How To Travel Switzerland On A Budget?

Whenever you think or hear about Switzerland, the word “Expensive” comes to mind.

When you do come to Switzerland, don’t expect to spend less money. There’s nothing you can do to make Switzerland a cheap vacation.

It’s impossible! You need to accept that.

So, if you’re going to come to Switzerland, you need to plan your budget accordingly. It’s going to be more than going to France, Italy or Germany.

Well, guess what?

There are some things you can do to reduce your costs when you’re here.

In this article, I’ll give you some interesting tips to have an awesome time in Switzerland without spending too much.

So get ready for an adventure where you can enjoy all the fun stuff without worrying about your piggy bank!

Use Swiss Public Transport

This is probably the one where you can spend or waste most of your money.

If you’re coming to Switzerland, you may already be looking at some of the panoramic rides. If you’re buying a full-price train ticket, it can get extremely expensive very quickly.

So, I have very few actionable tips that can help you make the most of your budget when you are traveling in Switzerland.

Buy Swiss Passes

The Swiss public transport is known for being on time and connecting all over the country through buses, trains, trams, cable cars, and boats.

Buy a Swiss pass which is perfect for you. If you are going to spend a lot of time in Switzerland, you must have to get passes.

Especially for the trains because it will make a huge difference, like I’m talking about saving 100s of Francs.

Swiss Travel Pass Or Saver Day Passes

Once you get a pass, there are always great ways to maximize the value of it. To save money, with the Swiss Travel Pass or the Saver Day Passes, you can go to different mountain trains.

The Mount Rigi (also known as the Queen of Mountains) and Stanserhorn are all free with Swiss Travel Pass and Saver Day Pass.

Regional Passes

Also, some of the regional passes offer big museums for free. If you are going to do that, make sure you compare the price of the passes and the price of the places you want to go.

There are many mountains that are a little bit less visited but still incredibly beautiful and are 100% covered by Regional Passes.

Remember, many of the mountains specifically in the Interlaken region or in Zermatt are not covered at 100%.

So, you will still pay money in addition to the pass.

Kids Can Travel Free

If you buy a half-fare card or a Swiss Travel Pass and you are a family with kids under 16 years, you’re going to get a free family card.

With this, your kids can travel for free on all of the different trains. It can save a lot of money compared to not having these family cards.

Stay Outside Of The Central

It will be a huge part of your budget in Switzerland. The first step to saving a lot of money is to stay outside of the city center.

You will be able to connect very quickly with the Swiss transportation and get to where you want to go in less than 15-20 minutes.

Stay near a train stop outside of the central location to maximize your budget. As you know, Swiss trains are quick and always on time.

Another thing to realize is that when you’re going to Switzerland, there are different regions with different levels of expense.

I actually find that the German part like Zurich and Lucerne, is more expensive than the Italian or French parts.

So, that could influence you in terms of where you want to stay. Being in the cities is going to be more expensive than being in the rural areas.

Get A Guest Card

When you’re going to be in cities or in villages, there are very often guest cards that are given to you.

Take advantage of these discounts you can get with guest cards offered by various locations across Switzerland.

Some of the guest cards are:

Lucerne free visitor card,
Ticino tickets,
Bern tickets,
Montreux Riviera card,
Basel card,
Neuchâtel tourist card and more.

These guest cards can be very useful depending on the region.

They will allow you, most of the time, to travel in the city or in the area for free. The guest card in Ticino, which is the Italian region of Switzerland, allows you to travel in the entire region for free by train, bus, boat, etc.

So, take advantage of these guest cards. If you’re staying for one night or more, you can receive a guest card.

However, you have to ask for these guest cards. Usually, they will give these cards to you.

Visit During The Off-peak Months

If you are able to choose your travel days to come to Switzerland, I would recommend not coming at high season for multiple reasons.

In July and August, it has its high peak season. At this time it will be more expensive to stay.

You’ll have more people and more tourists in the high season. Try to come in April/May or September/October for the best deals and fewer crowds.

In these months, you will have cheaper prices in terms of hotels. So, this is also something you need to consider.

Try Hostels Instead Of Hotels

I know if you read this blog, that means you have a really tight budget to travel to Switzerland.

So, one thing to consider when you’re looking at your budget for traveling to Switzerland is where you’re going to stay for the night.

One of the nice things about Switzerland is they have hostels all over the country.

There are famous ones like Balmers Hostel and Bellpark Hostel that everyone can access and these are very cheap.

You can stay in hostels with your family. I highly recommend staying at hostels. It is significantly cheaper to stay than in a hotel.

One thing to consider is that you’re going to share the bathroom and the shower. But it has value for money.

Try to stay at those hostels where you can get free breakfast. Take advantage of it.

This can save you a lot, and you can fill up quite well. So, maybe you don’t have to do the three meals out a day.

You can only do one meal instead of a big lunch and a big dinner.

Don’t Eat Out All The Time

One of the tried and true ways to save money when you travel is not eating out all the time.

That’s why it’s really important to go to some of the grocery stores. You can pick up a decent meal at the grocery.

I think it’s nice to do and not just eat at the restaurant where you will notice that the money disappears a lot faster.

Eat Croissant

Another tip is that you can go to a little bakery and get a croissant. They’re great all over Switzerland. You can also get them from the supermarket.

It is a very reasonable price for lunches. It’s a great way to save money and just avoid eating out in restaurants.

Avoid Meat

In addition, if you don’t eat meat in Switzerland, it will be much cheaper to travel.

This tends not to be a problem in Switzerland because so many of their dishes are just cheese-based. So, you can go in that direction.

Have A Look At Some Kiosks

Some people say that they don’t want to cook their own food. They want to go out to eat which is very cheap.

For them, my suggestion is you can check some kiosks that sell sandwiches and other fast food. The prices are significantly cheaper than the normal restaurant.

Stick The Early Part Of The Menu

This is an interesting tip, and I try to do it when I travel. When you go out to eat, try to stick to the top of the menu.

Stick with the appetizers, the salads, and the soups. These foods are cheaper and taste very good.

Also, the Swiss like to fortify themselves when they eat. So, you will get a substantial soup or salad when you think it’s going to be something small.

You can use this trick and save money that way. Moreover, get some really good food as well.

Don’t Buy Water

Don’t even think about buying water when you’re in Switzerland. The water in Switzerland is the purest water in the world. Just get tap water.

Don’t spend any Francs to get a bottle of water when you are walking around.

Always bring a refillable water bottle and get tap water. It’s totally free and you can find a fountain or tap everywhere in Switzerland.

Even if you go to a restaurant, don’t buy water. The price for a bottle of water is up to 9 Francs. You can ask the waiter for a carafe of water. The waiter will give you a carafe of water for free.

The Fork Mobile App

The fork is an app where it has functionality that allows you to reserve reservations online. So, you can book either the same day or a few weeks earlier.

If they have extra reservations or they think that they’re not going to be full for the night.

Then, they will discount the entire check for that reservation. You can book tables at 20%, 30%, 40% and even 50% discount, which is amazing!

So, definitely check it out. It’s a free app that is available a little bit more in western Switzerland.

Too Good To Go Mobile App

This isn’t just available in Switzerland. So, I recommend downloading it wherever you are in the world.

Basically, you can pay an extremely reduced fee from this app and will get a mystery bag of foods, goods, or products at the end of the day for different locations.

So, this concept is to eliminate food waste. Places like restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets are going to throw food out at the end of the day.

They are getting rid of the stock at the end of the day by doing this.

You just go on the app and reserve your mystery bag at different places and you will get it. Too Good to Go is a great free app, I highly recommend downloading it.

Don’t Skip Out On Free Sights

One of the best budget things to do when you’re in Switzerland is to do all the stuff outside activities.

Walking the cities and doing window shopping in Zurich or you’re going through Geneva and seeing Lake Geneva. You can go hiking in the mountains or you can go around.

Walking around the gorgeous Swiss villages, exploring historical old-towns and more. You don’t need to do guided tours. You can easily explore.

In Basel, you can go see the town hall and look at that from the inside and see the courtyard for free. So, take advantage of the free stuff.

Money And Mobile Data

When you’re using a credit card and you are being given a choice between Swiss Franc and Dollars.

Then, always choose Swiss Frans because the machine will take a fee on the conversion if you pay in Dollars. So, you should always use Swiss Francs.

Try to get those credit cards that are adapted for international travel. Get one of them which does not have additional fees when you use them internationally.

Mobile Data

About data, something that can save you quite a lot of money. Especially if you’re going to be staying longer. It is wise to use an eSIM.

For an eSIM, 10-15 days in Switzerland will cost below $50. Where you have to pay $10 per day for roaming from an AT&T version. You can use Maya for an eSIM.

Your Birthday Special Offer

Here, I am giving you one amazing tip if you are traveling around on your birthday. Which I know can often coincide.

However, there are so many different providers in Switzerland that will give you things for totally free.

If you travel on your birthday, then you can get a free cableway trip from Stechelberg or Mürren to the Schilthorn and back. You need to show your ID to claim this offer.

If you are in the Montreux, Oberland, or Bernois region on your birthday. Then, The MOB will give you a free first-class day card.

Schynige Platte Railway and Brienz Rothorn Railway also offer a free ticket on your birthday. This is something that’s worth asking if you’re traveling on your birthday in Switzerland.

In the end, I gotta tell you that Switzerland will not be a cheap place to visit. It is not affordable; it’s going to be an expensive vacation destination.

However, if you do some of these tips, then you can save some money and not have to worry about the money so much.

I know for a lot of travelers money is one of the biggest things. Switzerland is one of those countries where the money just disappears when you are going around.

I hope this blog helps you enjoy more and get to experience more when you are in Switzerland.

That’s it!

Now, you have a clear understanding of how to travel Switzerland on a budget.

Share this article with your friends/family and give them these tips.

Have questions?

Reach out to me and I will do my best to help.