SWITZERLAND ON A BUDGET: 7 suggestions TO plan YOUR trip

Last Updated: 07/22/19 | July 22nd, 2019

Switzerland conjures up numerous images. On one side, there are majestic mountains, tasty fondue as well as chocolate, huge banks sheltering people’s money, precision watches, as well as an orderly society. On the other, heart attack–inducing prices: $8 USD coffee or beer?! $50 steaks?! A $15 menu at McDonald’s?! $35-40 hostel beds?! WTH!

Switzerland is rated the most costly country in the world to visit, with Geneva as well as Zurich being two of the ten many costly cities to online in.

And since going to Switzerland so expensive, it’s simple to see why so numerous people avoid over the country as well as wait up until they are older as well as (hopefully) wealthier. When I discussed I was going to Switzerland on a budget, numerous people shook their heads as well as wanted me great luck with a “poor spirit to believe he can do that” expression.

I’ll admit I was worried. While I’ve discovered that not all “expensive” destinations requirement to be difficult on the purse (though some are unavoidably expensive), Switzerland travel seemed daunting, having a strong currency as well as high taxes, as well as being a mecca for rich banks, worldwide organizations, rich residents, as well as tax shelterers.

Switzerland will never be a “dirt cheap” country to visit, where travelers can go to on just a few dollars a day, however I discovered to my surprise that it’s possible to travel the country on a fairly light budget.

How do you save money in Switzerland?

Well, it’s challenging however not impossible. Here’s exactly how you can do that:

How much I spent in Switzerland

Here’s exactly how much my trip to Switzerland (Zurich, Bern, Geneva, as well as Interlaken) expense (in Swiss francs (CHF), which are worth $1.03 USD):

Food: 105.75
Accommodation: 171.36
Transportation: 222.30
Metro: 17.40
Alcohol: 66.90
Attractions: 30
Total: 613.71 (or 76.71 CHF per day)

Overall, I did a great task of keeping my costs around $79 USD per day. Granted, it was a great deal of work. I relied heavily on the sharing economic climate (see below) as well as cooking my own food. being able to hike as well as go to totally free attractions likewise helped, though in winter season when you have to pay to ski, this may not be the case. having spent a few days in Zurich in the past, I didn’t feel the requirement to eat out a great deal (and I don’t drink coffee) so I was pleased to eat my own food versus ordering costly restaurant food. Alcohol expense a fair bit (11% of my budget) however there was no method I was going to Interlaken without partying in the well-known Balmers (also the only hostel I stayed in the entire time).

My most significant error was not paying interest to the truth I was flying in as well as out of Zurich. because I went from Zurich to Geneva to Zurich, that implied I doubled back, costing me an additional 100 CHF in train tickets! This was such as dumb mistake, as well as I still kick myself for it. I mean, exactly how might I miss such a easy thing?! If I had gone one way, I would have saved a considerable amount of money as well as considerably lowered my typical spending. always pay interest to your direction to save money on transportation. It’s a difficult as well as quick guideline of mine as well as I totally messed up.

Suggested everyday budget plan in Switzerland

How much ought to you spend in Switzerland? Well, that depends. exactly how do you travel? depending upon your budget plan as well as where you want to spend your money you might spend as bit as $50 a day on a tight backpacking budget plan where you couchsurf, cook all your food, as well as limit your alcohol to the skies the limit where you’re costs hundreds a day just on accommodation. below is a chart of some suggested budgets based on different travel styles!

Accommodation

Food

Transportation

Activities

Avg. everyday Cost

Budget

$27

$10

$2.50

$17

$75

Mid-Range

$60

$30

$17

$60

$175

Luxury

$150

$40

$43

$70

$300

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How to save money in Switzerland: My 7 Tips

I kept a great deal of my costs down since I don’t take part in numerous experience activities as well as went to the country when I mighthike (a totally free activity). While I might have trimmed some costs (gone in one direction, drank nothing, avoided that Starbucks in Geneva), I don’t believe that you ought to refrain from doing specific things just for the benefit of being inexpensive (Live a little, right?). even if I had done ridesharing or Couchsurfing during my visit, I would have put additional cost savings into other activities. (Be frugal, not inexpensive is my travel philosophy. So I believe my budget plan was just best for the country.)

Here are seven high-impact methods to save huge money in Switzerland:

Switzerland travel suggestion #1: Use Couchsurfing — With dorm spaces starting at $30-40 per night, you requirement to lower your lodging costs. Couchsurfing is the method to do it. It’s a service that lets travelers stay with locals for totally free (more on it here). It was a lifesaver that enabled me to keep my costs down the most. because a great deal of travelers utilize this service, make your requests for holds early. I put in 25 holding requests in Geneva before I discovered somebody to stay with!

Switzerland travel suggestion #2: Use BlaBlaCar — transportation is extremely expensive, even much more so than accommodation. many intercity trains are around 50 CHF. That adds up as well quickly! Instead, utilize the ride-sharing site BlaBlaCar to prevent the trains as well as satisfy locals. This site lets you rideshare with people, as well as though I only utilized it once, it saved me $50 as well as I satisfied a awesome French dad as well as child team on their method to Germany (I got to method my bad French):

A word of caution: be recommended that numerous rides cancel. I had three rides cancel on me at the last minute (and one man who just failed to even show up), so the service needs some flexibility. however when it works, it’s awesome. as well as it’s certainly something I want to utilize a great deal much more in Europe.

Switzerland travel suggestion #3: Use hotel points — hotel reward points are a lifesaver in costly destinations, where even hostels are costly as well as the possibility of getting a Couchsurfing hold is small. rack up a few hotel points by travel hacking before your trip as well as shed them while you stay in the country. many hotel sign-up bonuses are around 60,000 points, which is worth about five nights at the chain hotels like Hilton, Marriott, or Starwood (just make sure you stay at their less expensive properties. Sorry, no W for you!).

Alternatively, Airbnb is likewise a great offer if you’re traveling with someone, as many personal spaces are around $50 per night. Split two ways, that’s only $25 a person, much less expensive than a hostel dorm!

Switzerland travel suggestion #4: Don’t drink — Drinking is not inexpensive here. many beers are around 8 CHF. (Plus, who wishes to hike while hungover?) many wines are between 10-25 CHF a bottle. If you should drink, stay with hostel bars where you can delight in 2-for-1 pleased hours as well as inexpensive drinks for around 5 CHF.

Switzerland travel suggestion #5: Cook — With sit-down restaurants costing around 40 CHF per meal per person, eating out in Switzerland can be extremely costly, so purchase your groceries. A week’s worth of food (bread, pasta, rice, eggs, vegetables, cheese, deli meats for sandwiches, as well as some assorted fruit) will expense you 75-100 CHF. The major supermarkets are Migros, COOP, as well as Spar. COOP is the most expensive.

Switzerland travel suggestion #6: Go veggie — Meat is costly in Switzerland. Every Swiss local or expat I spoke with told me about exactly how they limit their meat usage since it costs so much. stay with veggies as well as prevent purchasing meat for your meals (especially beef). While I was trolling supermarkets as well as butchers for grocery costs (travel composing is glamorous, huh?!), I discovered a pound of meat was 12-14 CHF. At that price, stay with deli meats for protein!

Switzerland travel suggestion #7: Use lunch specials — If you are going to eat out, do so during lunch, when many lunch specials expense around 10-19 CHF. Moreover, stay with the ethnic restaurants like Chinese, middle Eastern, Indian, or Thai for the very best offers as well as most significant parts (and better to that 10 CHF price). Lunch specials are a fantastic method to get a great deal of bang for your buck as well as to delight in the dinner menu however at a less expensive set menu cost — this is the only method I eat when going to countries as costly as Switzerland. cook breakfast, eat out lunch, cook dinner — you can’t go wrong!

Switzerland is an costly country to go to — there’s no question about it. I believe the floor of what a backpacker/budget traveler ought to travel Switzerland on is around $75 USD. At that cost point, you’d have sufficient money to do the basics, stay in some hostels, go out, as well as delight in some experience as well as outside activities. Anything less expensive would limit your capability to truly delight in what Switzerland has to offer.

But no matter your travel style or what you plan to do, complying with the suggestions above will enable you to go to Switzerland on a budget plan by cutting wasteful costs as well as focusing your hard-earned travel money on what you want — whether that’s museums, beer, experience activities, or a pound of meat.

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Book Your trip to Switzerland: Logistical suggestions as well as Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner or Momondo to discover a inexpensive flight. They are my two preferred browse engines since they browse sites as well as airlines around the globe so you always understand no stone is left unturned. begin with Skyscanner very first though since they have the most significant reach!

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the most significant stock as well as finest deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, utilize Booking.com as they consistently return the most affordable rates for guesthouses as well as inexpensive hotels. My preferred locations to stay are:

Balmers (Interlaken)

Funny farm (Interlaken)

Don’t fail to remember travel Insurance
Travel insurance coverage will safeguard you against illness, injury, theft, as well as cancellations. It’s extensive security in situation anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to utilize it numerous times in the past. My preferred business that offer the very best service as well as value are:

Safety Wing (for everybody below 70)

Insure My trip (for those over 70)

Medjet (for extra repatriation coverage)

Looking for the very best business to save money With?
Check out my resource page for the very best business to utilize when you travel. I listing all the ones I utilize to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.

Want much more info on Switzerland?
Be sure to go to our robust destination guide on Switzerland for even much more planning tips!

Editor’s Note: go to Switzerland paid for my one-way flight from Zurich to nyc in addition to reimbursed me for expenses. They offered no logistical support or had any type of input on exactly how or where I went. I traveled the exact same method I would anywhere else.