Do we need advance hotel reservations, or can we 'wing it'?
 

We're traveling around Switzerland by Eurail for two weeks the last week of September and first week of October. The question is whether we should plan the trip and make advance hotel reservations before leaving home, or take the chance and find hotels as we go along. We're looking for hotels in the $100 - $150 range. Checking the web, I'm finding this a bit unrealistic, especially in the cities. I'd like a clean room for two with a bath. Any opinions and recommendations welcome.

Suggest that you repost and mention Switzerland in the subject line. Otherwise Fodorites might imagine that you are looking for rooms in Norway or Romania or wherever. JFYI, there are no dirty hotel rooms in Switzerland.

I travel often to switzerland and stay in hotels that cost 100-150Swiss francs. They are not elegant but clean and comfortable.
When you book in Switzerland just make sure the quote is for the room and not per person.

if you wing it then prices may not be so low. Generally the Swiss do not offer a late arrivers discount

Hi R,

At least make a list of several hotels that you might want to stay in before you go.

You are unlikely to get lower rates winging it than making reservations.

Also, how much time do you want to spend in CH looking for a room, when you can do it at home before you go?

((I))

I think it depends what your standards are. If you just want any cheap place, it might be possible, as long as you don't care about where you stay at all. If you want something more like a mid-range hotel, I'd expect it to be a little on the high side of that, more like 200 CHF or around US$170. Hotels in resort areas like Luzern or Montreux or cities like Geneva may be around the 200 CHF or up to 300. But Bern and Zurich should be possible, and smaller places. OF course you can find cheap hotels if you have researched in advance and know where to go. LIke in Luzern, what would you do? If you just drop in to the few closest hotels you see from the train station, they will most likely be around 225 CHF and up.

My problem with no reservations is that it means you get of the train in a town you don't know and just have to start walking around, dragging your suitcase. Sure if there is tourist info at the train station you could start with that, and hope to get lucky.

If for whatever reason you don't want to reserve ahead, I would at least have a specific list of hotels in every town you plan to stop. Switzerland is very expensive and 100-150USD priced places are not apparent on every street corner, by any stretch.

So YES I believe you can go without reservations, but plan that you will necessarily have to take time of from sight-seeing or relaxing, to look for your hotel room each time.

Hostels in Switzerland can be quite nice, because of your price range, you might want to consider them