Switzerland is freaking expensive, a reason that intimidates many budget travelers to visit this country while passing by Europe. However, cheap travel to Switzerland is not an impossible mission, despite the high cost of living and the exchange rates between your currency and the Swiss Franc. After living there for almost two years, I share a couple of tips to help you visit Switzerland without getting bankrupt.
At a first sight, everything in Switzerland sounds to be overpriced but, generally speaking, the quality of the local services and products is quite high, so Swiss prices are fair when taking this perspective. There are many destinations around the world where prices are approximate but the quality standards are lower. If you’re departing from Italy, Germany, or Austria, and want to spend the minimum as possible, buy your food before crossing the border as the prices will be two or three times cheaper.
Eating Cheaply in Switzerland
Eating outside is one of the most expensive things to do in Switzerland, even Swiss people don’t go for dinner as often as you may think. A cheap meal for lunch, for example, costs CHF 25 – CHF 30 while dining can cost around CHF 80 – CHF 100. A kebab goes on CHF 8 – CHF 15. The best alternative for eating cheaply is to buy what you need directly at the supermarket and cook your food.
Aldi grocery store is the best option for budget travelers, where you can buy everything for a fraction of the average Swiss prices. If you don’t find Aldi, Denner, Lidl, and Radikal are good alternatives for a cheaper shop, still at good prices. Migros and Coop have higher prices but daily products such as bread are sold cheaper 30 minutes before closing (19:00h or 20:00h depending on the supermarket), and there are usually some baskets as discount corners.
Ok, you’re traveling on a budget, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try any local product, there are cheap products to buy in Switzerland, as detailed in this article. The Swiss chocolates are great regardless of the price and can be bought at supermarkets for affordable prices, including the brands Lindt, Cailler, and Munz. The beverage Rivella and the potato fritter rösti can’t miss in your shop while visiting Switzerland, both cost a couple of bucks.
In the main Swiss cities, you can buy “old bread” at the bakery Ässbar, founded in Bern. It’s the best spot for cheaper sandwiches and pastries, and to save some bucks during your trip, at prices between CHF 1 and CHF 3. They also have shops in Zurich, Basel, St. Gallen, Winterthur, Fribourg, Luzern. Normally, sweets and sandwiches at Swiss bakeries won’t cost less than CHF 5.
How to Move Around Switzerland?
Trains are the main transportation used to move around Switzerland. They are quite expensive, but work very well, as well as public transport in general – here you find the prices and train routes in detail. If you’re based in a neighboring country and using discount cards for train tickets, check how it works for the Swiss railway. If you don’t consider using the trains, taking a bus, car-sharing, and hitchhiking are the alternatives for budget travelers to move around Switzerland. BlaBlaBlaCar is used there, for example. The gas costs around CHF 1,40 – CHF 1,60 per liter.
If you are departing from Italy, you can take the train between Domodossola (connected to Milan) and Bern; from Germany, a train between Freiburg and Basel; and from France, between Grenoble (connected to Paris) and Geneva.
As Swiss cities aren’t huge, you can explore easily by walking. If you stay at a hostel in some cities, you receive a free public transportation card valid during your stay, as I once received in Geneva. Remember that if you’re caught by controllers on public transport without a valid ticket, the fine is CHF 100.
Cheaper Flights to Switzerland
When searching for flights to Switzerland, have in mind that the two biggest airports are located in Geneva and Zurich, both cities being a hub in Europe. For cheaper flights to Switzerland, check the routes via Lisbon, Barcelona, and Casablanca, where there are daily connections to Geneva. Via Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, and Vienna are also worth checking depending on where you depart from. From Scandinavia, there are options via the airport in Basel.
Accommodation in Switzerland
Accommodation tends to be hard to cut costs if you don’t know anyone in Switzerland who can offer you a couch to stay on. A hostel for CHF 40 per night is quite cheap for Swiss costs, as once I have paid for a night at City Hostel Geneva. Even in the villages, the cheapest rooms will cost around CHF 40 – CHF 50 per night.
Important to observe that accommodation is a hard part of Switzerland, even for permanent residents. Demand is usually higher than the offer. Home-sharing platforms like Booking, Agoda, Hostelworld and Airbnb can be a good option for rooms, chalets, and other types of accommodations at affordable prices. Another alternative to consider, if you use hotels a lot, is to use hotel reward points. Burn your points in expensive destinations is a great idea, isn’t it? Camping can be a good option if you’re traveling by car and camping sites are usually active in Switzerland during the summer.
Shift your Mind for Experiences
Before thinking about free activities to do in Switzerland, it’s crucial for budget travelers to shift their mindset toward experiences when planning their itinerary in the country. There are countless opportunities for cultural experiences such as chocolate tours visiting Lindt Museum in Zurich and the Swiss Chocolate Adventure Experience in Lucerne, food tasting, cooking classes, and adventure activities that are more affordable than you may imagine. Taking a boat ride around the lake of Geneva, surrounded by a beautiful mountainous landscape, for a couple of minutes costs less than CHF 10, and there are several options for tours around the lake.
Search for free activities
Switzerland has plenty of free activities you can do, which vary according to the city you visit. Always do research on what activities are possible to do for free. Explore the old towns, visit free museums and old churches, and walk around parks and gardens. In some cities, there are free bikes available for a deposit fee. In the summer, people go to the rivers, lakes, and public pools, also for free. Swiss people like to do outdoor activities and sports whenever the weather allows doing trekking, riding bicycles, and other adventure sports.
If you look for more recommendations for traveling cheap in Switzerland, in another article you find a guide for Swiss food and drinks you can buy at local supermarkets at affordable prices.
Originally posted 2018-06-03 20:04:34.
