Switzerland - how expensive is expensive?
Jan 14th, 2018, 02:39 PM
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Switzerland - how expensive is expensive?
My wife and I are thinking about adding Switzerland as part of my summer Europe trip from USA. I have been to Spain, Paris and Italy and did not find any of them to be ridiculously expensive. . Everyone I speak to says Switzerland is beautiful and "it is very expensive". Is Switzerland substantially more expensive than other countries and in what areas is it more expensive, i.e. for dining, for lodging, for travel, or all of them?. If I stayed at a 4 start hotel is a budget for food and lodging of about $300-$350 a day for lodging and food (light lunch and dinner and glass of wine) and coffee and bagel for breakfast) realistic?
Jan 14th, 2018, 06:07 PM
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We were last in Switzerland in 2015. It is possible to visit without spending ridiculous amounts but we came from Italy and, for example, a coffee was about 3 times the price of a coffee in Italy. Food was also much more expensive than Italy. Accommodation was okay but we chose carefully. However, if you can afford up to $350/day (pretty much any kind of dollars), you'd be fine. That's a lot more than we spent, but then we don't stay in 4 star hotels.
Jan 14th, 2018, 07:37 PM
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Work out a potential itinerary in Swtzerland and then search on Google for 4 star hotels in the places you will visit. For example, type "cost of 4 star hotels in Lucerne" will give you a list of search sites for hotels in Lucerne.
As for prices in general, the Swiss are the only ones who would not complain about prices in Norway.
As for prices in general, the Swiss are the only ones who would not complain about prices in Norway.
Jan 14th, 2018, 08:31 PM
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You budget depends on WHERE your are going and WHAT you are doing. For example, in Luzern, hotels of that class in summer alone would match your budget leaving you with nothing. How much you move around, which you have not stated, makes difference. High altitude transports come with breathtaking price tags. For example, a full price ticket to go up to Jungfrau and back from Interlaken is 234CHF, about $242 -- per person. Jungfraubahnen_Fahrpreise_Preisliste.pdf. Two of you is twice that, or more than your hotel/daily budget. Of course, most people use some kind of pass to reduce the pain.
What I found about food in Switzerland is that the lower end is pretty high if you are dealing with table service. However, at high end, the prices don't continue to escalate and can actually be less than in France.
Spain is a cheap country to visit, in case you did not know.
What I found about food in Switzerland is that the lower end is pretty high if you are dealing with table service. However, at high end, the prices don't continue to escalate and can actually be less than in France.
Spain is a cheap country to visit, in case you did not know.
Jan 14th, 2018, 08:53 PM
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IME, you feel the Swiss franc sticker shop mostly in restaurants and cafes, especially the budget to mid-range type of eateries.
One entree in a decent but not fancy restaurant will cost you around $25-35 in Switzerland. Add appr. $10-15 for one glass of wine and a coffee afterwards.
The fancier the restaurant - i.e. the kind of restaurant that would also be expensive in France or the US - the gap between costs in Switzerland and elsewhere gets narrower.
It's the "small things" like stopping for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake or a snack or a coke on the run that can add up.
Hotels are usually not more expensive than in comparable locations in France or Italy, IME.
Since dining out can be expensive, it pays off when the hotel has breakfast included.
Rental cars, gas, entrance fees for sightseeing are not (much) more expensive than in France or Italy.
Trains can be somewhat more expensive, but there are rail passes to cut costs for those who need trains more than once within Switzerland.
When you hear horror stories about costs in Switzerland, you should also take into consideration that many tourists from overseas favor regions of Switzerland which are expensive even by Swiss standards, like certain towns and villages in the Berner Oberland or the Engadin or Geneva and Zurich.
If you MUST stay in Grindelwald, you pay more for everything than in parts of the Berner Oberland which are not on everyone's must-see or must-stay list. It's a bit like staying only in Aspen or Telluride in high season when you want to see the Rockies, and go to Key West afterwards for a beach location and find the US super expensive.
Coming back to your suggested budget of $300-350
My usual daily budget for Switzerland would be appr. $200:
Hotel (breakfast included, not in super touristy towns or villages): $120
Dinner / restaurant: $40
Snacks / extra food during the day: $20-30
Rental car, gas, entrance fees: comparable to elsewhere, depends on itinerary
YMMV when you stay only in very popular destinations.
One entree in a decent but not fancy restaurant will cost you around $25-35 in Switzerland. Add appr. $10-15 for one glass of wine and a coffee afterwards.
The fancier the restaurant - i.e. the kind of restaurant that would also be expensive in France or the US - the gap between costs in Switzerland and elsewhere gets narrower.
It's the "small things" like stopping for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake or a snack or a coke on the run that can add up.
Hotels are usually not more expensive than in comparable locations in France or Italy, IME.
Since dining out can be expensive, it pays off when the hotel has breakfast included.
Rental cars, gas, entrance fees for sightseeing are not (much) more expensive than in France or Italy.
Trains can be somewhat more expensive, but there are rail passes to cut costs for those who need trains more than once within Switzerland.
When you hear horror stories about costs in Switzerland, you should also take into consideration that many tourists from overseas favor regions of Switzerland which are expensive even by Swiss standards, like certain towns and villages in the Berner Oberland or the Engadin or Geneva and Zurich.
If you MUST stay in Grindelwald, you pay more for everything than in parts of the Berner Oberland which are not on everyone's must-see or must-stay list. It's a bit like staying only in Aspen or Telluride in high season when you want to see the Rockies, and go to Key West afterwards for a beach location and find the US super expensive.
Coming back to your suggested budget of $300-350
My usual daily budget for Switzerland would be appr. $200:
Hotel (breakfast included, not in super touristy towns or villages): $120
Dinner / restaurant: $40
Snacks / extra food during the day: $20-30
Rental car, gas, entrance fees: comparable to elsewhere, depends on itinerary
YMMV when you stay only in very popular destinations.
Jan 14th, 2018, 09:13 PM
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Hi mrt,
I have had different experiences than Cowboy1968. I found hotels to be the biggest budget-buster for my Swiss trips; in fact, I've found 4-star hotels for 2 people to be around $300 - $350 per night, so, yes, eating up your entire daily budget.
Be a bit careful when looking at hotels' websites at their prices. They often list the price as, for instance 200 chf per night per person, so to book a room for two people, it would cost 400 chf. Be sure to see if the room prices are per night or per person per night.
For instance, right now on booking.com, looking at a room for 2 people for a night in a 4-star in July, the prices are $317 for the Hotel Regina, $370 for the Beausite, and $299 for the Silberhorn. There are less expensive 4-stars, such as the Wengner Hof for $272, Sunstar for $232, and Caprice for $239.
If you would consider staying in a lovely, warm, superbly managed 3-star, I could recommend (for instance) the wonderful 3-star Hotel Alpenrose that goes for around $260 per night for a double.
Also remember that many rooms are priced according to the room itself -- its size and its views. So you could find yourselves in a room facing the street or the city when you wanted a room looking at the mountains, which would cost more.
I've also found dinners to cost more than $40 for two people -- that would be about the cost for one person for dinner (to include one glass of wine, for instance, or an appetizer). But since I always eat my biggest meal at lunchtime, I can save money that way, and restaurant meals are in the $20-$30 range for lunch. Then for dinner, I can eat a picnic of great fresh bread, hams/meats/cheeses, yogurt, and Swiss chocolate. Breakfast should be included in your hotel.
Have fun as you plan!
s
I have had different experiences than Cowboy1968. I found hotels to be the biggest budget-buster for my Swiss trips; in fact, I've found 4-star hotels for 2 people to be around $300 - $350 per night, so, yes, eating up your entire daily budget.
Be a bit careful when looking at hotels' websites at their prices. They often list the price as, for instance 200 chf per night per person, so to book a room for two people, it would cost 400 chf. Be sure to see if the room prices are per night or per person per night.
For instance, right now on booking.com, looking at a room for 2 people for a night in a 4-star in July, the prices are $317 for the Hotel Regina, $370 for the Beausite, and $299 for the Silberhorn. There are less expensive 4-stars, such as the Wengner Hof for $272, Sunstar for $232, and Caprice for $239.
If you would consider staying in a lovely, warm, superbly managed 3-star, I could recommend (for instance) the wonderful 3-star Hotel Alpenrose that goes for around $260 per night for a double.
Also remember that many rooms are priced according to the room itself -- its size and its views. So you could find yourselves in a room facing the street or the city when you wanted a room looking at the mountains, which would cost more.
I've also found dinners to cost more than $40 for two people -- that would be about the cost for one person for dinner (to include one glass of wine, for instance, or an appetizer). But since I always eat my biggest meal at lunchtime, I can save money that way, and restaurant meals are in the $20-$30 range for lunch. Then for dinner, I can eat a picnic of great fresh bread, hams/meats/cheeses, yogurt, and Swiss chocolate. Breakfast should be included in your hotel.
Have fun as you plan!
s
Jan 14th, 2018, 10:19 PM
#8
Half board at hotels is usually excellent value, for example we dined at the Alpenrose in Wengen for an extra 20 CHF per person, superb 5 course dinners. We often bought excellent lunch items at the Coop, or baguettes at the larger stations when travelling through.
We bought a half fare card for travel, the transport system is really well coordinated and easy to use. Try the sbb website to get a sense of train fares.
Our holiday was last September and it was a bit of an indulgence in terms of hotel choices, but there are defintely cheaper options or apartments if you can consider a weekly base (Sat to Sat).
We bought a half fare card for travel, the transport system is really well coordinated and easy to use. Try the sbb website to get a sense of train fares.
Our holiday was last September and it was a bit of an indulgence in terms of hotel choices, but there are defintely cheaper options or apartments if you can consider a weekly base (Sat to Sat).
Jan 15th, 2018, 06:47 AM
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I also found hotels in Switzerland to be quite expensive, particularly compared to the value received. There are no great hotel deals in Switzerland. In the larger cities, you might be able to afford a chain like Ibis, but four star properties are outrageously expensive. When we spent 15 nights in Switzerland in June of 2016 (you can click on my profile to find my trip report), the best value for lodging that we found was renting a 2 bedroom apartment in Wengen for one week (less than $1000 for the week, total). Transportation costs are also a major factor, but riding the trains and boats is one of the main reasons to go to Swtizerland, as it is the best way to see all the natural beauty.
If you are budget conscious, in my opinion, the way to do a Switzerland trip is to build your itinerary around lodging and transportation as much as your sightseeing priorities. If you find the right combination of tradeoffs, you can make it work, but you will have to sacrifice somewhere. For example, if you save money on an apartment rental somewhere in the mountains, then you can use that "savings" to spend more in the cities.
If you are budget conscious, in my opinion, the way to do a Switzerland trip is to build your itinerary around lodging and transportation as much as your sightseeing priorities. If you find the right combination of tradeoffs, you can make it work, but you will have to sacrifice somewhere. For example, if you save money on an apartment rental somewhere in the mountains, then you can use that "savings" to spend more in the cities.
Jan 15th, 2018, 07:06 AM
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Switzerland is so expensive it destroys any enjoyment I have of being there. If I want mountains and alpine scenery there are many other places I can go without feeling I've been robbed. I'm also averse to Swiss xenophobia, which is a big turnoff for me. YMMV obviously, but I live in Europe and can visit countless places with scenic beauty without spending a fortune or encountering racism and isolationism.
Jan 15th, 2018, 07:11 AM
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I've stayed in Lucerne and Montreux and didn't find Switzerland that much more expensive than lots of other places in Europe. Spain is cheaper, though, except Barcelona can be expensive for hotels. This was a few years ago I was in Switzerland but people were making the same remarks back then about how expensive it was. I was in Basel 2 years ago, also, and the hotel rate was normal but the food costs were a little high. Nothing that dramatic, though. Same for Lucerne and Montreux. Oh, I forget I was in Verbier (a resort town) for the famous Verbier music festival one summer and I got a really nice inn/B&B there for less than I paid in Lucerne/Montreux for a hotel.
I think buying some things in stores, they were a little high comparatively but not that much and there isn't any need you really need to do that, anyway (I had to buy a travel alarm as mine broke). I remember drinks in cafes were cheaper than in Paris in Montreux, even along the lake.
As an example, in Lucerne I stayed at what is now the Renaissance Lucerne (withing walking distance of the train station and the main town center), a 4* hotel. Just checking, you can get a superior room for about 250 CHF a night in mid-July which is US$260. In Montreux, I stayed at the 4* Grand Suisse Majestic on the lake and across from the train station. (I was traveling by train this summer so preferred easy hotels for that). the Deluxe Room with lake view is about 350 CHF in mid-July, but of course you don't need that type of room. Those hotel rates are higher than I paid when I went, I think I got some good deals (even now, the Suisse is only 250 CHF per night for a single in the same room, which I was, so that works for me). But still, I don't consider $250 a night for a 4* hotel in na top resort town in Switerland in July to be that scary. If you do, better not go. But of course, you can stay in cheaper places than I did.
I also should mention I'm not a big eater. I don't eat breakfast, never snack, and don't need much for lunch (I spend maybe 15-20 euro for lunch at most). I don't dine in top notch restaurants either, but I'm not slumming it at dinner and I do have wine. For the places I stayed, I think $350 budget for 2 is a little low, but not that much (if the hotel were about $250-300 per night). You don't need to stay in 4* hotels, either, but if you want to, I think you should count on a bit more than that.
I think buying some things in stores, they were a little high comparatively but not that much and there isn't any need you really need to do that, anyway (I had to buy a travel alarm as mine broke). I remember drinks in cafes were cheaper than in Paris in Montreux, even along the lake.
As an example, in Lucerne I stayed at what is now the Renaissance Lucerne (withing walking distance of the train station and the main town center), a 4* hotel. Just checking, you can get a superior room for about 250 CHF a night in mid-July which is US$260. In Montreux, I stayed at the 4* Grand Suisse Majestic on the lake and across from the train station. (I was traveling by train this summer so preferred easy hotels for that). the Deluxe Room with lake view is about 350 CHF in mid-July, but of course you don't need that type of room. Those hotel rates are higher than I paid when I went, I think I got some good deals (even now, the Suisse is only 250 CHF per night for a single in the same room, which I was, so that works for me). But still, I don't consider $250 a night for a 4* hotel in na top resort town in Switerland in July to be that scary. If you do, better not go. But of course, you can stay in cheaper places than I did.
I also should mention I'm not a big eater. I don't eat breakfast, never snack, and don't need much for lunch (I spend maybe 15-20 euro for lunch at most). I don't dine in top notch restaurants either, but I'm not slumming it at dinner and I do have wine. For the places I stayed, I think $350 budget for 2 is a little low, but not that much (if the hotel were about $250-300 per night). You don't need to stay in 4* hotels, either, but if you want to, I think you should count on a bit more than that.
Jan 15th, 2018, 07:13 AM
#12
When I travelled with my mother, husband and children, a half board hotel was perfect for our budget. When it was only my sister and I, a place with a breakfast included was enough. Swiss food is not my favorite anyway, so eating light was never a problem. We would pick up a few items in a small market. The priority for me in the Bernese Oberland area was always to hike and to soak in the magnificent mountains and flowers.
You can do 350$ a day.
You can do 350$ a day.
Jan 15th, 2018, 08:23 AM
#13
We visit Switzerland once or twice a year - it's expensive yes, but a deal compared to Iceland
We've learned over the years that we can save loads by staying in apartments - however, many apartments have minimum stay requirements during the busy season - we stay off season by design and this works well for us. For example, last month we stayed in apartments in Scuol for 70 CHF per night (five nights), Lenzerheide for 124 CHF per night (five nights) and Ilanz for 100 CHF per night (five nights - and this was over Christmas).
We prefer apartments over hotels as there's more space and we have a full kitchen to prepare our own breakfasts. Granted, these are places most first time visitors have never heard of and that can make a huge difference. We stayed in an apartment in the Berner Oberland a few years back - it was a dump compared to the ones listed above, and cost more. You're money just won't go as far in popular tourist areas.
Our meals ranged from 46-60 CHF per meal - this usually meant soup for me, a main for my spouse, and beer or wine for both. Our cheapest meal was 32 CHF - a shared pizza and a shared jug of merlot. Our visits to the grocery store were usually 70-90 CHF - that included provisions for 4-5 cooked breakfasts plus snacks and a few beers.
Many restaurants will offer a Tagesteller - the dish of the day - during lunch hours - this is a good way to save a bit of money, by having your main meal at lunch - keep in mind many kitchens in small towns and villages close between 2 pm and 6 pm.
We spent about $600 US on local transportation over the course of 17 days - that included the purchase a Half Fare Card for each of us (120 CHF each) and daily excursions, but we didn't take any expensive trips, such as Schilthorn or Jungfrau. Our transport included a few cable car rides, busses and trains.
Our accommodation and food budget was no where near $350 a day, but it certainly could have been if we stayed in a 3-4 star hotel and dined out two meals a day.
We've learned over the years that we can save loads by staying in apartments - however, many apartments have minimum stay requirements during the busy season - we stay off season by design and this works well for us. For example, last month we stayed in apartments in Scuol for 70 CHF per night (five nights), Lenzerheide for 124 CHF per night (five nights) and Ilanz for 100 CHF per night (five nights - and this was over Christmas).
We prefer apartments over hotels as there's more space and we have a full kitchen to prepare our own breakfasts. Granted, these are places most first time visitors have never heard of and that can make a huge difference. We stayed in an apartment in the Berner Oberland a few years back - it was a dump compared to the ones listed above, and cost more. You're money just won't go as far in popular tourist areas.
Our meals ranged from 46-60 CHF per meal - this usually meant soup for me, a main for my spouse, and beer or wine for both. Our cheapest meal was 32 CHF - a shared pizza and a shared jug of merlot. Our visits to the grocery store were usually 70-90 CHF - that included provisions for 4-5 cooked breakfasts plus snacks and a few beers.
Many restaurants will offer a Tagesteller - the dish of the day - during lunch hours - this is a good way to save a bit of money, by having your main meal at lunch - keep in mind many kitchens in small towns and villages close between 2 pm and 6 pm.
We spent about $600 US on local transportation over the course of 17 days - that included the purchase a Half Fare Card for each of us (120 CHF each) and daily excursions, but we didn't take any expensive trips, such as Schilthorn or Jungfrau. Our transport included a few cable car rides, busses and trains.
Our accommodation and food budget was no where near $350 a day, but it certainly could have been if we stayed in a 3-4 star hotel and dined out two meals a day.
Jan 15th, 2018, 10:21 AM
#14
About 2 years ago we stayed at the Jungfrau Hotel, aka Jungfrau Lodge - not 4 star but very comfortable - in Grindelwald. We had a terrific view of the Eiger and they served an excellent included buffet breakfast. We also had a prix fixe dinner there one night for I believe $25-30pp but did not have wine. That night it was a lovely 3 course fish dinner. Finding a place that includes a good breakfast as we did can help a lot with your budget. The one there had sufficient items to enable us to skip a sit down lunch. The scenery is free. A bonus was a self serve laundry across the road. Here is a link to photos of our hotel and a bit of Grindelwald including the view at night from our window. Beds were extremely comfortable and the room was larger than it seems in the photo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/basing...7634242659091/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/basing...7634242659091/
Jan 15th, 2018, 02:15 PM
#15
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One way fun of visualizing the relative costs from country to country is the Economist's "Big Mac Index". Interactive currency-comparison tool: The Big Mac index | The Economist It uses the cost of a McDonald's meal to compare economic factors in various nations. It shows that the price of that meal in the States would be $5.30 usd, while in the Euro Zone it would be $4.47 usd, and in Switzerland it would cost you $6.74 usd.
Jan 15th, 2018, 05:28 PM
#17
We went from Portugal to Barcelona to Zurich. Zurich was undoubtedly the most expensive as far as lodging and food was concerned. I love Switzerland, but it is pricey in comparison to some other countries Europe.
