I’ve planned dozens of trips, but I’ll admit that researching for our family trip to Switzerland was pretty intimidating. The various modes of transportation, the different train passes, the exorbitant prices . . . it’s a lot to think about! But in the end, everything went pretty seamlessly and it was one of our best trips ever. Here are some of the key things every traveler should know before traveling to Switzerland.
Dining out is expensive
Steve and I first visited Switzerland in 2019 for several days, when we went snowboarding in Zermatt. The prices were shocking — $30 for (very mediocre) nachos?! But at the time, we simply chalked it up to Zermatt being an expensive ski resort town.
However, on our family trip, we quickly learned that these kinds of prices are simply the norm in Switzerland. It didn’t matter if we were in the city or a small mountain village; on average, lunches and dinners for two adults (and a 3-year-old who ate our food) cost around $75 USD. And none of our meals were at fancy places! One of our breakfasts in Zurich (three ham and cheese croissants and two pourover coffees) cost 39.60 CHF, or $46. An Indian dinner in Montreux of two curries, two servings of rice, a garlic naan, two mango lassis, and papadums? 93 CHF, or $109.
Fortunately, all the meals were tasty and the portions were decently sized. But definitely be prepared for some sticker shock.
If you want to save money, you could get some ready-to-eat items at a grocery store (a lot of people do this, and the quality was pretty decent!).
Public transit is expensive
It made financial sense for us to get the Swiss Travel Pass instead of the Half Fare Card for our 15-day trip. One huge perk of the Swiss Travel Pass is not having to buy any tickets in advance; we could just hop on any train, and the ticket inspector would scan the QR codes for our passes. With the Half Fare Card, you’d still have to purchase specific tickets prior to your train ride.
However, even with the Swiss Travel Pass (which cost just over $1,060 for two adults for 15 consecutive days!), there are a number of gondolas and cable cars that aren’t covered. For those, we got a 50% discount with the Swiss Travel Pass, but they were still expensive. For the gondola from Wengen to Männlichen, it cost 29 CHF roundtrip per adult. The cog railway to Schynige Platte cost 32 CHF roundtrip per adult. The cable car up to Grindelwald First cost 34 CHF roundtrip per adult. Be prepared to spend a decent chunk of change on transportation.
You could luck out with free local transport depending on the city and type of accommodation you’re staying in. For example, our Airbnb host in Montreux was able to get us free Montreux Riviera Cards. This let us use the buses in Montreux for free, and it also gave us significant discounts to some attractions. We also got the Geneva Transport Card for free from our hotel.
Train travel is easy and fun
Even though Swiss trains are pricey, they’re absolutely worth taking because they’re so reliable and punctual. You can tell the Swiss take pride in their public transportation. Practically no one takes long-distance trains in the States, but in Switzerland, both locals and tourists rely on them.
Signage is great at all of the stations, and it was honestly a breeze getting around, even when we were schlepping all of our luggage. Some of the connections were a little tight (especially if you’re lugging heavy bags or an uncooperative toddler), but all of the stations made it very clear where you needed to go. Train platforms are labeled by sector (A, B, C, etc.) so you know where to wait for a first- or second-class car, or a car for bikes or families.
Coming from Boston, where there seems to be a train fire, derailment, or some other major disruption at least once a week, the trains in Switzerland were a breath of fresh air. There was only one incident in our two weeks there where our train was more than 10 minutes late, and that was because it was driving through an insane hail storm. Other than that, all of our other trains were on time.
Also, Swiss Rail has an amazing mobile app that you must download. I relied on SBB Mobile the entire trip since it was so accurate. The app has details for every journey, as well as train formation maps that tell you which train cars are first or second class and which car has the playground. It’s easily the best public transit app I’ve used. This app also stored the QR codes for our Swiss Travel Passes.
The one time I’ll say train travel isn’t fun is late morning in the Alps regions. A lot of tourists check out of their accommodations at that time, and the trains in the Alpine villages aren’t double deckers like the city trains. It can get pretty claustrophobic with all of the people and luggage.
Bring your own water bottle
There is one thing you can get in Switzerland for free, and that’s drinking water!
Towns and cities across Switzerland feature fountains that have pristine water that’s completely safe for drinking. Just make sure there are no signs that say “Kein trinkwasser” (“not drinking water”) and you’re good to go. In our 2+ weeks in Switzerland, we never saw this sign at any of the fountains we encountered, so I believe they’re few and far between. This was such a great, convenient perk, especially on those hot and sunny August days.
It’s very kid-friendly
Switzerland is hands-down an absolutely fantastic place for kids and families.
From beautiful, thoughtful alpine playgrounds, to indoor playgrounds on trains, to free play spaces (ludothèques) in Geneva, Switzerland spoiled us with its many amenities for kids.
The alpine playgrounds we visited were all next to restaurants, so we could dine while our son safely ran around and played freely in the most beautiful settings.
Many trains include a family coach which feature a small playground on the second floor. You can let your kid yell and run around guilt-free in this space!
The boat we took from Interlaken to Brienz featured a large, fully stocked play area on the lower deck. The best part? A staff member is there the whole time to look after the kids. It’s basically free babysitting for more than an hour!
Finally, we only had to buy a ticket for our son for a few attractions. He was three on the trip, so all public transit was free for him.
Plan your Sundays wisely
With the exception of touristy districts, many retail businesses close on Sundays. If you find yourself needing some groceries or toiletries on a Sunday, your best bet would be to go to a train station where a nearby grocery store will likely be open.
Sundays are for families
Another note about Sunday: the Swiss like to devote this day to spending time with family.
That being said, plan accordingly if you intend on visiting an attraction that’s popular with locals. For example, we visited Swiss Vapeur Parc on a Friday (our Airbnb host advised us to definitely avoid Sunday if we didn’t want to wait in long lines). That Sunday, we went to Glacier 3000, which is more of a tourist destination, and it wasn’t crowded at all.
You don’t need cash
I initially assumed we wouldn’t be able to pay for a lot of things with credit card since Switzerland’s neighbors in Germany love cash. However, the only time we needed physical francs was when a restaurant’s credit card machine broke. Every other establishment we went to, whether it was in the city or the mountains, accepted cards/contactless payment.
English is common
It’s the classic tale of traveling in western Europe: You ask someone if they speak English, they humbly say “a little,” and more often than not, you discover they’re able to carry full conversations in English with no problem.
Naturally, speaking a few common phrases in German and French goes a long way in Switzerland (even a simple “Grüezi” in the German-speaking areas or “Bonjour” in the French parts). But generally speaking, restaurant menus had English translations and we didn’t run into issues conversing with people in English.
What’s air conditioning?
OK, it’s not that air conditioning is entirely non-existent in Switzerland. But most homes don’t have it so finding an Airbnb with AC can be next to impossible. If you’re visiting over the summer and air conditioning is a must-have, look at hotels instead.
On our trip, we stayed at three Airbnbs and one hotel, and only the hotel (in Geneva) had air conditioning. Our Airbnb host in Zurich left us two floor fans, which was much appreciated since it was a heat wave the days we were there. In the Alps, it never got hot enough to need air conditioning or even a fan. Our Airbnb in Montreux felt warm at times, but it wasn’t unbearable.
Switzerland really is that beautiful
You’ve probably seen the Instagram reels and TikToks showcasing Switzerland’s natural beauty, and they’re not lying. It’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world, so pray for great weather and enjoy all that this country has to offer!