12 Tips to Explore Switzerland on a Budget

I went to Switzerland for the first time in October for just a long weekend. I was overtaken by the incredible views, dramatic mountains, charming towns and amazing food! What I was not aware of was how expensive a leisure weekend in this country can actually be.

Since being in the Swiss and French Alpes, I decided to write about my plans my finds and my tips on how to explore Switzerland on a budget, how this beautiful part of the world can be visited without breaking the bank and some accommodations to consider if camping is not your thing.

Disclaimer: It is still possible to visit Switzerland on budget, it requires a bit of creativity and planning. Get familiar with the best mountains in Switzerland with Aspen Wild. Perhaps less luxury chalets and more adventurous. A lot of the activities in Switzerland involve spending time in nature which can be cheap as well. However, if you want to really try to spend as less as possible, here are my 12 tips to explore Switzerland on a budget:

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How to explore Switzerland on a Budget

Accommodation:

Consider thoroughly researching accommodation. I am not sure about you, but for me accommodation isn’t always on my initial plans until it is too late. If you are like me, try to book ahead.

Stay outside of the city centre: Accommodation in major cities like Zurich and Geneva can be very expensive. Consider staying in a smaller town or village just outside the city, where you’ll find cheaper options and a more authentic Swiss experience.
Hostels and guesthouses: Hostels are a great budget-friendly option, especially for solo travellers. Guesthouses are another good choice, offering more privacy than hostels at a still-affordable price.
Camping: If you’re really on a tight budget, camping is a great way to go too. Switzerland has many beautiful campsites, and wild camping is even allowed in some areas. Of course, consider the weather and how to get to these camping sides. Sometimes you will need to have a car to reach certain places.
Couchsurfing: Couchsurfing is a great way to save money on accommodation and meet locals. The platform lets you connect with people and get free accommodation. The downside of Couchsurf nowadays is that you have to pay a membership.

Transportation:

Travelling into Switzerland, can be pretty affordable. I normally use Trainline, which offers trains and coaches throughout Europe at the best price. Flights to Geneva can also be quite cheap specially if flying from Spain or England.
Swiss Travel Pass: the Swiss Travel Pass is the best option if you want to travel around Switzerland and it offers the best experience for great views. It gives you unlimited travel on trains, buses, boats, and trams, as well as free entry to some museums and attractions. It is a bit pricy but it is well worth it. Swiss trains have huge windows perfect for the scenic landscapes and are very comfortable. You can find plug in every train and wi-fi.
Car: renting a car can be quite expensive. If you want to drive a car through the mountains my first tip is to go to France and rent it from there. For example, from Geneva to Annemasse costs about $11 and you can take advantage of car rentals charged in euros.

Food:

Try to cook your own meals: Eating out is expensive in Switzerland, and this is the view of someone living in London. Cook your own meals whenever you can. You can save a lot of money by eating in. Hostels normally have kitchens and it is a great way of saving some $$ on food. If you are close to Italy or France, consider travelling there to buy groceries in supermarkets. I tried local food to try to keep the costs down and tried things such as raclette and fondue. But take into consideration that even though it is cheaper, it can still be expensive to go out to restaurants to eat the local foods.

Activities:

Free walking tours: Many cities in the world walking tours, and this is a great way to get to know the cities. Cities like Geneva and Bern also have some free walking tours. These are a great way to learn about the city and see the sights, without spending any money.
Visit free museums: There are some museums in Switzerland that are free in some days of the week. For example the Natural History Museum in Geneva and a lot of natural parques are free.
Hiking: hiking is a great way to explore Swizerland’s land scapes. There are tons of trails that you can take. Lucerne, Jungfraujoch, Les Paccots, Interlaken, anywhere around Lake Geneva, all these destinations and others offer great outdoor activities and free.
Swimming in lakes: Switzerland has many beautiful lakes, perfect for swimming in the summer. Some lakes in Switzerland are like the sea. For example the lake Geneva has some parts of the lake that has sand making a beautiful part place to go for swims and even get that tan in the summer!
Go on nature tours with experience guides from the main cities in Switzerland.

Other tips:

Consider travelling in the lower seasons (spring and fall), when there are less tourists in Switzerland and the prices are lower. You can buy flights to Geneva and Zurich in lower seasons.

Places to stay in Geneva, Lucerne, Montreux, Bern and Zurich if you are looking for cheap options:

Cow in green grass with Swiss mountain backdrop

Traveling through Switzerland on a budget isn’t easy. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, but it’s also one with plenty of outdoor activities, so it shouldn’t be hard to save, at least on activities.

In this post, I haven’t written anything about what to do in Switzerland because even with so many outdoor activities, Switzerland has countless things to do, from skydiving, winter sports (when there’s snow), bungee jumping, and much more.

If you have any particular interest in exploring Switzerland or even activities in Switzerland to do on a budget, comment below.

Safe travels,

Miri x