Cheapest place to stay in Switzerland
 

My girlfriend and I are going to be spending 4 nights in switzerland 25 june-28 june this year and were wondering which places/cities are the cheapest from you're experiences. We would like to bas ourselves in Lucerne around that area. Any help would be great

I think you need to get a guidebook. Also, do some of your own research, checking on cheap hotels or B&B's in Lucerne.

Lucerne is not the cheapest city to stay in but a LOT depends on WHERE you are willing to stay in that city in my own experience.

You can certainly look for recommendations on Trip Advisor; you can compare prices using Venere.com, etc.

Be aware that even one-star hotels in Switzerland tend to be immaculate and reasonable.

You can also search this site:

www.rooms.ch

I don't know Lucerne, but there are some very nice hostels in Switzerland you could look into. The one I'm familiar with is Riviera Lodge, right on Lac Leman, in Vevey (just as an example).

It would help to have

1) and idea of your budget
2) if you're willing to share a dorm room in a hostel

No place in Switz is cheap - but if you search you can find lower prices.

I think Lucerne is pretty expensive. I think because its main purpose is for tourism/resort, that tends to jack up prices versus any place that has a life of its own. I was surprised at how expensive hotels were in Lucerne.

IN general, smaller towns will be cheaper, ones that have no interests in them.

Interlaken IME has the cheapest accommodations in Switzerland - of all the many places I have been - and many appeal to younger travelers. Interlaken is a great base for the fantastic Jungfrau Region. Grindelwald, up in the Alps from Interlaken, also has some really cheap digs - like the Nature Friends House, where hikers of all ages stay in hostel-like accommodations.

I can get a proper private hotel room in Interlaken for about 40 Swiss francs, including an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet - you will rarely find anything so cheap in the rest of Switzerland.

So the Interlaken area is IMO both the literal and figurative highpoint of Switzerland - glacier-girdled peaks, toylike mountain trains, hiking trails for all abilities, etc.

We are planning for a trip to Switzerland from India. Two Adults, 2 kids aged 3 and 10. We are planning for a 15 day holiday.

I would be needing economical but decent hotels in Switzerland so that, we can plan to stay there and go around Switzerland by train..

How about driving around in a cab? Can we hire one? I am an ordinary driver? Will Indian Driving License be valid?

-Regards,
Sats

says:
better to start a new thread. This one is 3 years old, and may not get much notice!

My advice on the original thread has not changed.

sats, unless you are a multi-millionaire, driving around any country in Europe, especially Switzerland, is a completely foolish idea.

But I agree - start your own thread.

The Appenzell region in the east is one of the less expensive areas of the country.

If you want cheap lodging, consider the Aescher Guesthouse. It's a former monastery literally built into the side of a mountain. It's only 45 euros per night. You can only get to it by taking a cable car and then a 15-minute hike. Oh yes, there's no running water, only run-off from the mountain.

http://www.aescher-ai.ch/aescher-en.html

Sorry, I meant taking cabs around any country...

Was already checking my bank account if something has happened, StCirq, but then your correction came.

Sats: Your Indian driving license is valid if it is written in English. Otherwise you need a translation or an international drivers license. (But I guess it is in English.)

Switzerland has an excellent train system, so you can do many things by public transport. However, with 4 persons, a rental car might be economical and practical. As an ordinary driver you should have not problems with driving in Europe.

Your problem in Switz will be the cost of everything - not just lodging. It's simply a very wealthy and expensive country. Cost for food, sights and transit will also be very high.

I understand that Switz is featured in many Indian movies and so people want to go there. But frankly you can find much of the same atmosphere and natural beauty in Austria (esp around Innsbruck and salzburg) at a much lower cost.

And yes you can drive with your license in Switz as long as you have an official translation (International Drivers Permit) available for about $15. But taking a cab anywhere would be VERY expensive. It cost us more than $40 for the 8 minute ride from Zurich airport to a nearby hotel.

Chamonix and the French Alps are also equal to anything in Switzerland IME except the Jungfrau Region or Zermatt perhaps in having soaring glacier-girdled peaks (Mt Blanc) and glaciers tumble almost down to town and the prices across the board are lower than Switzerland's.

The Italian Alps also offer dramatic Alpine Wonderlands at a cheaper overall price.