So I've searched a few travel websites and can't find anything about spending in Lucerne, Switzerland! I'll be there for 2 days, and was just wondering about spending money for things like food & drink, my accommodation is already covered. I have to get some separate currency for this part of my trip so am curious as to how much I should get. Thanks in advance for your help!

Get it at the local ATMs and only get what you need for that day. All of CH is very expensive.

take what you'd pay here if in the U S for anything at at least triple it for Switzerland IME along with Norway the world's most expensive country according to many polls.

Triple is good is you are from a smaller town - but still more than double if you look at NYC prices.

(We paid $40 for a cab ride to an airport hotel that would have been about $15 with tip in NY.)

Sorry on the MickeyD meter - a big mac meal is about $18 - vs about $8 in the US.

For a cheap(er) takeaway meal, head for the Coop food market in the Old Town. It is close to the river.

There a many takeaway food places in the Old Town. There is also a Starbucks near the Lion
of Luzern.


Thin

DH and I can easily spend $100+ for a nice dinner plus bottle of wine in Lucerne. The same meal might be $50-60 elsewhere. Lucerne (and Switzerland in general) is expensive.

If you go further away from the tourist core, you will find less expensive restaurants. Just remember, less expensive will still be expensive compared to the US.

Rail City is under Luzern Bahnhof. You will find a shopping mall and food court here.

Are you going to Zurich?

The prices in the shops on the Bahnhofstrasse will give you the shivers.

Have fun!

Thin

Hi AlyssaSchneids,

I'm afraid that I think nytraveler's measure of costs is unrealistic and unnecessarily high.

Yes, a Big Mac will be more expensive in Switzerland than in the US -- after all, that food is not native to the country. You can get cheap fast food if you do what the Swiss have been doing for decades -- get a sausage from a Wurst stand or get a prepared sandwich from a Kiosk or a bakery. These will cost around 5 chf.

Yes, taxis are expensive in Switzerland, but they are pretty much unnecessary. The train will whisk you from the airport to the city in about 20 minutes and cost around 5 chf.

So, yes, the things nytraveler mentions do cost as much as noted, but that is not the way normal people live or behave in Switzerland -- there are much MUCH cheaper ways of doing those things!!

And yes, a sit-down meal with wine at a restaurant in the evening will cost around 40-60 chf per person. But you can find ways to do even that more cheaply -- take your main meal at lunchtime, when menu choices are around 20-30 chf. Then, grab a wonderful picnic of fresh bread, hams, cheeses, chocolate, etc, from a grocery store for dinner. Or have dinner at a cafeteria in a large Coop or Manor store.

Also, as wanderfrau notes, the prices will drop as you get away from the tourist centers -- wander down side streets and away from the stunning views. If you see men in overalls, follow them to their mid-day restaurant!

Assuming your breakfast is included in your hotel, I would guess about 40-80 chf per day per person, depending on how much wine or hard spirits you'll drink.

Anyway, have fun as you plan!

s