Tips for Visiting Switzerland on a Budget

Think Switzerland is too pricey? Think again! Follow these easy money-saving tips and see how budget travel in Switzerland is totally doable.

Yes, Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries to visit in the world. But guess what? You can visit this postcard-perfect country without having to sell a kidney. Here’s how to conquer Switzerland on a budget—yes, even with those overpriced cappuccinos lurking around every street corner. I spent two full weeks in Switzerland in summer (so high season!) and another week or so in winter.

I’m not a budget traveler – but I’m not made out of money either. I’m definitely not someone who meticulously plans out a travel budget, but at the end of the day, Switzerland is really expensive and I don’t want to drop buckets of money unnecessarily. So here are the tips I used to make the most of my money when traveling Switzerland.

1. Switzerland on a Budget – Travel Off-Season

If you’re really on a budget, skip peak tourist months (July, August, and ski season). Visit in shoulder seasons like May, early June, or late September when accommodation and flights are cheaper, and the crowds have thinned.

However — and this is a big HOWEVER — there’s a reason why traveling at this time of year is cheaper. You’re going to run into closed activities. Many of the gondola stations close down during shoulder season, so always check to see if what you want to see will be running. If hiking is your thing, you’re going to run into closed trails due to snow.

Personally, despite the price, I overwhelmingly preferred traveling in the peak summer season, as my main reason for visiting Switzerland was to hike.

READ MORE: I also made a budget guide to traveling to Iceland

2. Switzerland on a Budget – Get some sort of Travel Pass

I highly suggest traveling by train when visiting Switzerland, as the trains are really nice and always on time. But if you take a cursory look at the price of a train ticket in Switzerland, you’re going to get severe sticker stock. I suggest using some sort of travel pass.

If you are traveling as a group of adults or a large family, you might want to look into renting a car as it might be cheaper that way.

For our summer trip, as we were only traveling to Switzerland, we used the 15-day Swiss Travel Pass and absolutely loved the convenience of it. It’s quite pricey upfront — and you probably could save a little bit by getting the Half Fare card if you don’t mind purchasing individual train tickets each time. We opted for convenience and absolutely loved this option and would do it again in a heartbeat. While pricey upfront, the Swiss Travel Pass offers unlimited travel on trains, buses, and boats, plus free entry to many attractions, as well as 50% off chairlifts and gondolas. If you’re planning to move around a lot, it pays for itself.

READ MORE: I broke down the pros and cons of a Swiss Travel Pass

If you’re interested in purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass, purchase it directly through SBB here.

Or, you could purchase a Half Fare Card. This is another really popular option for tourists wanting to travel on a budget in Switzerland and use trains. This ‘card’ entitles you to half off train fares throughout the country and also gives you discounts of up to 50% on chairlift and gondola rides. We chose not to do this, as we didn’t want to be bothered having to purchase train tickets for each journey.

Purchase the half fare card from SBB directly – here is the link.

One more option — and we did this during our winter trip — is to use the Eurail pass. During our November / December trip, we were traveling to three other countries, so we purchased Eurail passes. It works a lot like the Swiss Travel Pass, however, you only can use it on trains. You cannot use it on buses, trams, or ferries, and you can get occasional discounts for gondolas, depending on where you go.

If you travel with a Eurail pass, and you stay in a hotel in a city, such as Geneva, Basel, Bern, your hotel will give you a city pass that gives you free transportation on trams and buses within the city. We took full advantage of the Basel Card our hotel gave us when we were using Eurail.

3. Switzerland on a Budget – Stay in Hostels / Guesthouses / Apartments

I’m not a hostel person but if you are, Swiss hostels are clean, safe, and often come with free breakfast. For an even more local vibe, try guesthouses or Airbnb apartments. Guesthouses and apartments will typically be equipped with a full kitchen, which will save you buckets of money on food. They also will likely have laundry facilities free of charge.

4. Switzerland on a Budget – Take advantage of hotel status, if you have it

I have a high status with Marriott, so we booked Marriott hotels during our stays in Zurich, Geneva, and Basel. I purposely stayed at properties that have a lounge – I stayed at the Marriott Zurich, Marriott Geneva Airport and the Basel Marriott. Marriott flagship hotels (which are typically found in city centers) usually have an M Lounge club, which gives you free breakfast, 24/7 free drinks and snacks, and a happy hour with appetizers, as long as you have high enough status (for Marriott, it’s Platinum or higher). The happy hour at dinner time had plenty of food, enough for a full meal. Free food in Switzerland is one heckuva deal!

5. Switzerland Budget Tips – Avoid Restaurants; Grocery Stores are Key

Dining out in Switzerland can ruin a budget quicker than anything else, in my experience. Instead, hit up grocery stores like Coop or Migros for ready-made meals or grab sandwiches and snacks for your hikes. If you’re staying somewhere with a full kitchen, you can pick up ingredients to make a full meal. I’m not one for cooking (at home OR on vacation) but in Switzerland, because this saves you so much money, I’m willing to do it. It just means I can stay longer or travel in peak season!

6. Switzerland on a Budget – Bring a Reusable Water Bottle

Swiss tap water isn’t just safe—it’s glacier-level fresh. Fill up at public fountains and skip buying bottled water. I was wary of this but tried it out on my first day in Switzerland and the water was amazing! You won’t go thirsty!

7. Switzerland on a Budget – Remember, There are plenty of Free Activities

Switzerland’s true beauty is in its landscapes, and nature doesn’t charge an entry fee. Hike scenic trails, swim in alpine lakes, and explore charming old towns without spending a franc. Yes, some hikes will need you to take a chairlift or gondola to get to the top (that’s where your Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card can give you discounts!) but not all do. And you’ll typically get a full day’s worth of entertainment for that ride.

Switzerland has a gigantic network of hiking trails and you don’t have to take a gondola up to the trailhead. Most always, you have the option to hike up to the trailhead for free, but it’s often quite steep and sometimes adds hours to your hike.

8. Switzerland on a Budget – Plan Your Activities Strategically

Mountain excursions (like Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn) are pricey — like, really really pricey. Choose one or two must-do experiences and save your money for those rather than trying to cram them all in. We skipped Jungfraujoch, and Schilthorn, and did Mt. Pilatus (near Lucerne) and Gongergrat (Zermatt) instead. You don’t have to do it all — you don’t have to do any of them if you don’t want to!

Again with the Swiss Travel Pass / Half Fare card: These passes will give you big discounts on almost all of the mountain top excursions.

We didn’t do any tour or visit any museums – none of this interested us (again, we were there for the spectacular outdoor scenery).

9. Switzerland on a Budget – Skip the Souvenirs

Oof, as a shopper, this was really, really hard for me. I love gift shops. I love buying made-in-China junk like magnets and snowglobes. But in Switzerland, I just couldn’t stomach the prices on the stuff in the souvenir shops. $9 for a magnet! $15 for a tiny snowglobe. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Plus, photos and memories are free.

We did buy a lot of chocolate on our first trip! As in, we nearly filled an entire suitcase with chocolate for friends and family. But we did our shopping at the tail end of the trip, in Geneva, at a Coop grocery store, which had amazing prices on Swiss chocolate.

10. Switzerland Travel Budget tips – Make sure your credit card has no foreign transaction fees

Credit cards are king in Switzerland. You can get by without withdrawing any Swiss Francs, as credit cards are accepted everywhere. Some places won’t even take cash. But if you use the wrong credit card, you’ll come back with a bunch of fees on your statement, so check your card’s terms and conditions. You will want either a Visa or Mastercard; American Express is not widely accepted.

Switzerland on a budget isn’t a myth! Pack your hiking boots, embrace public transport, and let the Swiss Alps work their magic without emptying your wallet. Happy travels!