[Switzerland 2023] 11D10N Switzerland Trip Itinerary + Overview
By Elin Chow - Thursday, September 21, 2023
Photo By: Elin Chow
We have just completed an amazing 10 days trip to Switzerland. Switzerland has been on the top of our travel bucket list for years. From majestic snow-capped mountains to deep forest, azure lakes, quaint villages, and lush green valley, the picture-perfect country never fails to surprise us on every corner.
However, it’s no secret that Switzerland is an expensive destination to visit. In fact, it is one of the most expensive countries to visit in the world (I will explain why Switzerland is so expensive later). Planning a trip to Switzerland on a budget is no easy feat. However, with some careful planning and preparation, it will at least help you to cut down on many unnecessary expenses. In this post, I have shared some tips that might help you to prepare for your trip to Switzerland, including information on the transportation, weather, basic things to pack and how much to budget for this Switzerland itinerary.
COST BREAKDOWN
Below shows the breakdown of the expenses of our 11D10N Switzerland trip. I have tracked and recorded all the expenses on the note app on my phone every single day, so putting together a detailed cost breakdown was not difficult. Keeping track of travel expenses can be challenging, especially when you are not handed receipts for your purchases. But recording your expenses is very important because it helps to keep track of all your spending and manage your budgets. Hopefully this will give you a rough idea how much money you would probably need for a 10 days trip to Switzerland.
|
TOTAL COST
BREAKDOWN FOR 2 PERSONS |
||
|
Expenses |
Swiss Franc
(CHF) |
Malaysia
Ringgit (RM) |
|
Airfare |
|
RM 6,998.00 |
|
Accommodation |
||
|
Kobi Boutique Studio Hirschenplatz (Lucerne)
* 2 Nights |
248.69 CHF |
RM 1,296.00 |
|
City Tax (Lucerne) (4.50 CHF/Pax/Night) |
18 CHF
|
RM 94.77 |
|
Valley Hostel (Lauterbrunnen) * 5 Nights |
439.80 CHF |
RM 2,334.10 |
|
City Tax (Lauterbrunnen) (2.40 CHF/Pax/Night) |
24 CHF |
RM 126.12 |
|
Ferienwohnung Uf dr Liwwi (Grindelwald) * 2 Nights |
280.26 CHF |
RM 2,067.14 |
|
City Tax (Grindelwald) (4.70 CHF/Pax/Night) |
18.80 CHF |
RM 98.79 |
|
Holiday Inn Express Zurich Airport (Zurich) * 1 Night |
|
RM 711.91 |
|
City Tax (Zurich) (2.50 CHF/Pax/Night) |
5 CHF |
RM 26.28 |
|
Total (Accommodation) |
|
RM 6,755.11 |
|
Transportation |
||
|
Half Fare Card – 120 CHF/Pax |
240 CHF |
RM 1,190.00 |
|
Train & Bus |
278.40 CHF |
RM 1,464.43 |
|
Mountains Excursions: |
|
|
|
Jungfraujoch (Good Morning Tickets) |
170 CHF |
RM 895.05 |
|
Mannlichen |
65.60 CHF |
RM 344.73 |
|
Grindewald-First |
64 CHF |
RM 336.96 |
|
Oeschinensee |
30 CHF |
RM 157.65 |
|
Boat: |
|
|
|
Lake Brienz Cruise (Day Pass) |
60 CHF |
RM 315.30 |
|
Rhine Falls Cruise (Rock Tour) |
40 CHF |
RM 210.92 |
|
Total (Transport) |
|
RM 4,915.04 |
|
Entrance Fee |
||
|
Blausee |
22 CHF |
RM 115.61 |
|
Trümmelbach Falls |
25.20 CHF |
RM 132.68 |
|
Glacier Canyon Grindelwald |
34 CHF |
RM 179.01 |
|
Rhine Falls |
10 CHF |
RM 52.55 |
|
Total (Entrance Fees) |
|
RM 479.85 |
|
Food & Drinks |
406.80 CHF |
RM 2,141.07 |
|
Souvenirs |
210.35 CHF |
RM 1,107.27 |
|
Misc – iPhone Cable |
24.95 CHF |
RM 131.11 |
|
ESim * 12 Days |
|
RM 219.60 |
|
Travel Insurance |
|
RM 488.00 |
|
TOTAL |
|
RM 23,235.05 |
For our 11 days trip to Switzerland, we have spent a total of RM 23,235.05. If you exclude souvenirs and miscellaneous expense, that will be RM 21,996.67, which works out to be RM 10,998.34 per person. The average exchange rate for Swiss Franc (CHF) to Malaysia Ringgit (RM) was 5.2643.
WHY IS SWITZERLAND EXPENSIVE?
Switzerland is expensive because of the strong Swiss Franc. The country's currency has appreciated significantly against nearly every other major currencies over the last decade, making it one of the strongest and most stable currencies in the world.
In addition to that, Switzerland has one of the highest standard of living in Europe, which naturally results in the higher prices of goods and services in the country. Compared to its neighbors in Europe, the cost of goods, such as food, clothing, accommodation and transport, is far higher than in the rest of Europe. To give you a rough idea, a McDonald's McChicken burger in Switzerland costs 6.90 CHF. If you make it a meal, it will cost you 12.30 CHF. A set lunch typically costs 25 CHF to 35 CHF.
CURRENCY
Switzerland is not a member of European Union (EU), and the Swiss franc (CHF) is the official currency in the country. Some merchants in Switzerland may accept Euros, but you will probably receive any resulting change in Swiss franc. Furthermore, it would cost you more if you pay in Euro as you will usually get a terrible exchange rate from the merchants.
The most commonly accepted payment options in Switzerland are cash, credit cards and debit cards. Credit cards and debit cards are widely accepted almost everywhere in the country. Compared to America Express and Diner Club, Visa and Mastercard are commonly accepted throughout the country. However, using credit cards to pay in Switzerland is normally rather pricey due to multiple foreign transaction fees and charges.
Prepaid Travel Debit Card
Instead of using credit cards, we opted for a prepaid travel debit card when we are travelling in Switzerland. Just like credit cards, prepaid travel debit cards are normally issued by Visa or Mastercard. There are dozens of prepaid debit cards issuers offering cards in Malaysia and abroad. Among them, we chose the Wise card (formerly TransferWise), a multi-currency travel debit card that allows you to hold and manage over 40 different currencies in one account and use in more than 175 countries.
All we need to do is to top up our Wise account with Ringgit and convert the money into the foreign currency we need for spending. Wise uses a mid-market exchange rate, which makes it cheaper than most banks. However, a nominal conversion fee will be charged when you convert the money in your account into another currency. The fees associated with Wise are low and transparent, with no hidden fees to worry about. The small conversion fee is the only fee that you will need to pay.
Even though credit cards and debit cards are widely accepted in Switzerland, it is always good to have a few options for paying. Other than credit card and debit card, I would also suggest that you carry a small amount of cash with you as well.
FLIGHT
We flew with Singapore Airlines for this trip. The entire journey took 17 hours, including a layover of 3 hours at Singapore Changi Airport. The flight costs RM 3,499 per person, which included seat selection fees for our flight from Singapore to Zurich, as well as Zurich to Singapore. If you don't mind where you sit on the plane, you can save on the seat selection fees.
We actually booked the flight about 10 months before the trip. I really recommend that you book as early as possible. The later you book, chances are, the more expensive the flight ticket will be.
On our flight from Zurich to Singapore, there was no bottled water provided to passengers for a 12 hours flight. Instead, they only served water in small plastic cups every hour throughout the flight, which we felt was a bit insufficient.
Simply input your departure and arrival points in the app. It will show the fares for each journey. Do note that the fares shown in the app are half fare price. To decide whether the Swiss Travel Pass or the Half Fare Card is better, you need to add up all the transport fares for your trip and compare which one will give you greater savings.
Valley Hostel Lauterbrunnen > Lauterbrunnen Station > Interlaken Ost Station > Lake Brienz Boat Cruise (Brienz + Giessbach Waterfall Hike + Iseltwald)
Complimentary In-Flight Wi-Fi & In-Flight Entertainment System
Free unlimited Wi-Fi has been offered to all passengers who are Kris Flyer members on all routes. In order to access to the free WiFi service on the flight, you just need to enter your Kris Flyer membership details either at the point of booking or during check-in.
I have nothing to complain about the in-flight entertainment system. The screen is big and has a high resolution. We had unlimited access to more than a hundred-in flight movies ranging from latest blockbusters to unforgettable classics.
Overall, our flight experience with Singapore Airlines was great. I was comfortable enough to sleep for hours (I usually have trouble sleeping on flights). The flight attendants were generally friendly, attentive and professional.
TRANSPORTATION
Switzerland has one of the best-developed public transport networks in the world. Trains are by far, the fastest and most convenient way to get around in the country. They are fast, clean and highly efficient. The public transportation in Switzerland has excellent infrastructure, connecting even the remotest valley in the country.
Unsurprisingly, Switzerland also has one of the most expensive public transport systems in the world. While doing my research about planning a trip to Switzerland, I have come across many recommendations for getting a Swiss Travel Pass. The Swiss Travel Pass is an all-in-one pass that gives you unlimited travels on all modes of public transport in Switzerland (except cable cars and mountain railways - but you will normally get a 25% to 50% discount), as well as free admission to 500 museums. The Swiss Travel Pass is available for purchase for period of 3, 4, 8 or 15 days. The cheapest 3 days Swiss Travel Pass (2nd class) is priced at 232 CHF.
Although expensive, many foreigners enjoy the convenience and numerous benefits that comes with the all-in-one pass. With a Swiss Travel Pass, there is no need to purchase individual train or bus tickets. You can simply hop on the train and show the ticket inspector your Swiss Pass when there is a ticket inspection. Yes, there will be ticket inspectors (especially long distance trains) conducting frequent ticket inspections on the trains. If you are caught without a ticket, or in the wrong class cabin, you will be asked to pay a fine.
Half Fare Card
Instead of buying a Swiss Travel Pass, we purchased a Half Fare Card from Klook. The reason is we realized that the Swiss Travel Pass will not pay itself off after doing the math. We will actually spend more on transportation if we purchased a Swiss Travel Pass instead of a Half Fare Card.
A Half Fare Card costs 120 CHF, and is valid for one month. The card will entitle visitors to purchase trains, bus, boats, and most mountain railways at half price. However, Half Fare Card is less convenient than Swiss Travel Pass as you will still need to buy individual tickets each time. For us, this is not really a big issue since the Half Fare Card will provide us with greater savings than the Swiss Travel Pass.
SBB Mobile App
In order to decide which pass is best for your trip, some calculation must be done. To do that, I highly recommend that you download the SBB Mobile app, which is the official app for Switzerland's transportation systems. It will be one of the most useful app that will help you plan your trip to Switzerland. The SBB app not only shows the timetables for all trains across the network, but also buses, cable cars and boats, as well as fares. Therefore, it will be a great tool that will help you to plan your daily travels.
Simply input your departure and arrival points in the app. It will show the fares for each journey. Do note that the fares shown in the app are half fare price. To decide whether the Swiss Travel Pass or the Half Fare Card is better, you need to add up all the transport fares for your trip and compare which one will give you greater savings.
If you decide to purchase the Half Fare Card, all your major journey should adds up to more than the cost of the card. Otherwise, it will not be worth it to purchase the Half Fare Card.
ACCOMMODATION
The second biggest expenditure for our Switzerland trip is accommodations. For this trip, we tried to book accommodations that comes with a kitchen (or at least a kitchenette) so that we can cook our own meals, which helped us to save quite a lot of money on food costs.
We stayed in hostel, apartment hotels and standard hotel rooms during our Switzerland trip. The cheapest accommodation that we have stayed in Switzerland was a private room in a hostel with shared facilities like kitchen, bathrooms and dining area. It costs 88 CHF per night (including taxes) for a double private room. Although it is quite expensive if you compare to other Western European countries, staying in a hostel is still more budget-friendly than a standard hotel room.
A hostel dorm room would be the cheapest option. However, you will have to share your room with other people. If you have a higher budget, I would really recommend booking a private room in a hostel as it will offers more privacy and greater comfort.
Airbnbs are equally expensive in Switzerland as well. However, they are perfect if you are travelling with a group of friends or family. We usually stay in Airbnbs when we travel because they are cheaper than hotels. However, this isn't the case in Switzerland.
City Tax
Do note that city tax is applicable for all types of accommodations, and in all cities, towns and villages across Switzerland. The amount varies in different towns and cities, as well as different types of accommodation. It is determined by the local authorities, not by the accommodation owners.
City tax is used to finance tourist related infrastructure. The accommodation rates usually do not include the city tax. Most of the time, you have paid the tax directly to the accommodation when you check in. It usually costs 2 CHF to 7 CHF per person per night. Although it is not a lot of money, but it can still adds up to a considerable amount.
Guest Cards
Most Swiss cities and towns will usually provide a guest card to every guest who stay overnight in the region. The guest card will be given by your accommodation upon check in. Remember to request it from your accommodation if they forgot to provide it to you.
Almost all the guests card will allow you to use public transport for free, and entitle you to small discounts on numerous attractions and activities. Although the discounts are small, it will still help you save a few pennies.
FOOD
Eating out in Switzerland is expensive. With meals costing between 25 CHF to 35 CHF for lunch, and 30 CHF to 50 CHF for dinner per person, the costs of food can add up quickly and burn a hole in your pocket. Cooking our own meals and packing lunches on day trip have helped us save a lot of money on food.
For lunch, we basically live off supermarket foods like bread rolls, pastries and ready-made sandwiches, sometimes packing food that we have prepared and cooked the night before. As for dinner, shopped for groceries at local supermarkets like Coop and Migros (but we prefer Coop to Migros), and cooked most of our meals. Other than buying from local supermarkets, we also brought some basic food supplies from home, such as instant noodles, energy bars, rice, noodles, cereals, meal replacements and biscuits.
Of course, we also dined out four times when we were in Switzerland - twice at McDonald and twice at local restaurants. So we didn't really miss out on the Swiss food experience.
A tip for grocery shopping on a budget in Switzerland is to look for 50% off items at Coop in the evening. We were able to get marinated chicken wings, marinated pork skewers, pre-made sandwiches and pastries at 50% off. You can also save by buying products from Coop's low cost product line called Prix Garantie.
e-SIM
To stay connected in Switzerland, we purchased e-SIM from Shopee. In the past, I would usually rent a pocket Wi-Fi in Malaysia before jetting off overseas, but nowadays I mostly use e-SIM cards to stay connected. e-SIM offers a more convenient, efficient and less expensive way of staying connected when travelling.
I bought 12 days unlimited data plan with 2GB high speed per day. The e-SIM connects to SALT network with 4G LTE and 5G speeds while I was in Switzerland. We have enjoyed fast and reliable connectivity when we were travelling in the country, without having to worry about data caps.
However, do note that your phone needs to be connected to Wi-Fi network in order to activate the e-SIM on your device.
WHAT TO PACK
Here are some of the essential things to pack for your trip to Switzerland. Do note that this is not a travel packing list as I will not cover everything that you will need to pack for your trip. Rather, I would list out the items that are often overlooked.
Power Plug & Socket
Switzerland uses two different types of electrical outlets and power plugs - Type C (2-pin) and Type J (3-pin) plugs. Most of the power sockets in the country are designed for three pin round plugs, so you will need an travel adapter to plug your electronic devices in. Type J plug socket is used almost exclusively in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. This means that you will not be able to use an European plug, or European travel adapter, in the majority of Swiss power outlets.
In Malaysia, you can buy a Type-J travel adapter from Lazada or Shopee. I bought it from Lazada, and they are compatible with every socket in Switzerland.
The voltage and frequency of electricity in Switzerland is 230V at 50 Hz while Malaysia operates on 240V and 50 Hz. The voltage is not exact, but the difference is usually tolerable by electrical devices. Therefore, it is mostly safe to plug your electrical devices from Malaysia in Switzerland without using a voltage adapter.
Hiking Shoes & Sneakers
The Swiss lifestyle involves a lot of walking. I really recommend investing in a good pair of waterproof hiking shoes, especially if you are planning to visit the countryside and mountains. The mountain paths often involve steep, rocky and uneven terrains. A good pair of hiking shoes will cushion your feet against rough surfaces, and offer excellent grip and traction on rugged, steep and rocky trails.
Sneakers are sufficient for exploring Swiss cities. However, please leave your flip-flops and high heels at home. The cities in Switzerland often have cobblestone streets, which can be tricky to navigate in flip-flops and high heels. A stylish pair of sneakers will be ideal for traversing the cobbled streets of Swiss cities.
Sunscreen
It is essential to apply sunscreen everyday when you are in Switzerland. The UV index in Switzerland is very high, especially in summer during clear, sunny days. The UV index increases with altitude, with the Alps being one of the regions where the highest UV levels are measured in Europe.
The high UV index can result in a sunburn after 15-20 minutes of exposure. Thus, it is crucial to protect your skin by wearing sunscreen.
The rays were most intense between 2 pm to 6 pm when we visited Switzerland in early September. Although we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible during this time, we still got sunburned.
Hats / Caps
Wearing a hat/ cap is a way to protect your scalp from the sun. It is even better if it is labeled with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF).
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are a must in Switzerland. They are the key to protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays and glare from the sun.
Reusable water bottle
The water in Switzerland are of very high-quality standard. Water in the country is so clean that it can be drunk directly from the tap (unless otherwise stated) without posting a health hazard. In every city and town, you will also find numerous drinking fountains and taps where you can get drinking water for free. Therefore, I would recommend bringing a reusable water bottle so that you can fill up for free. This will save you a lot of money from buying water. In fact, I personally feel that tap water tastes better than mineral water in Switzerland because it contains more minerals! Furthermore, it is usually refreshingly cold in most places.
Lunch Box
If you would like to pack lunches, remember to bring a lunch box or zip lock bags to store them.
TOILETS
Public toilets (often marked with WC) are shockingly clean in Switzerland. Most of the public toilets in Switzerland can be found at railway stations, cable car stations and in shopping malls.
Before travelling to Switzerland, I have read that most public toilets are not free in the country. However, we have never spent a single penny to use a public toilet during our 10 days stay in Switzerland. In fact, there are a lot of free public toilets in big city like Lucerne (not sure about other big cities like Zurich, Geneva and Bern).
There are also toilet facilities on most medium to long distance trains (and boats as well), both in 1st and 2nd class sections. The toilets on the trains are clean and free of charge.
ITINERARY
The below shows the itinerary we have planned and covered during the 10 days we have spent in Switzerland. Hopefully, this will help you to plan your first trip to Switzerland. All the places on the itinerary below will be slowly linked to individual blog posts that will follow by in the next few months. So, be sure to follow my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to get the latest updates on my 10 days adventures in Switzerland!
Our 10 days itinerary explores the idyllic Bernese Oberland (circle in red) in central Switzerland, particularly the Jungfrau region, which is situated in the heart of the Swiss Alps. The region is famous for its snow-capped peaks, numerous waterfalls, turquoise lakes, as well as alpine villages and towns. We prefer the nature to big cities, thus we spent most of our time exploring the alpine villages, iconic mountains, valley and waterfalls in the countryside. Do note that you will need a reasonable level of fitness to fully explore the Swiss mountains and countryside.
Even though we prefer the mountain villages to bustling cities, we still spent two days in Lucerne to get a taste of Swiss city life. Therefore, this itinerary will take you on a journey through the stunning Swiss countryside and charming medieval cities.
DAY 1 & 2: LUCERNE
DAY 3: LAUTERBRUNNEN
DAY 4: JUNGFRAUJOCH
DAY 5: BRIENZ + GIESSBACH WATERFALL + ISELTWALD
Valley Hostel Lauterbrunnen > Lauterbrunnen Station > Interlaken Ost Station > Lake Brienz Boat Cruise (Brienz + Giessbach Waterfall Hike + Iseltwald)
DAY 6: KANDERSTEG
Valley Hostel Lauterbrunnen > Lauterbrunnen Station > Frutigen Station > Blausee > Kandersteg Station > Oeschinensee > Kandersteg Station > Lauterbrunnen Station > Restaurant Weidstubli
DAY 7: MANNLICHEN + TRUMMELBACH FALLS
Valley Hostel Lauterbrunnen > Lauterbrunnen Station > Mannlichen > Wengen > Lauterbrunnen Station > Trummelbach Falls
DAY 8: GRINDEWALD
Check Out Valley Hostel > Lauterbrunnen Station > Grindelwald Station > Drop Luggage at Ferienwohnung Uf dr Liwwi > Grindelwald Glacier Canyon > Explore Grindelwald > Check In Ferienwohnung Uf dr Liwwi > Barry's Restaurant
DAY 9: GRINDEWALD-FIRST
Ferienwohnung Uf dr Liwwi > Grindewald First
DAY 10: ZURICH
This is basically my itinerary for my 10 days trip to Switzerland. I will be posting individual posts about the places we visited in Switzerland soon. So, be sure to follow me on my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to get the latest updates on my 10 days Switzerland adventures! Also, do not forget to share my blog posts with your family and friends if you find them helpful. In the meantime, you might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.
