Travel Tips and Advice

How To Save Money When Traveling In Switzerland

4 tips are helpful

It is said that God blessed Switzerland and left plenty of beauty in this country. There are both bustling cities and charming lakes and mountains. If there is a paradise on earth, it must be Switzerland.

Well, even paradise has its downsides. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Before traveling, it is important to make not only a travel plan but also a financial budget.

Here are 4 tips to help you budget better and save money.

1. A combination of train and bus equals a free bus ride

Public transport in Switzerland is very expensive. Take Zurich to Aarau for example. A one-way train ticket costs CHF 28.6. After getting off the train, if you take the bus to the reserved hotel, it will cost about CHF 3–5 (depending on the location of the hotel).

If you buy a train ticket to Arau at SBB¹ for CHF 28.6 after landing at Zurich Airport, you can use this ticket to board the train and then transfer to the bus for free to your destination. In other words, you can save CHF 3–5.

2. With the Half Fare Travelcard (“Halbtax”), you can half-price travel throughout Switzerland

If you want to see as many places in Switzerland as possible, this is the right choice for you — the half fare travel card costs CHF 185, valid for one year.

As the name suggests, you can travel for half price on all SBB routes and most other railways as well as on boats, post buses, and trams.

Best of all: the low price means that your Half Fare Travelcard will pay for itself in just a few journeys. For instance, you will have recovered the cost of the Travelcard after just four return journeys in 2nd class from Zurich to Bern or two return journeys in 1st class from Zurich to Bern.

¹SBB=Swiss Federal Railways (German: Schweizerische Bundesbahnen)

3. Shopping for groceries at “ALDI” is cost-effective

Switzerland is not only a ski resort in winter but also the first choice for many people’s vacations in the summertime. Famous holiday destinations such as Engelberg, Weggis, Amden, etc.

Whether you’re staying in a vacation home or an Airbnb, you can cook your own meals.

The next question is where to shop for the best price.

There are many supermarket chains in Switzerland, such as coop, MIGROS, and Volg, which are common in many cities.

Among them, the coop is usually more expensive, followed by MIGROS, while Volg is reasonably priced and is open 365 days. But none of them is as cheap as the German chain ALDI.

At ALDI, you can almost buy everyday items and ingredients at affordable prices. Too bad some small villages don’t have ALDI. You may have to drive to bigger villages to find it, but it’s usually not too far. Switzerland is not big after all. 😁

4. Don’t forget to apply for a Tax refund before you leave Switzerland

The price in Switzerland generally includes 7.7% VAT. When you as a tourist buy goods over CHF 300 and take them out of Switzerland within 30 days, you can apply for a tax refund.

It’s easy to do. When leaving the country, present your invoice, passport, and tax refund form to Swiss Customs at the tax refund counter. You can get your cash back or transfer your tax refund to your bank account.

Thank you for reading! I hope these tips will help you! Have fun in Switzerland! 😃

If you want to know more about Switzerland, you can find other stories below.

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