Switzerland: How to Visit Switzerland on a Budget 

Thanks Mark! I think you summarized some great tips to help people visiting my country!

i am Swiss and i know nobody who recommends going to McDonald's ;-)

You can also see whether restaurants have a lunch menu. Its often cheaper than when you go out for dinner.

You can travel Switzerland on a budget. Austria

Went last Fall and can definitely say the SwissRail Pass was the best thing you can get to spend a week and travel around, between the daily train trips, the museums, etc. easily would have spent at least twice more doing everything individually and it was super easy to stay in one place and travel to other cities for day trips rather than moving around constantly.

We appreciate your videos as fellow Georgians! You go to all the same places we do and your assessments are usually spot on!

just in time, i want to visit Switzerland soon

As others already said, I would recommend the restaurants of Migros and Coop and lunch menues and buying food in the grocery stores (this includes chocolate as a souvenir, you don’t need to go to a speciality store, Migros own brand Frey and Lindt from Coop are cheaper and have an amazing quality. You sould also take advantage of the big cheese selection they offer). Bakeries are also a good option for amazing bread and pastries and many also have sandwiches and salads for lunch. When the weather is warm, you can do a picnic and it’s legal to drink alcohol in public, so you can enjoy some drinks by the water or in a park, and safe a lot of money. Renting an apartment with multiple people can be cheaper than a hotel and you can even cook some groceries for a warm meal. The train is also a good place to eat your groceries and see the landscape at the same time. Just a “normal” train for example the route from Bern to Geneva or Bern to Interlaken and Luzern has an amazing landscape, you don’t need to go a “special” expensive panoramic train to experience that. And as already mentioned, a day pass or regional pass for public transportation is always cheaper and more convenient as individual tickets, especially for cable cars or cog railways in the mountains. That being said, it is still expensive, so traveling in Switzerland is one big splurge and you should treat it as such and save up as much money as possible beforehand.

Book hotels or hostels that are NOT in a main road. Book them 2-3 blocks away from a train station or major road. Noise and tourist area will cost you more. Walk a couple of blocks and save a couple of hundreds $

Your work just keeps getting better!👍

Thanks for these tips Mark! Really want to visit Switzerland, but it just seems so expensive - guess I’ll need to save up!

If you have a pass for the public transport anyway, look for accomodation outside of the cities and touristic hotspots. Often you'll find cheaper options just a 20 minutes train ride away.

If you take kids with you, get a Junior Swiss Pass. They cost 30 Franks per year per kid and you can use all transportation and a lot of cable cars without buying an extra ticket for them. This pays off after only a few short trips already!

Heading to Switzerland during the December month, going to be fun 😊

The cheapest meal you can get: Aldi and Lidl have hamburgers and hotdogs for less than 2 CHF or a little more... Now I've never had the courage to eat one of those but I believe that is the cheapest you can get!

If you buy Reka Checks you can safe 3%. You can pay whit them for the train or a lot of other things

Junk Food isn`t that much less expensive in Switzerland that normal food. If go to MCDonald`s and pick de medium Menu you land around 15-17CHF. But you already get a good pizza for 20-25CHF and you get much more food. (my opinion) But consider the Migros and Coop`s Restaurant, they make also a good price. And if you consider to make the travel all by train, maybe Interrail is something for you. Its a pass where for X-Days all the trains, busses and some ferrys are included. This pass is also available for other countrys in Europe.

Don’t go if you eat maccas mate, try skipping a meal or drink a meal replacement

I don't do window shopping at the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich even being a local. It's too expensive. Go to the Glattzentrum, I heard this shopping center is getting a tourist place.

The only inexpensive way to visit Switzerland: stay with friends! 😉

The cheapest part is the Italian one where I spent almost 4 years. Restaurants are cheaper than fast foods. Hotels have the same average of Italian hotels prices.

Went there once, Paid $4 for a can of coke, never going back.

Visit my city solothurn ❤

Just eat at the Kiosk and Markets, that’s the cheap spots

does switzerland have air bnb's?

✍️

Take the suggestion to eat in McDonald’s seriously. I spent nearly US$20 for a terrible hamburger in a cafe in Lucerne. Be warned!

I need a lot information about hostels in Switzerland please,leave comment if you had an experience about that,thanks

As a Swiss, I give you also tips : cantons of Ticino, Jura and Neuchatel, for example, are way cheaper than swiss german part and there is also fantastic things to see, do and experience. Furthermore, to save money, countrysides are way cheaper than cities (hotels, restaurants, accomodations, etc.). Avoid the main touristic places (like some "typical" restaurant in the center of Lucerne or Zurich, it's definitely expansive - even for us, the swiss - and it's not worth it). Some touristic spot are insanely expensive, and most swiss don't even go there 'cause it's too expensive for families (example : Jungfraujoch, Zermatt, St. Moritz, Cran Montana, etc) and it's also ridiculously cliché. You wanna eat cheaper but very good food ? Try for example the small mountain restaurants AWAY from the main touristic spots, ask the locals to give you some advice about this and you will discover more authentic AND cheaper places to eat. You can do a lot of things for free, like hiking ; we have so many "postcards landscapes" for real and it costs nothing to walk and have an amazing experience. For cheaper accomodation, AirBnB are excellent options. You also have nice B&B but you have to scratch a bit more the surface of the touristic ads you might see. Same with campings, in most of these you have everything you need. Finally, transports : these are expansive a.f. but it's true, you have some pass, etc that are great. Some region for example offer a pass with you can use public transportation for free for a couple of days if you stay in hotel or accomodation (I saw it while visiting canton Neuchatel, for example). The local touristic information desk will give you such tips. And the public transportation network is really good. So yes, of course, Switzerland will be more expansive vacations than in most european countries (except maybe Norway, Iceland, etc.) but these tips might help you spend less money and enjoy more authentic things here :)

I do agree with all the advices except McDO. You can find local fast food with swiss quality food for about the same price. Moreover, the cheapest option is to grab something to lunch at Migros supermarket (this is the only place where you'll find affordable prices in Switzerland).

Even for us (swiss) if you don't have the 1/2 tarif pass for public transport, train tickets are stupidly expensive.

I am swiss, and yes, Switzerland is really not cheap :-( but its beautiful, especially the nature. For eating, if you dont want to have picnic and want to have a cheapish lunch or dinner, I wouldnt go to Mac Donalds, but into a COOP or Migros Restaurant. Those are the two biggest supermarket chains in Switzerland, and in bigger location they have self-service restaurants, with good quality food, which is not too expensive. They have a big choice, including salads, local dishes and desserts, so not only burgers, fries, chicken nugget like at MD's.

Good advice Mark. One thing I suspect the restauranting Wolters folks don't understand: Meal prices can easily be twice as expensive as the US. And if you have to have steak? It can be three times as much. Another tip, by your sundries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, at a chain store in the cities. I was in a mountain resort in the French canton of Vaud. I bought small containers of toothpaste, mouthwash and shampoo... $30+ USD. Ouch! Advanced level, buy your needs in France and Germany. But while in Switzerland do buy yogurt, cheese (I found a smoked wet cheese that still blows my mind.) and chocolate. SPLURGE ON CHOCOLATE!!! Try smoked meat. At Migros or Coop try horse meat steaks, seriously. If you have cooking facilities. Buy the rail passes that allow you five days in a month or something like that. Use them on the buses to connect with the trains. I have spent a lot of time in French Switzerland. I stay with friends, so that part is taken care of. But my recommendations for the most enjoyment. Get a detailed local map. They are readily available in every village. Use them. Hike! (Don't fully trust your GPS.) Follow the little yellow signs. Next, get familiar with the rail and bus lines. Study them. You'll be amazed where you can go in a day.

Other Tips from a local: Maybe the hotelcard is an Option for you Go and eat at the university Mensa. Good food for a good price. Go to the grocery Stores after 6pm. A lot of food is half price. Travel by train.

Imagine going to Switzerland and eating at McDonalds.

My girlfriend and I just took a trip to Locarno/ Lugano/ Gambarogno Flew to Milan from the UK for £20-30 return can't remember exactly how much, stayed in an Airbnb and bought all our groceries in Italy. 4 days and cost us barely over £100 each!

2:40 Some supermarkets (e.g. Migros) also feature a self-service restaurant, which is a common way to eat prepared food while traveling in Switzerland.

I was just in Switzerland about a week ago. We were in Zurich and Geneva. One thing I realized were the waiters, if they know you are a tourist, they will ask if you want to tip when you eat out in restaurants. I avoided this after the third time, I gave my girlfriend my credit card to pay and behold, they do not ask the woman to tip. That was definitely the biggest turn off. Other than that, it is a beautiful country with amazing chocolate and fondue. The Lindt museum in Zurich is the best museum in the world in my opinion.

If you're visiting Zurich & like chocolate, by all means go on the Lindt chocolate factory tour. It's a little outside Zurich [15 minutes by train? It's been over 30 years, so my remembry isn't perfect] and the cost is not high (iirc, they donate the receipts to charity.) The tour is very interesting, you'll learn a lot about chocolate history that you never knew, and at the end they give you a little gift bag of chocolates that is easily worth half the price of the tour, if not more. One of my fondest memories of my visit to Switzerland, along with the Swiss family that we got to know thru the travel council's "Meet the Swiss" program.

Bonus tips: - I would stay away from big and often frequented cities as a budget visit. You will be seeing a bunch of those mainstream chain businesses instead of local unique ones. Also you will be charged almost twice as much for exactly the same products you can get in smaller cities or towns. - If I could only visit 1 area to experience as much "swissness" as possible, that would be Graubünden. - If you're interested in eating at restaurants, do so at lunchtime. Most restaurants offer a small selection of their menu for much cheaper at lunch. It's not uncommon to get a full meal for $20-30 or even less depending on the type of food. During the evening there's only à la carte in most places and that will quickly cost you $40-50 per person.

After watching half of the movie and finding NOTHING what would not be really obvious for the normal traveller I have clicked "dislike". I don't think that someone who visits Switzerland really needs the suggestions type "don't eat in restaurants because food in regular shops is cheaper and in general McDonald is cheaper than other restaurants" or "ask for travel passes". Please respect the intelligence of your audience.

Switzerland is a funny place. The guy flipping burgers at McDonald's is probably making more money than you 🤣

The most beautiful clean country. Expensive yes but quality in everything. I've been twice and really needed this video. Thankyou 😘

Go to Coop or Migros Restaurant in the shopping centers. They are self serve, and cheaper. Greetings from Thun SWITZERLAND 😊

Exploring new countries is such a rewarding experience! For first-time travelers, I'd recommend considering destinations that offer a mix of cultural richness and natural beauty. Personally, I've been fortunate to travel to over 10 countries thanks to careful budgeting and smart investments.I wasnt financial free until my 40’s and I’m still in my 40’s, bought my second house already, earn on a monthly through passive income and got 2 out of 5 goals, just hope it encourages someone that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any of them right now, you can start TODAY regardless your age INVEST and change your future...

Not only in fast foods! In Switzerland there are also supermarket restaurants such as Coop, Migros and Manor which cost about the same as Mc Donalds. It's true: it all depends on where you go in Switzerland. I live in Ticino and we are latins! We speak Italian, we eat like in Italy (don’t come here for a fondue, but for pizza, pasta and polenta con brasato!) and we drink Merlot wine, like in Italy. A coffee here costs 1: 80Fr. In Zürich it costs more than double and in St Moritz it is even worse!

Thanks for the advice. Budget and Switzerland are two things that don't really go together but you've inspired me.

Great tips! I had great inexpensive filling meal at Zurich Fried Chicken - ZFC was much better quality than KFC! Also, great market food in Geneva led to often eating in a nice park area by the shops I couldn’t afford 😂

From a swiss: how much it will cost you, really depends on what you want to do. Accommodation and food will be expensive, but you can go all day without spending a single dime from there on. For example in the Engadine valley, public transport is included in your hotel and you can go hiking, biking, wind/kite/wing surfing etc. For free.

Would like to see another video on Switzerland, for example more of, what to see and do etc...

It also good to understand that most Swiss cities are relatively small which means it's quite easy to leave the city center to avoid overpaying for food. In Bern where I live the restaurant around the parliament building are really expensive but In 15min by foot you'll have the same food for half the price in a less touristic neighborhood. The tip I give to my friend when they visit is to listen to people sitting outside the restaurant. If everyone is speaking English it means its probably a tourist trap and you should keep walking until you hear clients speaking in Swiss German.

You mention good water quality and it's free?? It's good quality because we spend tens of billions in infrastructure every year so we have the luxury to be able to drink best water from the tap. Trains so expensive.... It's true! Why? The trains are clean, the schedule is Swiss watch quality, the rails are welded so there is no noise, there are people travelling in some trains to keep law and order and you safe and so on. All that comes with a pricetag. That adds up and part of that has to come out of each users pocket - tourist or not. Could write a book about it but don't because I left 24 years ago and don't miss it. If you make it your holiday destination you have to accept certain things...

McD? Honestly? What kind of a tipp was that? There are a lot of other cheep opportunities here! And if you would like to have a very good home made burger, I'd know some places... Are you still in Switzerland, Mark and maybe planning on going to Lucerne? I'dbe happy to show you around - not only for food though ;) Just get in contact or let me know in an answer here...

As far as I know there's also some sort of travel card for non-residents of Switzerland that you can get for a set amount of money. If you're going around by train a couple of times that might already be worth it. I don't know much about this card because I don't use it (I live here) but I have seen it advertised.

I enjoyed this video very much - thank you! Switzerland has been on my bucket list ever since I was a young girl. Something about the mtns and meadows and of course, the Saint Bernard's 😊 A thing I do wherever I travel is I divide all my spending money per day and separate it w a yellow sticky ie: I put ea days spending/food money w it's own sticker and date (means i arrive w currency unless i need to use bank machine for extenuating circumstances). Then I know when I look in my wallet that's what I have (I use a double sided wallet. One compartment hides the bulk money or I leave it in a safe etc and only take that day's cash w me when I go out). If I spend less, that diff can go towards another day. If I borrow from another day, I economize on the day I borrowed from and catch up on the 3rd day etc. My friends laugh at me but I don't use credit whilst on vac and never come home broke 🤣. Cash only (outside of airbnb and flights, bus/train tkts of course).

One thing to add: If you do decide to eat out, remember there is no "mandatory tip". You don't have to feel awkward not tipping, completely ok in Switzerland.

Want to go so bad! My dream country other than Austria😄

Still cheaper than USA.

On the water thing In the german speaking part you can actually just refill your bottles on most water fountains as long as it isn't written to not be drinkable because Swiss fountains do just use tap water in most cases

Hooray for Migros & COOP!! Best places to get reasonably priced good food. They have takeout--even hot foods! And no to McDonalds except for one thing--their McFlurries are mixed with Swiss chocolates like Toblerone or Cailler. Stay outside of the larger cities for better rates and go local rather than the familiar chains, even the lesser priced hotels are sparkling clean, although simple. Cheapest and best thing to do--walk! Especially in the mountains and you can fill up your water bottle at any of those fountains, city or mountain, with no concerns! One more thing--Basel & Luzern are my favorite cities. Basel is often overlooked for the more touristy Zurich, Luzern, & Geneva.

Budget and Switzerland are not used together hahahaha

So the FIRST thing that’s gonna shock ya wenn coming to Switzerland on a budget - it is not possible. Instead go to eastern Germany

I'd recommend going to McDonalds any international place you travel. they have their own items and interesting exclusives not found in the states. :)

Jup, just been to switzerland 2 weeks ago for 4 days before going to Italy. It's crazy expensive, especially when you want to see the Jungfraujoch. But it is so beautiful.

A big tip for "cheaper" food at least in the bigger cities like Zürich is to look for restaurants that have a Lunch menu. Many restaurants have a lunch menu during the work week which is usually around CHF 20.- and most of the time they even includes a salad or soup. However you will find those restaurants more around office locations than tourist locations. Another tip is to go around 11:45 before all the workers fill up the place at noon. Also be aware a lot of restaurants charge for tap water.

Something my husband's niece and nephew did when visiting us in Switzerland from Spain is they would stay in Saint Louis France and travel to Basel for the day. They got an Air BNB and it was significantly cheaper. They would cook breakfast and make lunch in France and then travel to Basel to see my husband, daughter, and I. We would do our thing and then we would travel back to France to eat dinner. Saint Louis is about a 30 minute Tram ride from Basel. My brother stayed in Bushwiller France when I had my daughter. This city in France is in a small town of Alschwil which is a small town outside of Germany. You could go stay in Weil am Rhein Germany and tram into Basel. If you're directly over the border you can walk to the Northern part of Basel or a 20 minute Tram ride. Zurich you can stay in Germany and ride the Tram into Switzerland. Going during the celebrations like Vogel Gryff or Fasnacht (Carnival) hotels in Germany and France are going to be more expensive, so avoid this time. Don't get me wrong Vogel Gryff and Fasnacht is a cool thing to see. If you go to Fasnacht go to Morgestreich. Yes you need to get up at 3:30 am (or 3 am depending where you are) to be in the city at the start which is 4 am. If you go to Vogel Gryff read the story about why this ceremony started. This will give you an understanding to what is happening. Another free thing is Lange Erlen Animal Park (just the animal park. They have an area where you can drive electric cars around a track. This isn't free). There are fountains across the city that has water and its drinkable. You don't have to find a sink to get tap water. If the fountain isn't drinkable they'll have a glass with a red line going through it. Your safe bets for drinking water are the green Basilisk fountain throughout the city. The Basilisk is a half rooster half snake. In Basel if you go grocery shopping when you shop the clerk will say "grüezi (hello)" to you. Say Guten Tag (hello) back. If you don't you're seen as being rude. One of the most important phrases is "Sprechen sie Englisch? Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut" This means do you speak English. My German isn't so good. People will be more friendly to you when you say this little phrase. I lived off of this phrase for way way way ro long when living in Switzerland. When I lived out in the country I was forced to speak German. *Edit if you get cellphone service that services the EU make sure that you aren't roaming at your hotel. My nephew got a hefty cellphone bill when he stayed in France. He thought he was on EU towers, but he was really on Swiss towers. Switzerland isn't part of the EU.

my great grandfather was from Switzerland... I've been to Europe several times but never actually made it there. Hoping to visit sometime and see where he was from.

Thanx for this great video... guess Turkey will do just fine... bye Switzerland

If you are travelling into Zurich, there is a big Coop hypermarket conveniently located just outside the Hauptbahnhof (central station), which is the perfect one-stop shop for affordable things. Food, drink, coffee, all the Swiss chocolate you could ever want and more all at a much more reasonable price than any restaurant, cafe or tourist trap chocolate shop you may find around the city. Migros and Coop in general (the two main Swiss supermarket chains) are your best bet for Swiss shopping on a budget.

Im headed to Zurich for one night. We are going by train from Paris, then to Italy the next day in September. I found a tiny room with its own shower, we arent college students. I like the idea of staying away from entrees to eat. We will be neck deep in museums during our trip. We can walk around Zurich. Great video, as always.

How important is the travel pass ? Considering I will be there for around 4-5 days in total between Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich. We don’t plan to visit any top of the mountain like Jungfrau or Pilatus. But do want to visit Grimdlewald , Gstad and other nearby towns.

I live in Switzerland and it's still cheaper than San Francisco, Chicago, New York or Las Vegas.

if you want to eat cheap just buy groceries at aldi or lidl. Migros and Coop are more expensive. Avoid Spar and Volg since they are very pricey.

There may be a few drawbacks to traveling in Switzerland, but at least the flag is a big plus!

Hey Wolter, is there any place to see the average cost of vacation for every country? If not you should make a video about it

If you want to eat out, some places will offer a lunch deal. Indeed many museums will do free days once a month. Taking a ferry can also be a cheap way to see a lot of the country for cheap (e.g in Luzern). As for the trains, always book in advance the 'sparpreis'-tickets, this can mean you get the same ticket for a third of the price. If you book in advance, you can also book train day passes which means you can see a lot of different places cheap. Some places in Switzerland are also a nice one day trip from abroad, e.g Lugano from Milan and Geneva from France and Zurich/Basel from Germany.

What language does Switzerland citizens speak? Do they speak English?

We’re currently In Zermatt. Traveling in Switzerland for 3 months total, we love this country. Yes it is expensive but there’s always a way to save money, by cooking your own meals & having a half fare card save us a lot. We did the glacier express, Gornergrat with half fare card & planning to buy a season pass to Jungfrau top of Europe gives ypu access to Jungfrau region unlimited. We enjoyed drinking out instead of eating out. Thanks for the video. I will add Basel to our list.😊

I recommend taking the 8 tram to DE and the 3 tram to F when in Basel. The groceries are way cheaper and it’s cool to ride a tram to another country. Rheinschwimmen is free! Just hop in the Rhein by the Tingley Museum and hop out wherever you want - we always hit up a buvette, not free for biers after and kick it.

Just got back from Luzern and Zurich, it was wonderful! We spent some time in Germany and Strasbourg, France also and noticed Switzerland was significantly more expensive. It was our favorite part of the trip though.

I ll grab a chawarma or go to migros or coop before going to mcdo (it s just not food) 😅 .. cities have free walking tours, but def get a rail/tourist pass .. fountain water is usually also safe to drink unless it has a sign saying otherwise .. enjoy 🇨🇭

1) Where possible visit Swiss destinations as a day trip from a neighbouring country such as Germany or France. 2) Go to Austria instead - it looks the same but is far easier on the pocket and lacks the snootiness of its neighbour.

Best part about Switzerland (besides the amazing views) was the delicious free water everywhere I went from the fountains.

The french speaking Part is Not cheaper! Geneva is much more expansive. A beer in St Gallen: CHF 6-7. Geneva: Take the Double price!

I have buy a lufthansa turist ticket for $780, how ? I did 8 months ago, then the hotel by using airbnb in Zurich central for $50 per day, how?, I did 8 months ago, there are quality and low prices markets all over Zurich, then comes the trains , how ? 2 months ago... cheap is cheap everywhere

Its not cheap anyway you slice it. Cheap is not a word that should be used when talking about a vacay to Switzerland. All that said, it is still worth it. My goodness it is beautiful. I found just driving to be therapy for my mind.

Budget tips for Switzerland? There is not "budget" in Switzerland.

Please do not go to Mc Donalds while you are here in Switzerland, -go to the turkish Imbiss. You will find much (!) better food for less money! Mac is NO Food at all..

Thank you sir! Very nice and informative video with great tips ❤. Take care and stay safe 🌹

Thank you dear me and my husband are planning for your honeymoon….. I did look into lots of travel agencies to plan our trip buts going way out of budget…. And because of money my husband was getting demotivated and on the way to change destination but as I was the one who is looking in and planning all so my heart is like I want my honeymoon in Switzerland… I think the best tip I have got out of watching tans of videos, calling about 20 to 25 agencies and from all those efforts you video is most helpful thank you so very much …. I’ll let you know how it gone … I am planning for next year ….. have 2 quick question which month is best to visit? And Is hostels are good to stay ?

I had a trip to Basel a few years back. Really nice place but my god, I cried whenever I opened my wallet! Our hotel actually gave us a Basel card for free for duration of our trip... and that made it doable. It gave us free public transport, access to zoo (really nice) and as well as museums, discounts in some restaurants! For lunch, we went to a discounted restaurant and ate well. Even with discount it was still pricey, but everything was very good! At night for dinner, we found a little fast food kebab shop in the city centre. Worked our way around the menu each night for a much more affordable meal. Basel is right on the border with France and Germany... and the free public transport (Basel card) takes you buy tram into both countries. So we had a nice cheap day just crossing international borders and taking selfies standing in different countries... filled a day cheaply!!

Thanks for the video, please make more videos on Europe travel on budget. Thanks!

The tips are kinda useless...how about eating lunch at Coop or Migros restaurant? McDonalds is cheap? Fill up the water bottle? This video was not worth it.

How to visit Switzerland on a budget: DON'T! lol

I would support the suggestion that certain parts of Switzerland are more affordable than others. I tend to recommend to people that want to go to Switzerland to consider spending most of their time in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Lugano and the surrounding area is possibly one of the most scenic parts of Switzerland and the area won't create a huge hole in your travel budget.

Swiss farmers markets are a great option for grocery shopping, especially if you want cheese

So how much should someone take in USD to be well off for a week. That’s the main travel question when it comes to money man cmon lol

Save money on Switzerland by visiting Austria instead

you have the wrong friends if they tell you to go to the macdonalds! come on! there are a lot of to go places migros etc, cheaper and much better!

Good video. I'm hoping to ski with Oak Hall Holidays UK in Switzerland in January 2023 and its cheaper as all meals included. Last time I went I spent no money in Switzerland after buying the lift pass.