Switzerland: How to Visit Switzerland on a Budget

Switzerland is notorious for being one of the most expensive countries for tourists to visit, however it is so gorgeous that it is worth the price. Here we go through some budget travel options for travelers to Switzerland, whether you are heading to Zurich, or Geneva, or Lugano, or Luzern, there are a few travel budget tips that can go a long way to help you cut the cost of your Swiss vacation. Visit Switzerland on the cheap.
Filmed in Basel, Switzerland
Copyright Mark Wolters 2022

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[swissfoodie]

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.

[MarcoLu]

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.

[SwissSpirit]

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 :)

[SamSamShine]

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

[blackholism]

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.

[ericthed]

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).

[kevinbennett]

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

[bwdrives]

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!

[razerfree]

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.

[truthseeker]

Switzerland is the best and most gorgeous country I've been to. Nothing compares to it... I never get tired of coming back. Heaven on earth.

[ronik]

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.

[jessicaely]

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.

[ratonlaveur]

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.

[georgiancrossroads]

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.

[gaborbartok]

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.

[nunyabidniz]

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.

[elainebines]

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

[vicahmed]

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...

[simonepeverelli]

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!

[johancruyff]

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