on WhatsApp before you pay. It is far easier to sort out a missing building number at that stage than once the bouquet is on its way.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$13

Bouquet of 3 white French roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 red French roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Bouquet of 3 pink roses with eucalyptus, 50 cm

$18

Choosing flowers that read well in Switzerland

Swiss taste in flowers tends to be restrained and seasonal. Loose, natural-looking bouquets with garden roses, ranunculus, tulips in spring or eucalyptus and seasonal greenery usually land better than tightly packed, heavily decorated arrangements. If you are unsure, a medium-sized bouquet in two or three colours is a safe choice for almost any occasion.

Red roses carry the same romantic meaning there as almost everywhere, so keep them for a partner. For a mother, a friend or a colleague, soft pinks, peach, cream and mixed pastel tones are warmer without being misread. Sunflowers and bright mixed bouquets suit birthdays and congratulations.

Chrysanthemums and white lilies are strongly linked with funerals and graves in much of central Europe, Switzerland included, so avoid them for a happy occasion. They are entirely appropriate for condolences, along with white roses and calm, mostly white arrangements.

One tradition you can let go of: the Russian rule of odd numbers of stems does not really apply in Switzerland. Nobody there will count the stems. Choose the bouquet by how it looks, not by the number.

What to write on the card, and in which language

Zürich, Bern, Luzern, Winterthur and Sankt Gallen are German-speaking, and Biel is German and French. If your recipient is a Russian speaker, write in Russian; if they are Swiss, a short line in English is understood almost everywhere, and a phrase in their own language is a lovely touch.

A few simple options: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag (happy birthday in German), Joyeux anniversaire (in French), Herzlichen Glückwunsch (congratulations), and In stiller Anteilnahme for condolences. Check the spelling carefully before you pay, because accents and umlauts are easy to get wrong.

Keep the message to two or three lines and sign it with the name the recipient knows you by. If you want to stay anonymous, just leave out the signature and the card will say only what you wrote.

A small detail that makes the card feel personal: mention something specific. A line about the walk you took by the lake in Luzern, or the coffee you always have together in Bern, says more than any standard greeting. Florists read hundreds of cards a week, and the ones people keep on the fridge are almost always the short, specific ones.

Timing and occasions worth planning for

For dates that matter, order early rather than on the day. Mother's Day in Switzerland falls on the second Sunday in May, Valentine's Day is widely celebrated, and the weeks before Christmas are busy. Placing the order a few days ahead gives you time to fix any detail and makes it more likely your preferred bouquet is still available.

Think about when your recipient is actually at home. Swiss offices start early and many people commute between cities, so a weekday delivery to an empty flat is a common mistake. If they work, consider sending to the office, or choose a day you know they are in.

In winter, Swiss cities are cold, especially in the mornings. A bouquet left outside a door in frost can be damaged in less than an hour, so always include a phone number and mention in the comments if there is a concierge or a neighbour who can take it in.

For birthdays and anniversaries, it also helps to tell the recipient's household quietly in advance, if you can. A partner or flatmate who knows a delivery is coming will be home, answer the phone and keep the surprise without spoiling it.

Helping the bouquet last after delivery

Most people in Switzerland know how to look after flowers, but a short note never hurts, especially for an older relative. The basic routine is simple: trim two or three centimetres off each stem at an angle, remove any leaves that would sit under the water, and use a clean vase with cool water.

Change the water every one or two days and trim the stems again each time. Keep the vase away from radiators, sunny windowsills and fruit bowls: heat speeds up wilting, and ripening fruit releases ethylene, which makes petals drop faster. Swiss flats are often well heated in winter, so a cooler hallway at night genuinely extends vase life.

Treated this way, a typical mixed bouquet stays fresh for about a week, and roses or chrysanthemums often longer. If you ever want to send flowers to family in Russia too, the bouquets catalogue works exactly the same way, with city delivery at 500 RUB. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.