Where To Stay

This is almost always going to be the biggest ticket item anytime you’re on vacation in Switzerland. The trade-off a lot of times you need to make in Switzerland is for the locations and the price. 

In my previous blog “How to Travel Switzerland on a Budget,” I recommended looking outside of the city center if you want to stay for a little bit less expensive and more affordable. 

That tip still applies, but I did find a place in the heart of Zurich. I think it is a really good option if you’re looking for a combination of affordability and location.

That is the Green Marmot Capsule Hotel. It is right by the Stadelhofen and the train station, which is right between the Grossmunster.

Grossmunster is the big church that you see in Zurich along with Bellevue. This is the square that has the opera house. 

It is in a perfect location in Zurich from where walkable to everything.

This is a cute capsule hotel that’s basically everything that you would need. They have a couple of different options like handicapped, single traveler, and couple. 

Also, they have female-only options which is important if you’re a solo female traveler, even though Switzerland is really safe. 

It is an extra level of just being more comfortable for female travelers.

So, this is a basic kind of hotel that has everything you need inexpensively in the heart of Zurich. 

Also, they have a nice terrace where you can walk out, have a cup of coffee in the morning, and enjoy a beautiful view of the Lemmat.

Which is just amazing for less than CHF 100 and very cheap compared to others.

Food

In my previous blog, I talked about how you can save money on food in Switzerland. You can check it, and it’s mentioned above.

In short, don’t even think of having a meal in a restaurant if you want to save money on food.

For breakfast, lunch, and even some dinners, it’s not necessary to go to a restaurant. 

You can have picnics all over Switzerland with beautiful views, and it is always my recommendation. 

Go to Migros or Coop nearby. Coop is a little bit better for meals. These two are the biggest supermarket chains in Switzerland. 

They have great grab and go types of options for lunch. If you are from the USA, this is something that you might not think about.

Take your food and drinks. Bring a blanket and enjoy your picnic on the lakeside.

Another thing is fun and you may like it. In Zurich, some of the little parks have grills where you can bring your own wood or coal and food and grill outside. 

You will find them all over Zurich and people love to cook there. You can try it if you love to cook outside. 

Also, you can do it in much less expensively than eating out in a restaurant.

Transportation

This tip is the most practical one and it’s where you will spend a lot of money if you’re not careful enough and that’s on transportation. 

Swiss trains can be really expensive but you have something unique in Zurich. It is a 24-hr ticket. Take advantage of the 24-hour public transit tickets.

Most places have just a day pass ticket in Switzerland but for Zurich, It’s different. Also, you can make it work for across two days. 

So, if you get a 24-hour ticket at noon you can use it until noon the following day. 

You can buy 24-hour tickets from the ticket machines at a sales outlet. Also, you can buy it with the ZVV App in the online ticket shop.

Fares 24-hr tickets

Take A Boat

My second recommendation for transportation is to take advantage of the river cruise. There is a river cruise that goes from the Ladesmuseum which is close to the main train station. 

It goes all the way to the lake and this is such a nice thing to do especially in summer. It goes every 20 or 30 minutes.

It is really a nice experience to see Zurich and the old town from the river. This is also covered in your public transportation ticket.

The boat service runs daily from April 2nd to October 24th.

Visit Uetliberg

Take the funicular from Zurich train station to Uetliberg. The view there is also quite amazing.

I love going there in the summer or in the winter. You have a view of the whole lake of Zurich, the Alps and Zurich itself.

It’s a cool mountain experience without having to spend the big bucks in big mountains.

Polybahn (Little funicular in the heart of the city center)

There is a tiny funicular right in the heart of Zurich. I promise you will love to take that funicular.

This is the Polybahn. It goes from central, which is close to the main station.

The view from the Polyterrasse when you arrive is quite stunning, overlooking Zurich. 

This is something that is included in your public transportation ticket and will take you to some very cool places.

Explore The Old Town Of Zurich

This is something you can do totally for free. Actually, you can do it on foot by exploring the beautiful city of Zurich.

Zurich is a surprisingly charming city. The streets are very colorful. Zurich is situated around a river called Limmat, which then opens up into the Lake Zurich. 

You can walk up and down the river on both sides. There are two kinds of different old towns on each side of the river and they are so beautiful.

So, you have the old town on one side and Niederdorf on the other side. There are beautiful squares.

Also, you will walk in Münzpl. Walk around Augustinergasse, which has beautiful colorful houses.

It is a great place to take pictures. Don’t neglect to spend an hour or two strolling around Zurich’s old town.

The Swiss architecture that you might only expect to see more in the central mountains regions. However, you can get it in Zurich too. 

I highly recommend taking advantage of checking it, out and it’s free for you.

Swim In The Limmat

In summer, you can go to the Limmat for a swim. There is a specific place close to the Dynamo Bar and the Zurich Marriott Hotel. 

There is a bridge from where you can jump into the river. Also, you can float for around three to four hundred meters, which is a very existing activity and also refreshing.

It is one of the activities that I strongly recommend, and it’s completely free.

Discover Hidden Zurich (Archaeological Windows Program)

The Archaeological Windows Program is something the city has put together, and you can get some keys for free that open some hidden places of the city that you would not have access to otherwise.

So, you have to go to the Stadthaus, which is close to Fraumunster church. When you get in, ask for the Archaeological Windows.

You will have to give something like an ID card for collateral, and then they will give you one or multiple keys and a map.

Then, you’ll be sent off by yourself. You can use them to find those hidden places which will be opened by your keys and explore some of Zurich’s historical places.

Zuri Rollt

From Zuri Rollt, you can rent bikes for free. This is a program that the Tourism Board of Zurich operates.

At Zurich main station, Europaplatz, you can rent a bike. It’s open daily from 8 am to 9:30 pm.

To rent a bike, you need to go to the counter and make a deposit of CHF 20 for a bicycle and CHF 30 for E-bikes or cargo bikes per day.

With a bike, you can go up and down the lake and bike around Zurich. Check out the Zuri Rollt, get a bike, and explore more of Zurich.

Kunsthaus

The Kunsthaus is an art museum and one of the largest art collections in Switzerland. Also, it is one of the largest art associations in Europe.

With around 25,000 members, it’s quite expensive usually. However, on Wednesday, the Kunsthaus is totally free. 

You don’t have to pay any francs to get admission.

Zurich Card

With the Zurich card, you can travel on all forms of public transportation (from bus, train, boat, funicular, and cable car) in the city of Zurich(Zones 110, 111, 121, 140, 150, 154, & 155).

Also, the Zurich card offers many discounts like culinary surprises, free admission to museums, discounts in Zurich stores, and more. 

Remember, the Zurich Card must be verified at a ticket machine before your first journey.

One thing you need to consider is that you have to do a lot of activities in order to break even.

These are the best tips for doing Zurich on a budget. I hope they are helpful to you.

If you try out any of these tips, please let me know.