Budget eating suggestions in Switzerland
 

Hi,
Can you suggest some budget eating options will be glad if you can give some indication on the cost. :
1. Geneva
2. Interlaken
3. Lauterbrunnen
4. Luzern
Howver, I defianately want to try the local cuisine so probably one meal can be a budget meal and I could spend a little more on my other meal.

While in Interlaken and Luzern, try the local supermarket (Co-Op & Migros). They've got great delis and/or self-service cafeterias. Or you can just pick a ready-made sandwich off the shelf. Or pick up supplies for your very own picnic. Then go find a bench by the lake or park!

Depending on your appetite, I'd plan on around 10 Chf p/p. Less if you don't order a drink or only eat, say, a small salad or bowl of soup.

You could also try the Manora cafeterias. There is one in Luzern and one in Geneva

We're going in the fall, and because the meals are so expensive there, we're eating out less at home. I figure for each 2-3 meals we don't eat out here, we can buy one nice dinner in Switzerland. I also plan to take high fiber bars or energy bars to eat while walking. I figure we can stuff a lot of those into the nooks and crannies of our carryon.I assume they can be brought in since they are wrapped.

Hi prepar,
My advice is to fill up before you get to Switzerland and then eat again when you leave the country! Just kidding, but only slightly. Food is quite expensive.

Even though we had an apt it was still expensive...two thin porkchops in the grocery store were $12. Yikes. There is a large grocery store in Interlaken and a smaller one in Lauterbrunnen where you can buy munchies and fruit to carry in your daypack. We would do this daily and then during our hike we would just sit and eat lunch and admire the view. It can't be beat. Some of our best memories from our trip to the BO were our picnic lunches.

You will love Switzerland,
Michele

My advice is go to every single Movenpick and live on the ice cream. There are definitely branches in Geneva and Lucerne. Ah, ice cream to die for!

In addition to grocery stores, bakeries are a relatively inexpensive option for good bread and ready made sandwiches.

Personally, I don't think the prepared food at the big chain grocery stores is very good, nor is it really that cheap. Ditto for their cafeterias. For good prepared food, you are better off going to Globus, though I think it is only in Lucerne and Geneva, and is relatively expensive. Otherwise, If trying to eat from Migros or Coop, I would suggest skipping the prepared food counters and getting bread, cold-cuts, etc.

As to other "cheap" options, the doner kebabs are usually a good choice, as are sausages. Sandwiches and the like from bakeries also work. Regardless, you will struggle to spend less than $10 for a meal. And I would be careful in choosing your "splurge" meal, as you can easily spend a fair amount of money on a bad or adequate meal in Switzerland.

Oh thanks for all the suggestion.
I will definately pick lots of fruits so as to take care of my in between munching and part of my breakfast as my hotel deals don't include breakfast. Can always pick cereals and milk for breakfast too. Yeah I am crazy about Ice-creams, so that is definately on my priority.Also will stick to the picnic meal for my lunch and I am sure will enjoy eating at near the lake.Dinner I could spurlge a little.
I have kept a total daily budget for 3 of us (1 child) of about 75 CHF and I think if I stick to the above this should be sufficient.

> my hotel deals don't include breakfast ...

Are you sure? I'm a bit surprised because in Switzerland, unless you are staying at 5* hotels where breakfast is CHF40 - 50 additional, almost always breakfast is included (unlike in France).

Fresh pasta at COOP was inexpensive meals for us. Water boils quicker at high altitudes and fresh pasta/ravioli/tortelini cooks in 2 minutes. Speeeedy!

I think you will do fine with 75 CHF a day for food. 10-15 for breakfast at most, 15-20 or so for a picnic lunch and then 45-50 for dinner. It's very doable. You will have a budget and need to stick to it. A little less here and there will afford you a bit more for your special dinner out.

Hi Kappa1, I have booked with IBIS in Geneva and Luzern and then I had the option of selecting if I wanted the breakfast or not, so at the moment I have not selected that option. In Interlaken my hotel rate includes my breakfast.

Hi prepar,

I am a bit concerned about your food budget, even with the hints here to cut costs. I usually allow myself 50 chf per day for meals, and I usually have breakfasts included with the hotel. I hope you do manage to make that budget limit!

Another way to cut costs will be to have your big, main meal at lunchtime, when restaurants offer a menu at a reduced rate. Then have a quick picnic at dinnertime and linger with some good wine at a nice outdoor spot.

Have fun!

s

I would look to increase the budget a bit. Food in Switzerland is ridiculously expensive and CHF 75 is hardly anything for 3 people. You will almost certainly not be able to really sit down anywhere for lunch or dinner. Even pizza, salad, and a drink for 3 can run you CHF 50 or more. Counting on CHF 100 might be more realistic.

Don't get me wrong, you can get by on CHF 75, but it will require most meals to be a picnic or fast-food/take-away.

Ok, Ibis, that's a 2-star hotel of ACCOR (French) chain. It's a rare case in Switzerland but true they don't include breakfast, just like their hotels in France.

You may not want to do this, but we bought a kettle, at a Tesco's and used it in our room to make tea and instant coffe, and had breakfast in our room. Bought rolls, etc. at the bakery the day before. Don't know if kettles are ok in all hotels, but we used one while in Switzerland, and France.
My friend likes to have tea in the evening, and the cheapest electric kettle paid for itself in about 2 days.

Hi Nlingenfel, Infact I was planning to ask if its ok if I carry a electric kettle as my husband is a big tea drinker. I will now surely do that. Should I bring it along with me or buy it when I am there.

If bringing from home, make sure it's dual voltage, usually with a little switch to change to European voltage of 220-230V. Also you'll need a plug adaptor. Buying one locally saves this hassle, but you'll probably pay more. You only need a travel kettle/jug. Regular kettle (1L capacity) costs from around 20 CHF ($19).
http://www.melectronics.ch/g3.cms/s_.../s_level/11300

I'm sorry but I don't think 75 CHF for 3 people is sufficient, in the cities mentioned. Even eating from the grocery store, bakeries, street food, and take-away that will be very tight. Food in Switzerland is expensive!

Hi prepar -

I just checked my trip report from our latest trip to Switzerland - our lunches in restaurants ranged between 32-44 CHF for two adults - mind you that usually consisted of a shared salad and a bowl of soup and one drink each. We had lunch at an establishment in Wengen that charged 12 CHF for a bowl of soup and 4 CHF for a pitcher of tap water.

Our most expensive meal was just over 60 CHF, but it wasn't a fancy meal, just a plate of Rosti and Raclette with one drink each.

We paid 16 CHF for two kebabs in the city, and 18 CHF for a double cheese burger, medium fries and a Happy Meal at a McDonalds in a moment of weakness. Our cheapest on-the-go breakfast was two lattes and two croissants for 19 CHF.

We purchased bread, fruit and cheese from bakeries and grocery stores for breakfast and we had the occasional picnic.

Here are some prices from our last couple trips (all listed in Swiss francs). These were a few splurge lunches as we ate most nights in our chalet apartment and other meals more the picnic type from grocery stores.

These are from the mountain-top restaurants, not the cities mentioned in the OP. For us, they were real splurges for lunch. But then, the views....oh the views. And you can sit there as long as you like, no rushing to get the table seated by another party. Soak it all in. Worth every penny!

Murren:
Rosti 19.50
5 dl Coke 5.00

Kleine Scheidegg:
1 Strudel with vanilla sauce 6.50

Piz Gloria (Schilthorn):
Schilthorn Keller (meat/cheese platter) 23.50
Schweinschnitzel 25.00
1 pitcher tap water 6.00 (gasp!)

Restaurant Jungfraujoch:
bottled water 4.60
bratwurst & frites 17.00
mustard & ketchup packets 1.60 (for 2 packets)

Berghotel Schynige Platte:
Sptazli with some kind of chicken 16.00
Schweinsgeschnetzeltes 22.50

Ok wow, I really appreciate all the feedback each one of you are giving me and also sharing with me your travel experience. I am now definately budgeting about 100 CHF for my meals with a plus minus of about 10-15 CHF. Because I will have picnic lunches and dinners but at the same time I want to enjoy the local food. For some meals I can go low on my spends and be lavish on a few meals.

Can you please share with me your favourite place in Geneva, Lucerne and at Interlaken for meals. And which are the local dishes which I must have. I will definately try fondue and Rosti

What month are you going? local food are somewhat seasonal, in winter there are excellent homemade sausages, venison stew, rabbit, fondue, raclette, for example that you wouldn't find so much in summertime.

One of my favorite things in the Geneva area (sorry don't know specific restaurants to recommend as I stay in either Vevey or Montreux, not Geneva itself) is a typical cheese & meat platter. They are wonderful.

> a typical cheese & meat platter

That's usally called "Assiette Valaisanne" (Dish from Valais -canton), nice although not a huge one could cost chf20.- or more.

We found the best food at moderate prices at the train stations! We started off in Zurich, and our hotel was right across from the train station, so we went there our first night, mostly for convenience. Amazing! While there, some people nearby told us the train stations all over were great - so we did that about half the time - and they were right!

We had lunch in Luzern at a very nice restaurant, but the food was very expensive and only mediocre.

At some restaurants, the aroma of cheese is overwhelming, and you walk around smelling like that after...

If you see Veal Zurich on the menu - fantastic, especially served with Rosti. At the hotel where we stayed in Leichtenstein, the chef prepared this for us every other night, even though it wasn't on the menu, and served it himself in a gleaming copper pan. (I only wish I could duplicate that at home!)

Suze, I will be there in the month of May (14- 20)

The dish djkbooks is talking about is Zurcher geschnetzeltes. It is my favorite dish in the German cantons of Switzerland. I have had it in Zurich at Restaurant Krolpf. It is a German style beer hall in a very old building. It was better on my first visit about 25 years ago, but a great dish. Not cheap but delicious. It is usually served with Rosti. Raclett over potatos, spagetti bolanaise and gameister salad were meals I used to orde when I was traveling around Switzerland in my college years in the early seventies. Still cheaper then a lot of the meals you can get. Like most of Europe take advantage of fresh bread and baked ham from the butcher with a little Tommy mayonaise.

Ah traveling in spring will be beautiful!! (but the winter foods won't be served), except you can find fondue and raclette even in the warmer weather some places.

If you will be going up to Jungfraujoch, you may want to take snacks. The restaurant there seemed quite expensive and it was crowded when I was there last September.

Hi again,

In Vevey, I got fondue at this place in Nov, so it'll probably also have it in May (it may be on the menu throughout the year there):

Mazot restaurant, rue du Conseil 7

But go early, as all the seats were taken by 12.30. It was packed with local residents, including some Brits who live there.

Have fun!

s

This link will take you to a detailed photo/narrative of a day trip we took to Zurich. It includes lunch at an inexpensive eatery that is popular with the locals.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...localeid=en_US