Has anyone been to Switzerland?

[stockport1965]

Originally Posted by JLH

when people say expensive what sort of prices is it for food and drink? We were looking for Switzerland for a short break but not if its going to cost as much as week elsewhere.

See more...

Depends where, take Zurich as an example,
rheinfelderbierhalle/menus

we ate here once and it was cheapest we could find. Food was blooming fab though.
Alcohol is expensive

Coffee is £4 to £5

Beer was costing £7 a pint

Supermarket prices are OK for alcohol though

[love2plan]

Thanks everyone! I just got back from Dubai so expense really isn’t a problem, pints cant cost more than they did there 😅 very interested in things to do in Zurich and Geneva themselves? Also how long would you guys recommend to spend in each city and in the trip as a whole? I’ve looked at the 4 day Swiss pass and then getting accommodation in Geneva that includes transport passes so was thinking around 6 days for the whole trip but don’t wanna feel rushed?

[sky13]

I loved how punctual public transport in Switzerland is!

However... the clockwork reliability of Swiss public transport means that when things go wrong, there aren't really contingency plans in place. On my first visit to Switzerland 10 years ago, we were trying to get from the Geneva city centre train station to the airport by train. It seemed there was some unexpected train disruption happening that day, and no one seemed to know what was happening and what alternative forms of transport there were, and honestly it was a bit of a stressful experience as we were trying to make our flight! This was also in the days before ubiquitous smartphones so we couldn't just pull up Google maps to find an alternative route to the airport (these days it shouldn't be so much of an issue), so we were running around with luggage trying to find an alternative way of getting to the airport.

It seems that I was extremely unlucky with that experience though! And in my next trip everything ran again like clockwork, even buses.

[dreamadream]

Originally Posted by love2plan

Thanks everyone! I just got back from Dubai so expense really isn’t a problem, pints cant cost more than they did there 😅 very interested in things to do in Zurich and Geneva themselves? Also how long would you guys recommend to spend in each city and in the trip as a whole? I’ve looked at the 4 day Swiss pass and then getting accommodation in Geneva that includes transport passes so was thinking around 6 days for the whole trip but don’t wanna feel rushed?

See more...

TBH, and someone may correct me on this, but there really isnt much touristy things in Zurich or Geneva. We spent a day in each both holidays and struggled for things to do. My cousin lived there and said the nightlife is good but that's not our thing, even without the kids in tow!

Switzerland is all about heading into the alps.

In terms of cost of food etc. We found it variable. We self cater when there. Basic groceries are more expensive, like £3 for bread, £2 milk etc. Eating out can vary from OK, to mega ££££, mainly more expensive in the villages as they rely on transport.
We tended to have breakfast at the chalet, stop at COOP (our fav ever supermarket!) for lunch nibbles, like bread rolls, cheese and ham slices, grapes, crisps and a few cakes/chocolates and drinks. Maybe equivalent of £30.
We only had a few meals out due to cost. The campsite did great pizza nights for equiv of about £10 each. Mostly we raided COOP for fresh dinner ingredients to cook back at the chalet and eat like kings for about £30-40.
In total I allowed about £100 a day for food (we don't deprived ourselves at all!) for 4 of us big eaters. You culd do it on a lot less, especially if you take a few basics with you.

[Omega1]

Originally Posted by dreamadream

Switzerland is all about heading into the alps.

See more...

100% this.

[TigerGirl]

Originally Posted by Floridag1rl

Where we stayed (Manor Farm) at Interlaken we needed a car it was a couple of miles to the town where the Railway station was. We also needed the supermarket so it was essential for us. There were buses but transport would have cost us loads of money (two adults and two children) just getting in the car saved so much time.

See more...

Ooooohhh, we are hoping to tow the van out to Manor Farm next year! Can't wait, it looks stunning!